Silver Apple Yards

Over the past few years I have had a variety of ducks an have finally settled on silver Apple Yards as the ideal dual purpose homesteading breed. Sadly most of the ones from hatcheries are mixes with Rouan or awelsh Harlequin genetics. Pure Apple Yards dress out better than Rouans and lay about 220-240 eggs a year. I have a breeding pair and a broody duck on 18 eggs as well as 12 in the incubator. I hope to replace my other breeds and have only Silver Apple Yards from this fall forward.

Silver appleyards are a great breed, I had two myself growing up! It´s definitely hard to find pure bred ducks of any breed if they aren´t coming from show lines. I wish you the best of luck with your silver appleyards!

Gail Jardin wrote: I hope to replace my other breeds and have only Silver Apple Yards from this fall forward.

Are you planning to actively try to protect the breed?

I live on an Island, and as much as I love Khaki Campbell ducks, people here allowed them to in-breed and I have found hatch-ability is poor. So I understand your concern with people introducing other breeds into the mix, but I've had to do that myself with a bit of Golden 300. I've tried several times to get "fresh blood" from off Island, but so far have been unsuccessful, so I had to compromise.

I've had some concerns about "show birds" being all for show, whereas, I admit, I'm looking for farm animals. I want good laying, good hatch-ability, and good health, not just birds that look like what the book says they should look like. I've been trying to have my Muscovy hatch and raise them in the hopes that they will be better with watching for predators. I can't say that I've been successful. As Kristine Ellis' book says, they are a prey animal, and if affects what we can expect of them.