As a duck enthusiast, you get curious about various duck breeds. Among them, the Silver Appleyard Duck Breed was introduced by the American Poultry Association in 2000. However, they were developed in the 1940s as a British Breed.
While researching this waterfowl breed, I found them amazing for poultry purposes or as a domestic duck. Besides, some other surprising facts are also there! Stay here and spend 2 more minutes learning more about this popular duck breed.
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Silver Appleyard Duck Breed Profile
As I said, they’re quite popular as a domestic breed, and noting all the details about them is necessary for every poultry owner. Check the profile of the breed!
| Profile | Information |
|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Anas platyrhynchos domesticus |
| Order | Anseriformes |
| Origin | British England by Reginald Appleyard |
| Varieties | Miniature Silver Appleyard, Silver Appleyard |
| Purpose | Dual-purpose, popular for meat and egg production |
| Distributions | Worldwide and mostly in poultry farms |
| Reproduction | The perfect mother and natural sitter |
| Cost (USD) | $8 to 16 based on male or female |
| Lifespan | 8- 12 years |
| Adaptability | Friendly to different environments |
History Of Silver Appleyard Duck Breed
If you look at the breed history, well, they’re from an expert British poultry breeder, Reginald Appleyard, in the 1930s. His intention was to develop a breed that provided a satisfying amount of meat and eggs. And he succeeded!
This breed has developed at Priory Waterfowl Farm near the Ixworth, and it’s from the Second World War time.
Surprisingly, Reginald’s birds were successful and won prizes in the Dairy Show in London and Bethnal Green. In 1947, Ernest George Wippell painted a pair of Silver Appleyards. Later on in the 1970s, Tom Bartlett, who is from Gloucester, played a big role in the breed’s popularity or resurgence.
They are available in two versions based on their size. The Silver Appleyard Bantam was developed by cross-breeding Call drakes and Khaki Campbell. On the other side, the Miniature Silver Appleyard was made in 1997 by Tom Bartlett of Folly Farm.
Surprisingly, the size wasn’t small enough to call bantam, so they became Silver Appleyard.
As mentioned earlier, the breed was added to the American Poultry Association in 2000. And Livestock Conservancy listed the breed as “threatened.”
Physical Appearance Silver Appleyard Duck Breed
Silver Appleyard ducks come with distinctive feather coloring. But it varies based on male Silver Appleyard and female Silver Appleyard.
About Male Silver Appleyard Duck Breed Appearance
- The male, or Drake Silver Appleyard, has a yellow and greenish bill.
- Their shoulders, breasts, sides, and shoulders are chestnut red along with white and creamy silvery white in underbelly.
- Such a breed’s male versions have white and grey wings with blue cross-stripe.
- Looking at their legs and feet. It’s an orange color, and the tail feathers appear dark golden.
- The male breed can be around 20-24″ (50-60 cm) and weigh around 3.6 to 4.1 kg.
About Female Silver Appleyard Duck Breed Appearance
- Hen or female Silver Appleyard comes with an orange or yellow bill topped with black bean.
- They have pale feathers ornamented with grey and brown hue patterns.
- She has similar blue cross-stripe wings, and the legs are either yellow or orange with dark-colored toenails.
- The size of the female ducks is 18 to 20″ (45 to 50 cm), and they weigh around 6-8 pounds.
What Is The Personality Of The Silver Appleyard Duck Breed?
In truth, Silver Appleyard ducks have a calm and docile nature. Like other ducks, they are also social and love to stay with mates and humans in the yard.
So, Are Silver Appleyard Friendly?
Yes, they are quite friendly and charming birds as a domestic breed. Their popularity came not only from their meat and egg production but also from the nature they have. If you notice their personality and behavior, you’ll see some lovely facts such as:
- They try to be friendly with the caretaker and may follow around.
- Such breeds are quite curious about their surroundings, and they calmly try to explore the area without becoming aggressive.
- The female Silver Appleyard ducks have a good nature to be a good mother, and they are natural sitters with maternal instincts, as I said before.
- This waterfowl breed remains social and stays with its mates all the time.
- They are quite easy to keep, so breeders find them loveliest among other breeds of ducks.
- Silver Appleyard ducks are considered the less noisy duck breed.
- Similar to other ducks, they also help control pests in the garden and yard to help the area remain neat and clean without pesticides or insects.
Silver Appleyard Duck Breed And 5 Facts About Reproduction
As I said before, Silver Appleyard ducks can be the best mothers and natural sitters. So, the reproduction part is quite exciting if you take a deep look as a poultry expert.
1. Meat And Egg Production
Exceptionally, this breed is raised for egg and meat production. So, you’ll have plenty of eggs each year, around 200 to 270 eggs with a weight of 30-44 ounces for each dozen.
According to the American Poultry Association, such ducks provide white eggs for many months as well as large carcasses with a good amount of meat.
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2. Nesting Behavior
For reproduction, this breed prefers to make their nest in a secluded place, although all of them do the same. They do it for a safe environment to lay eggs or to incubate the eggs.
3. Incubation Time
When it’s time for reproduction, they take around 28 days. All over the time, they try to incubate and ensure the proper growth of baby ducks.
To easily means, Silver Appleyard ducks have a strong broodiness behavior, and they’ll try to stay until they hatch ducklings.
4. Mating Time
When talking about their mating season, they usually select spring and early summer. But surely, it’s gonna depend on the geographic location, climate, or environment they are in.
5. Great Mother
Female ducks are desperate to take care of their ducklings right after the hatch. They show their attentiveness to the offspring, care for and protect the babies, and give guidance until they become self-dependent.
What Purpose Is Best With Silver Appleyard Breed?
This British heritage has a dual purpose: to produce meat and provide a lot of eggs. Besides, you can keep such breeds for other purposes like for exhibition. Lemme tell you in detail.
So, Silver Appleyard Breed Is Good For Egg Production?
As I said, they provide a good number of eggs, around 270, and people find them beneficial for poultry purposes. So, people with poultry purposes can go for such breeds to have a great benefit in business.
Related Reading: Everything About khaki Campbell Duck
Can I Keep Silver Appleyard Duck For Meat Production?
Sure! Generally, we keep the ducks as domesticated ducks. If talking about their meat quality, it’s high-quality and obviously flavorful and tender. Their plump body makes them the perfect breed for meat production.
Are Silver Ducks Perfect For Exibition Or Ornamental Purpose?
Silver Appleyard ducks have a unique plumage color and pattern, so keeping them for ornamental purposes or in a show has become common. What I mean is their white and silver plumage with contrasted dark color markings that made them an aesthetic breed.
Can I Keep Silver Appleyard Duck As A Pet?
Pet lovers who keep fowls in their house can also keep the Silver Appleyard breed. First of all, they are distinctively beautiful, and then comes their nature and behavior. Which is calm and docile, as I stated before. So, they can be good pets in your house for being a social bird.
Good And Bad Facts About Silver Appleyard Breed As Pet
I personally found this duck so lovely and deserves to be on the farm, in the yard, or even in the house. However, some negative facts are there when keeping such a duck breed. But good facts took advantage and made them popular all over America.
What Are The Good Facts About Silver Appleyard Breed?
- Distinctive beauty with plumage pattern is quite attractive.
- Silver Appleyard has a friendly and calm nature to become a good companion pet.
- Adaptable to different environments and climates.
- Multi-purpose duck breed perfect from home to farm.
What Are The Bad Facts About Silver Appleyard Breed?
- Silver Appleyard needs an adequate living space as small spaces are not enough.
- Like other ducks, chickens, or poultries, this breed is no exception from acting messy and making the area dirty.
- Sometimes, they become noisy and can be disturbing to the neighborhood.
How To Raise Silver Appleyard Ducks? 7 Ideas To Utilize!
As a pet or in a backyard setting, raising the Silver Appleyard breed won’t be any extra hassle like the way we usually keep other poultries. However, the tips may help you out!
1. Getting A Healthy Fowl:
Get the healthiest Silver Appleyard duck breed. But how to recognize the healthy one? They’ll be more alert, active, and less susceptible to falling into sickness. And there will be no abnormalities or discharge signs in them.
2. Small Flock Of Silver Appleyard:
Start by making a small flock of around 2-4 ducks. Then, you can raise more in the yard with more space.
3. Housing And Spacing:
Make a house with enough comfort zone for your ducks. So, the duck house design, equipment, and layout matter. Making 10 square feet for each duck is ideal, I think. For this, ensure the ducks have –
- Enough space to play, swim, forage, and for nesting.
- Prepare a well-ventilated space in the coop with a nesting box and perch. It’s because of roosting that ducks like.
4. Predator Safe Area:
Ducks become stressed and in danger because of the predators around them. Fox, raccoons, Snakes, or other creatures often look for ducks to hunt. So, ensure ducks have a place with a fence that blocks the predators from coming near the duck’s yard.
5. Proper Diet:
Ducks need a balanced diet to become healthy and grow faster. You can give them commercial duck pellets along with occasional treats like fruits without pits, veggies, nuts, seeds, or grains.
6. Supplementary Foods:
Ducks may also prefer to have some supplementary diets like worms, hard-boiled eggs, insects, or other small creatures. All these things will ensure they are taking enough protein. Besides, you can use some grits to let them digest properly.
7. Neat And Clean:
Always try to keep the duck area neat and clean. Mostly, keeping the duck’s coop clean is a must! As it’ll remove parasites or pest populations. You can even let the duck control pests as well. They are amazing pest controllers, significantly the Indian Runner. Check this video out!
Related Reading: Indian Runner Duck Breed
How To Breed Silver Appleyard Ducks?
It’s easy to breed the Silver Appleyard Ducks, as you need a few tips to follow.
- Ensure you get the healthy breed of Silver Appleyard.
- Try to keep one mature drake for 8 to 19 females for a lengthy breeding success.
- Don’t let them overcrowd for breeding, as it can cause potential injuries in the flock of Silver Appleyard ducks.
- Ensure optimal nutrition for your ducks.
- Make a nesting environment for the Silver Appleyard friends in your yard.
- If it’s natural brooding, let them take some time. Or, if it’s artificial brooding, make a brooder setup.
- And always monitor their condition when you breed them.
3 Interesting Facts About Silver Appleyard Breed
- Reginald Appleyard developed the Silver Appleyard breed with silver-gray feathers, and it’s what made the name Silver Appleyard duck.
- They are considered the largest and heaviest duck breed, where the adult one can weigh around 7 to 9 pounds.
- Interestingly, the largest duck breed has a miniature version, and we call them Miniature Silver Appleyard in compact size.
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FAQs
I should inform you of some other facts about the Silver Appleyard Duck. So, check these frequently asked Questions for more facts about the duck breed.
Q. Can Silver Appleyard Ducks Fly?
No, Silver Appleyard ducks are heavier, so they cannot fly properly. But they can escape from predators while trying to fly. Until they become heavy, they’re good to fly on average.
Q. Where Can I Get Silver Appleyard Ducks?
Check the pet shops, wildlife organizations, or neighborhoods to know if they sell or give this breed for adoption. However, poultry owners are the best who can give you a flock of Silver Appleyards as they breed this duck as well.
Ending The Discussion
So, you understand everything about the remarkable Silver Appleyard Duck Breed. What’s interesting about them is their distinctive appearance with plumage color and pattern, dual-purpose capability, and their nature. The popularity comes as they can make a good pet, provide meat and eggs, and are perfect for exhibition.
Whether you want such breed as a pet, for a backyard setting, or ornamental purposes, Silver Appleyard ducks are all good. And they’re quite comfortable, so you also have the adaptability benefit from this versatile duck breed.
Sources & References:
- https://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/animals-and-livestock/poultry-and-birds/species/duck-raising/housing-design
- https://www.thepoultrysite.com/articles/artificial-incubation
