Appleyard Duck Breed – Everything You Need to Know

These beautiful ducks have become quite the popular show birds over the last few decades. They are a great addition to any backyard duck flock with their great egg laying, foraging abilities. Appleyard ducks have a calm, even friendly temperament making them a great pet.

As long as they have the normal feed, clean water to drink and another source to splash in they are fairly low maintenance. An excellent choice for a family and or first-time duck owner flock!

A dual-purpose breed which is known for its lean good meat quality and nutritious eggs!

GENERAL INFORMATION
Country of Origin:	England
American Poultry Association:	Recognized by the American Poultry Association
Duck Category:	Heavy Breed
Duck Class:	English
Colors:	Silver, Date of acceptance: 2000
Good starter duck?	Yes
Other names known by:	Silver Appleyard
Bantam Variety Available?	Yes
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Good starter duck?:	Yes
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APPEARANCE / IDENTIFICATION

DUCK BITS

DESCRIPTION

COLOR

EYES⇒

Dark Brown

BILL⇒

Medium Length

Yellow/Orange

Not wedged shape. Gently curved to the brow. * Black bean

CRESTED?

EAR LOBES⇒

Normal Same for M & f

Same as Feathers

Small, feather-covered holes behind the eyes

LEGS⇒

Well Apart Same for M & f

Yellow/Orange

Slightly back on the body

FEET⇒

Medium Sized Same for M & F

Yellow/Orange

WINGS⇒

Normal

Differ on M & F

Do not fly due to their weight. Do flap a lot

FEATHERS⇒

Differ on M & F

Good down feathers

SKIN COLOR⇒

White

AVERAGE WEIGHT⇒

Adult Female:	7.9 lbs.
Adult Male:	9.00 lbs.
Mature:	**6.6 lbs. @ 9 weeks old

*Bean: This is also called the nail. It is a small round bump found at the end of the duck’s bill. It is used for defence and to catch insects. It is almost like a fingernail and is damaged can grow back. It can also get overgrown much like fingernails if they do not have something to grind it down on.

** Note: This is an average weight for the male duck and not a guaranteed weight

USE/PURPOSE

Females/Hens

⇒

Dual Purpose + Breeding. White Plumage with different shades of grey and brown markings.
The hen has wings with white markings that have a “blue cross-stripe”. Her head is white with the same color marking as on her body.

Eggs⇒
	Color:	White
	Qty/Yr:	200 – 270
	Size:	Large
	They will start to try hatch eggs from their first lay
	Start to lay around 30 to 30 weeks old. They lay consistently through the year
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Broody:	Yes	They are known to go broody often
Mothers:	Yes	They do make good mothers and are very protective over their young
Meat:	Yes	One of the best for meat. Good quality lean favorable meat
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Pets:	Yes	They are generally calm curious waterfowl
Show:	Yes	They are kept as show birds
Prime:	8 yrs	They lay right up to between 8 to 9 years of age if they stay healthy

Males/Drakes

⇒

Breeding, Show, Pets and Meat. Males have a deep green head and neck feathers with the breast, flank, sides and shoulders a chestnut red with white feathers underneath the body.

Breed:	Yes	Should only start to breed them at 6 months old
Start:	–	Start to get fertile at around 3 – 4 months
No. Females	5	For every 1 drake in a flock
Aggressive	No	Drakes can be protective, but they are generally calm & gentle will sit eggs when required.
Meat	Yes	Excellent quality, lean meat duck
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Pets:	Yes	They are quiet and intelligent
Show:	Yes	They make beautiful show birds
Prime:	4 yrs	It is best to mate the younger drakes of up to about 4 years old

TEMPERAMENT
“They are calm even-tempered birds. They like to keep close to home. Are ideal for a backyard flock and first-time duck keepers.”
Good with Kids?	Yes. But as with any animal young kids should be supervised around them.
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Flyers?	No, they are too heavy to fly. They do like to flap a lot though!
Noisy Birds?	Yes, the females can be quite quacky! They like to chat, but the males are quieter.
Interact with other ducks?	Yes, they like to socialize, and most ducks just calmly get along with each other. Some younger drakes can try to challenge the older one to mates though. You will have to watch this at mating season. The hens can be a bit bossy especially the older ones in the flock.
Best duck breeds to mix them with:	The breeds have no problem mixing. As long as they are with other domestic breeds. I would not try to mix any wild waterfowl breeds with domestic ones.
Other animals?	They will eventually get used to other animals. It is best to keep an eye on cats and dogs though they may try and attack your ducks.

IDEAL ENVIRONMENT
“They are hardy birds that will easily adapt to most environments as long as they have a decent sized pond to splash in and a good sturdy warm house to sleep in at night.”
Ideal Garden Size?	They adapt well to any garden size
Can be Confined?	They can be confined but it is never an ideal situation for a duck. They need grass to move around on and fresh water to splash in.
Free-Range	They do enjoy free-ranging as long as it is not too far from their home
Penned Free-Ranging?	They will do well in a penned area for free-ranging if garden size permits/td>
Foragers	They are excellent foragers and will supplement their feed with juicy pests they find around the garden.
Endures heat well	They do need shady spots and lots of cool water to splash in and drink
Endures cold well	They are cold hardy but will still need some shelter to keep them cozy when required
Special Requirements?	A low maintenance duck breed
Ideal Duck House:	Depending on the size of the flock a normal duck house with bedding and security from predators.
Ideal Duck Pond:	A medium-sized plastic kiddies pool that is not too deep.
Flock/Paddling Size:	2 ducks or more. Ducks are sociable and do not like being alone.
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GOOD TO KNOW
“They are low maintenance and friendly. The love to play and are quite inquisitive.”
Special Care/Attention Requirements?	Keep an eye on their feet as the heavier breeds can get foot diseases
Known Predators:	Check with animal control in your area for known predators
Conservations Status:	Threatened For more information on poultry, conservation status, check the American Livestock Conservancy Website
Breeders Clubs:	It is best to check with the American Poultry Association for various clubs and or organizations.
Where to buy them:	Purely Poultry, Metzer Farms, Cackle Hatchery and Omlet US
Other:	If you do not want to risk having your ducks shipped check with your local poultry farms for advice on your nearest supplier.

HISTORY

Reginald Appleyard set out to create a dual-purpose breed of duck that was also a top class show bird. He developed the breed to be hardy, sturdy, lay lots of eggs and have an excellent full-flavored quality of meat. that would have a high quality of lean full-flavored meat.

The Appleyard duck, named after him, was a breed that he believed to be the ultimate duck.

They were developed on Reginald Appleyard’s farm, The Priory Waterfowl Farm in the 1940’s and were accepted into the American Standard of Perfection by the American Poultry Association in 2000. There is only one variety of the Appleyard duck and that is the Silver variety.

The Miniature Appleyard Duck was developed by Tom Bartlett, a waterfowl breeder, in 1980. The Miniature Appleyard Duck is stunningly beautiful and kept purely for ornamental reasons. It has a lot of the characteristics of the original full-sized waterfowl variety. Only the miniature variety weighs nearly one-third of its larger counterparts’ weight.

Health

Prone to Bumblefoot or Staph infections

Ducks need water to ensure they do not get “wet feather” disease. This is where the preening gland dries out. Water also stops them from getting pests such as mites, fleas, ticks, lice, etc.
Well, fed ducks should hardly have any health issues.
Any birds kept in a flock need to be dewormed. Although ducks are not as prone as other poultry they should still have a de-worming regime. Speak to a local vet or poultry experts for advice. Our article on Healthy Ducks has some great tips and advice on de-worming ducks.