Silver Appleyard Duck

Facts about Silver Appleyard Ducks. Silver Appleyard Ducks were developed back in the 1940s by a famous duck breeder who lived in West Suffolk, England. Reginald appleyard was a man behind this seeking to improve this breed. He wanted to get ducks which had several qualities in one. The beautiful, long and deep, good sized, laying big eggs with a wide breast ducks were breed as a result of this. The Silver Appleyard Duck are a cross between Aylesbury and Rouen Pekin breeds. Silver Appleyard Ducks were brought to America in the 1960's and in 1984 became available to the public. The (APA) American Poultry Association recognized the breed for admittance to the American Standard of Perfection in 2000.

The Silver Appleyard Ducks are large and very stylish. Being very quiet, the Silver Appleyard Duck can be kept as pets though they are also good as laying birds because they lay very big eggs. They are among the best laying birds in the large duck family since they lay up to 250 eggs in a year and their meat is very lean and tasty. The Silver Appleyard Ducks can also be kept in exhibition due to their beautiful colorful look.

Silver Appleyard Ducks grow very first if well fed and the mature one weighs up to 8 pounds (3,6 kg). The Silver Appleyard Ducks are streaky in appearance with a yellow beak which has a black bean color tip, dark brown eyes, orange legs and feet with dark toenails. The feet are wide apart and set slightly back. When the Silver Appleyard Ducks are older, the beak takes on a striated appearance.

The Silver Appleyard Ducks shoulders are white in color looking as if they have a lace. The underside is either cream or silver. The wings have a white and gray color with a bright blue stripe. The tail’s feathers have a dark bronze color.

"Scientific name for Silver Appleyard Duck Anas Platyrhynchos" meaning - Wild dabbling duck from which domestic ducks are descended; widely distributed. From New Latin "anas" meaning (Duck) and the word Platyrhynchos comes from "platyrrhine", Ancient Greek meaning (broad snouted, flat-bridged nose).
Silver Appleyard Ducks are birds in the Class of "Aves". Silver Appleyard Duck and Ducks of all types are part of the bird family "Anatidae".

Features about Appleyard Duck egg

A Appleyard Duckegg has twice the nutritional value than a chicken egg and will stay fresh longer because of their thicker shell.
Appleyard Duck eggs are richer with more Albumen "the white of an egg" making pastries and cakes richer and fluffier. A Appleyard Duck Egg has more Omega 3 fatty acids than a chicken egg. Omega 3 is thought to improve skin health, memory and Brain health. Appleyard Duck Eggs are an Alkaline producing food and a Chicken egg is an acid food and leaves your body more acid. Duck eggs are high in Cholesterol. Appleyard Duck eggs have 6 times the Vitamin D and 2 times the Vitamin A than a chicken egg. Appleyard Duck eggs have 2 times the cholesterol than a chicken egg.

When choosing Silver Appleyard Ducks for breeding it is good to pick the active, robust and the strong legged one for their amazing history of production of eggs. This is because most of Silver Appleyard Ducks are undersized. But the ones which are well muscled are very good for breeding.The excessively large ones are not recommended because they have problems when it comes to mating and laying eggs.

Appleyard Ducks are also called "waterfowls" they are generally found in places were there is water, such as ponds, rivers, streams, lakes and occasionally your back yard pool. The definition of Anatidaephobia is irrational fear that you are being watched by a duck.

Silver Appleyard Ducks are related to geeses and swans and the duck is the smallest of these birds with shorter wings and neck and a stocky body. Silver Appleyard Ducks on average, live 4 to 8 years and can live up to 12 years. Silver Appleyard Ducks are omnivores; meaning - an animal that eats food of both animal and plant and origin.

The Silver Appleyard Duck is a Precocial (meaning) Born or hatched with the eyes open, a covering of hair or down, capable of a high degree of independent activity from birth and able to leave the nest just a few hours after hatching.

In the wild the male Duck will guard their nest by chasing away other ducks. Once the female duck lays 5 to 8 eggs, she will start to sit on her eggs to keep them warm so that they can hatch into baby ducklings. The eggs will hatch on average within 26 to 28 days. Baby ducklings are able to fly within 5 to 8 weeks.

The male adult Silver Appleyard Duck is called a (drake) and a adult female Silver Appleyard Duck is called a (hen). A young baby Silver Appleyard duck is called a (duckling). A group of ducks is called a brace, raft, team, flock, or paddling. In the wild male Ducks (drakes) are the brighter colored ducks while the female (hen) are usually a plain colored for hiding purposes to be camouflaged from their enemies when they are sitting in their nests.

Silver Appleyard Ducks Water-proof feathers

A special feature that the Silver Appleyard Duck has is its water-proof feathers, even when the duck dives underwater, its downy under-layer of feathers will stay totally 100% dry. There is a special gland called the "Preen Gland" also called Oil Gland or Uropygial, that produces oil that is near the Silver Appleyard Ducks tail which covers and spreads the outer coat of the Silver Appleyard Ducks feathers, which makes the duck water-proof.

Underneath the water-proof coat are downy soft fluffy feathers which keep the Silver Appleyard Ducks body warm. Ducks keep clean by being able to turn their heads completely backwards, and put their beaks into their feathers by preening themselves.

Appearance about the Silver Appleyard Duck Feet

Silver Appleyard Ducks have webbed feet, that makes them act like paddles, designed for swimming. They push their webbed paddle feet back in a kicking motion, this allows them to move swift through the water and when the feet come back, they will close for less water resistance. The Silver Appleyard Ducks paddle feet do not feel cold, even when it swims in cold icy water. The webbed feet makes a Silver Appleyard Duck waddle instead of walk. The Silver Appleyard Ducks feet have capillaries which help blood flow to their feet. The warm blood flow down the leg and creates a heat exchange system. When the blood flows down the leg, it meets the cold blood and is warmed up to keep the ducks feet warm. Silver Appleyard Ducks feet are thin because they contain soft tissue and few muscles.

Silver Appleyard Ducks see in color with very good vision and can see well underwater. Silver Appleyard Ducks have three eyelids the third eyelid called nictitating membrane. They have a top and bottom as well as a third eyelid that is found on the side of the eye. The Silver Appleyard Ducks eyelid blinking acts as a windshield wiper to clear the eye. This helps to see when diving under water can also help the eye from drying out while flying. This is an act of constantly cleaning and keeping the eye moist.
Silver Appleyard Ducks will lay more eggs, when there is more daylight, that's why farmers will keep the lights on in the ducks house for longer periods of time.

Features about the Silver Appleyard Duck Bill

A "bill" is what is call a Silver Appleyard Ducks mouth. There are no teeth in the ducks bill, they have rows of thin bristles, which helps them to filter pieces of nutrition out of the water. Silver Appleyard Ducks swallow there food whole and it goes to an organ called a gizzard, were the food is first ground up and than moves on to the stomach. The different bill shapes and sizes for finding food, has over time mutated to fit each environment. The Silver Appleyard Ducks bill is flat and broad and has rows of fine incision along the outer edge called "lamellae". meaning a thin membrane, plate, scale or layer, as of cell wall or bone tissue. The larnellae helps the Silver Appleyard Duck to clutch food for feeding.