Silver Appleyard

I have one silver appleyard hen she is very adventurous like shes the first to come out into the snow! she seems very smart has learned quickly all the calls I make to the ducks. She not so afraid of my chickens like most of my other ducks are .

They come in white also. They are pretty calm. My favorite duck.

Homer Duck is the one appleyard egg that hatched this past spring in our incubator. She and wilbur chicken (a buff brahma) are best soul mates since they hatched together. I wanted dual use birds that would be easy to handle for my 2 young nephews (And myself) and this is the breed suggested by the breeder. Homer has been great. she doesn't love getting picked up & handled, but she will put up with it. she does love humans and talks/calls to us every time we're in the yard. she quacks for joggers or bikers who go past on the road, and quacks when I come home and get out of my car. Actually, she makes more noise than the 2 cockerels I have crowing! it's sort of an endearing noise & I like it, plus my neighbors don't mind as they're hoping to get their own chickens next year. So I would only say this could be an issue if you live close to people who would be bothered by it. She does converse -- if I call out her name she shouts back, and she usually mumbles and mutters around as she's poking her bill in the ground hunting for whatever it is she hunts for in there. I've been offered a drake by a friend and probably will take him, and Homer will have a husband. We'll see how that goes and if it creates too much chaos in the poultry yard we can have roast duck (or duck soup) instead. Homer can be a little pushy and bossy with the 2 chickens who are below her in the pecking order, and will sometimes keep them from coming in the house at night. She used to be bossy with ALL of them, but the head rooster went after her and she's been more polite since. out of the 8 fowl she's close to the bottom now. But she has her Wilbur and they hang together all the time (though Wilbur doesn't get the whole swimming/splashing thing at all - she becomes indignant when her duck gets her wet!). In short, I love her temperament and she is a very pretty duck (blue/green stripes on her wings!!) despite being a girl and more muted in color. She does blend into the woods well too, which hopefully helps hide from predators. She is friendly and not flighty to have around and follows to 'watch and help' when i'm working on building things or gardening. not too close, but definitely where she can be near the people.

​

General:

I have been keeping and breeding (Large) Silver Appleyards for quite some time now (I am no expert however!) A great traditional British Breed.
They are truly a dual purpose breed, having great egg laying abilities and well fed Drakes making a 9lbs weight (7-8 table) for good eating. They are handsome to look at and big colourful birds, breed standard flocks are lovely to look at and not too closely coloured to the Mallard, a nice distinct trait. (left)

Health:

Our's here are hardy and no cold weather seems to phase them which is another bonus in that they require little bedding in their Duck Houses. They do prefer good shade, and not too must pestering or human attention in the heat of summer. If you are breeding it would be a good idea to keep and eye on leg size and weight, some Birds are small boned and do not carry well (these ones should be culled or not bred from). Extra large well boned birds make great cuddly pals and true to the standard.

​

Ducklings and Personality:


The Ducks make good mothers, they are particularly protective compared to some breeds, be prepared to be bitten if you get too close! On another note, I have even had Daddy Drakes sit patiently on eggs whilst Mother was out eating.

Ducklings brooded or hand reared are very independent, I think this to be the nature of the breed. Ducklings require patience and attention to become tame, this is easier when you start young, attention little and often. Give them time and they will not become flighty, we like to call friendly ones"Duck Slippers" when older (constantly tripping over cuddly Females and goofy Males).

Females are extra loud this is something you might want to think about if you have neighbors. They will call across 3 fields if they catch the sight of you, or indeed just as loud if you were to be right next to them. I have no idea why this is, and have never met a quiet Appleyard. Drakes make sounds of the usual sort.

I'd love to have some of these... working on trading to get some hatching eggs soon.

Very friendly, curious, and sociable ducks. They are great foragers, and do well in my mixed flock of turkeys, LF, bantams, and ducks. They are a lot of fun to watch, and very calm. Big size seems like it would be a good meat duck. I will be trying them on the table when I have extras.

I really wish I still had these! But alas, I sold off all my stock!