Silver Appleyard Ducks

The Silver Appleyard is one of our farm's favorites. They are easy keepers, hardy, docile, and so much fun to watch. Add to that the strikingly white plumage of the hens and the gorgeous silvering on the drakes and you have a bird that is the complete package.

Silver Appleyard ducks are a beautiful heavy-weight heritage breed of duck.

Silver Appleyard Personality

We find Silver Appleyards to be fantastic foragers. They are very active for a heavy-weight breed and will readily forage on insects, acorns, and plants. They are calm, social, and can be friendly towards people when properly socialized. They do well in groups, and the drakes are gentle, mellow, and give impressive mating displays.

Silver Appleyards as Meat Birds

They are said to be the tastiest domestic duck breed, and we tend to agree. Silver appleyards exhibit a flavor profile similar to wild pintail, which is any waterfowl hunter's prize. When the meat is pan fried with skin-side down to render slowly, you obtain a meat that rivals anything "bacon-wrapped" and holds its own against even a ribeye steak.

Silver Appleyards as Egg Layers

Silver Appleyards can be impressive egg-layers for a calm, heavy-weight breed. As a general rule in poultry, higher egg production comes with a suite of characteristics that include flightiness (not calm), lack of broodiness (not good moms), and aggression. This is NOT the case for appleyards, who seem to have maintained many of their heritage characteristics. Egg laying capability can vary, anywhere from 100 to 270 eggs per year. Make sure to inquire with the breeder you are purchasing from to make sure you are getting poultry that meet your specific needs.