The Silver Appleyard

A relatively common duck in the United Kingdom, the Silver Appleyard is a rarity elsewhere in the world, despite it being a favoured table duck, pet and show bird.

Initially the Silver Appleyard was developed by Reginald Appleyard, hence the name, in the 1930s. Appleyard was an expert breeder of waterfowl, and working from his farm, sought to develop an attractive but productive duck. It took though several further decades for the Silver Appleyard duck to become standardised, mainly due to the work of Tom Bartlett.

Silver Appleyard - Barbieri Anna Maria - CC-BY-SA-3.0

This standardisation has created expected characteristics for the Silver Appleyard. Both Drakes and Hens should have dark brown eyes, and a bill of medium length that has an upward curve as it moves to the brow. A well rounded brown and black head should have green feathers overlaying it. The legs of the Silver Appleyard are also to be noted as they will be well apart and slightly further back than on other ducks.

There are though notable differences between the Silver Appleyard Drake and the Hen. The Drake is relatively colourful, having a red-chestnut flank, breasts and sides. The shoulders may also have a hint of red, but often the green of the head, and also a whitish silver colour makes an appearance. The white-silver also extends to the underbelly of the Silver Appleyard. The wings are predominantly grey, with blue and white also present, whilst tail feathers are bronze. Male Silver Appleyard ducks will have orange feet, and a bill that is either yellow or green in colour.

Silver Appleyards - Barbieri Anna Maria - CC-BY-SA-3.0

The female Silver Appleyard is normally white but has brown or grey present. Wing feathers are also creamy white with fawn and blue also visible. The hen will have orange or yellow legs. The bill of the Silver Appleyard hen is yellow or orange, and has a black bean upon it.

A flavoursome duck, the Silver Appleyard will normally weigh between 2.7kg and 3.6kg.
The Silver Appleyard is often referred to as the Large Appleyard, this name is used to distinguish it from a variant of the Silver Appleyard Duck, the Miniature Appleyard.

The Silver Appleyard Duck is now primarily kept as an egg laying duck, and in a good year a duck can lay as many as 250 eggs. Equally though the Silver Appleyard is a friendly duck and if treated right will act more like a pet than a domestic duck.

Copyright - First Published 5th March 2010

Sebastopol Goose

Medium sized, the Sebastopol Goose is one of a number of domesticated breeds of geese found in the Northern Hemisphere.

There is some debate about the reason why the goose is called the Sebastopol Goose, although the most likely reason is that the Crimean port was the purchasing and dispatch point for the first of the breed to make its way to Great Britain in 1860. At the time though the goose was as likely to have been known as a Danubian Goose, a reference to the area of Europe around the river when the first of its breed was first developed.

Saddleback Sebastopol Goose - Davee - CC-BY-2.0

Traditionally the Sebastopol Goose was a white bird with long curly feathers. The colour of the goose though has evolved through the successfully breeding of the bird, and now varieties of the Sebastopol can be find in buff, saddle and grey. This breeding has also produced Sebastopol geese which have lower concentrations of curly feathers around the breast area, and are smooth like the bird’s neck area.

The legs of the Sebastopol Goose are orange and the bird has bright blue eyes.

Today the Sebastopol Goose is considered to be a medium sized one, with ganders weighing in at between 5.5kg and 6.4kg, with the goose at 4.5kg to 5.5kg. These weight though area an increase of a third over historical weights brought about by specific breeding.

Sebastopol Goose and Gosling - Davee - CC-BY-2.0

The nature of the curly feathers around the breast area has given rise to two German names for the Sebastopol Goose; Lockengans, translated as curl goose, and Struppgans, or unkempt goose. The curly feathers are a result of a lack of a rigid spine or quill within the feather, and whilst this leaves the Sebastopol goose as almost flightless, does have the benefit for owners as superb feather to be used in pillows and quilts. Owners of female geese can also expect on average 30 eggs in the year.
To help keep themselves clean the Sebastopol Goose does require more than the normal amount of water, but many geese do require a lot in order that their sinuses are kept free of dirt and debris.

Many people do like to keep Sebastopol geese as pets or as small flocks on smallholdings, although it is worth noting that the breed is perhaps not as friendly as other breeds, like the Roman Goose, having origins associated with the German Kampfganse and fighting geese from Eastern Europe.

Copyright - First Published 4th March 2010

Roman Goose

The Roman Goose, now more commonly known as the Tufted Roman Goose or Roman Tufted Goose, is one of the more common domestic breeds of goose. The Roman Goose and the Tufted Roman Goose are only named differently because of the fact that the latter has a tuft of feathers on its head.

The domestic Tufted Roman Goose has its roots back in the Danube River area of Europe and also Italy, with the breed being recognised back to several hundred years BC.

Roman Tufted Goose - Joe Thomissen - CC-BY-SA-3.0

The Roman goose is identified by its pure white plumage, blue eyes, orange or reddish legs and pink bill with white bean. Male and female Roman geese will look identical, although the male is likely to be slightly larger. In terms of weight, the Roman Goose is one of the smaller varieties weighing in between 4.5kg and 5.5kg.

The Tufted Roman Goose looks a great deal like the Embden Goose, although far smaller and lighter, but the normal tuft of feathers is a characteristic that sets the two apart. The tufts of feathers are smaller than a crest would be, and subsequently less pronounced.

The relative small size of the Roman Tufted Goose makes it generally unsuitable to be a bird bred for its meat, being financially unviable. This though doesn’t prevent it being a popular breed for many smallholdings. The Roman Goose is recognised as having a rather friendly nature, making it a good family pet. Whilst these geese may make a lot of noise, something that makes them useful as guardians of property, it is normally a noise related to delight.

An additionally benefit of keeping Roman Tufted geese around is the fact that they are an excellent form of insect and bug control for a garden. Bugs make up a large part of the bird’s diet, and will happily turn over rocks in search of the delicacy.

Although known as the Roman Tufted Goose it is quite possible to find them without the tufts. Indeed whilst a tuft-less Roman Goose may be rare in the United States, it is far more common in places like the United Kingdom, although in essence the two birds are the same.

It is now more common to see a Roman Goose in competition, or as a family pet, rather than in any commercial setting. Many people find that they do make good pets and can be quite friendly with their owners.

Copyright - First Published 4th March 2010

Difference between a Duck and Goose

Identifying the differences between a duck and a goose may not be as immediately obvious as it first seems. Most people would think that they wouldn’t get confused between the wildfowl but in their natural environment it is perfectly possible to mistake a goose for a duck.

Most people would probably say that the most obvious difference between a duck and a goose is that a goose is bigger than a duck. In most cases this is true but a Brent goose, which is one of the smaller members of the goose, could be the same size as a large duck.

Canada Goose and Wood Duck families - Jonathon Jongsma - CC-BY-SA-2.0

Looking at the science behind the two birds there is actually little difference between a duck and a goose. Both are members of the Kingdom Animalia; Phylum Chordata; Class Aves; Order Anseriformes; and Family Anatidae. Indeed it is only the subfamily that differs, just as swans differ from geese and ducks.

There are some physical characteristics that are different between a duck and a goose, although there are exceptions to this, and any generalisation made about the two birds. A goose has a longer neck than a duck, although ducks have relatively long necks themselves compared to many other birds.
Colour is also used as a differential between ducks and geese. Geese tend to be grey or white, with no difference in colours and markings between the male and female geese. Ducks though are often multicoloured with differences in colours between male and female members of the same type of duck.

Diets also tend to differ between the two birds, with ducks eating fish and insects, and geese having an herbivorous diet comprising of grain and grasses. This diet also sees the two birds locating in different areas, with geese grazing on land, and ducks feeding on and under the water.
There are also other differences between a duck and a goose that sometimes are true, with geese migrating further than ducks, and also having more webbing on their feet.

Toulouse goose and domestic duck - Jim Linwood - CC-BY-2.0

The differences between a duck and a goose are further complicated by the group of birds that is often placed between the two, the Shelducks. These are another part of the Anatidae family, many of who are called geese without actually being true members of the geese group of birds. Shelducks are often larger than normal ducks, and spend their lives split between time on the water and time on the land.

The difference between a duck and a goose is tiny, and is best described as being colour differences and the length of the neck. The two birds though can be confused and from a distance especially is an easy thing to do.

Copyright - First Published 4th March 2010

Gapeworms in Chickens causes and Treatment

Gapeworm, Syngamus trachea, is a parasitic worm that can result in the death of a chicken. More normally found in game birds, gape worms infect the trachea, making it hard for the chicken to breathe and to eat.

Gape Worms, also known as Red Worms and Forked Worms, are normally ingested in larvae form, either through direct feeding, or through the consumption of earth worms, snails or slugs which are caring the gapeworm. As the larvae grow the trachea becomes obstructed. Gapeworms that develop outside of a host can also be ingested by a chicken, although this is more uncommon as the parasite is easily killed, even by sunlight.

Healthy Chicken - Mindaugas Urbonas - CC-BY-SA-2.5

The gapeworm themselves are bright red, hence Red Worms, with the male measuring up to 6mm, the female is considerably larger. Once inside the chicken, the male and female then join in a Y-shape, hence Forked Worms.

The first sign of gapeworm normally comes when the chickens fail to eat, and cough a lot, and stretch their necks in an effort to get air into their lungs. Additionally a chicken may also have their eyes closed for most of the day. If a close examination is undertaken there will also likely to be signs of inflammation within the trachea. If the problem though is not dealt with quickly suffocation could be the end result. Gapeworm though normally proves to be more of an issue in young birds, and death is more common than in adults.

Gape worm is more common in birds that are allowed to run wild as confined breeding normally comes with regular cleaning programs for the chicken’s environment. The use of some insecticides will kill off the hosts that can transport the gapeworm larvae.

There are a few different treatment options for gapeworm, although most are only used on more expensive birds, otherwise they are not really cost effective. The use of Thiabendazole has been used successfully on pheasants when added to their feed. Levamisole and Fenbedazole are effective when added to the chicken’s drinking water. Treatments available will often vary in effectiveness depending on how long the infection has been present, and careful study should be undertaken before use.

As with any infection prevention is often a lot better than cure, and where possible chickens should be housed in the cleanest possible environments. As a parasite the gapeworm can prove to be deadly but treatment is available and effective.

Copyright - First Published 3rd March 2010