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