Miniature Silver Appleyards:
My Miniature Silver Appleyards are comical ducks who love to dabble in muddy puddles. They will quite happily be left to there own devices free ranging around the grounds here thus making ideal choices for first ducks. The original Miniature Silver Appleyard was bred by Tom Bartlett at Folly Farm in the 1980's. They mimic the Large Silver Appleyard created by Reginald Appleyard for colour but at 1/3 the size. They weigh 2 1/2 - 3lbs when mature.
The drakes and ducks are pretty distinct for colour. The drakes almost appear to be wearing a mask. With an iredescent green head colour but for white throats, eye-brows and cheeks. The flanks and shoulders are claret in colour fading towards the caudal end. The ducks are a creamy white base colour with beautiful flecks over their bodies that look painted on with a paint brush. They have a similar mask to the drakes but being grained instead of the drake colour. Bill colour varies between the sex being an early indicator. Drakes have a green bill and the ducks have a yellow bill with a brown saddle.
The eggs they lay are similar in size to a large hens egg. I normally get 14 eggs in a clutch but have had birds lay 24 eggs and still cover them whilst sitting. But I would not like to leave her with that number for long. She will lay from March to June and provide good eggs for eating. They are relatively easy to incubate in an incubator and my first duckling was an Appleyard called Charlotte who is first to meet you and last to say good bye if you ever meet her.
The ducklings hatch with typical mohawks and sooty tails. They are hardier then call ducklings and enjoy their greens!!
As with most bantam and miniature breeds of duck the Appleyards can fly. So clipping or netting the pen they are to be kept in is adviced.
