Male Silver Appleyard Ducklings

$7.90

Male Silver Appleyard ducklings are a large, eye-catching meat and breeding duck, raised for their excellent table weight and to support strong egg production in a flock. They do best on small farms where they can free-range, foraging much of their own feed while adding both size and vigor to your breeding program.

Temperament: Calm, friendly; good for small farms/pets.
Foraging: Active free-rangers; efficient at finding food.
Production: Males add meat value; females are strong layers.

Preferred Ship Dates

Clear

Quantity Discounts

Quantity	Price
1 - 29	$7.90
30 - 124	$5.53
125 - 339	$4.74

Your Price:

Total Price:

Please note:

We cannot ship less than 3 ducklings per ship date. There is also a $25.50 charge for any order of less than 10 birds.
For especially large orders, feel free to contact us and benefit from our tiered pricing discounts.
All ducks are shipped as ducklings and can be delivered anywhere within the United States.
We will provide a full refund for any birds that arrive at their destination deceased, or that pass away within 24 hours of their arrival. See full return policy.

Males have a dark green or greenish-bronze head with a white ring around the neck. Their body is silver-white with patches of chestnut brown, and their breast is a deep burgundy color. The wings are patterned with silver, black, and some white markings, adding to their distinctive look. They are relatively large ducks, with drakes (males) weighing around 7-9 pounds.

Male Silver Appleyard ducks are generally calm and friendly, making them suitable for small farms or as pets. They are active foragers and enjoy free-ranging, which makes them efficient at finding their own food if given space to roam.

Silver Appleyard Ducks Breeding and Egg Production

While the female Silver Appleyard is known for being an excellent layer, the males contribute to the breed’s productivity by their size, which makes them ideal for meat production.

Male Silver Appleyard Duck Behavior

Male Silver Appleyards are generally calm and friendly, making them suitable for small farms or as pets. They are active foragers and enjoy free-ranging, which makes them efficient at finding their own food if given space to roam.

Male Silver Appleyard Duck FAQs

Yes. They’re generally calm and friendly, especially if handled gently as ducklings. They tend to do well on small farms and homesteads and can make good “farm pets” as long as they’re not overcrowded or stressed.

Yes. They usually integrate well in mixed flocks, especially with other similar‑sized, calm breeds. Just watch your male‑to‑female ratio if you’re keeping multiple drakes so they don’t overbreed or harass the hens.

A common guideline is 1 drake to 4–6 hens. For heavier breeds like Silver Appleyards, this ratio helps ensure good fertility without overworking the females.

Plan on about 4–6 square feet per duck in the coop and more in the run, ideally with access to pasture or yard space. They need dry bedding, good ventilation, predator‑proof night housing, and access to open water deep enough to dunk their heads for eye and bill health.

Before they arrive, set up a brooder at about 85–90°F with clean, dry bedding. Provide warm water with electrolytes, a quality starter feed made for ducklings, and enough room for them to move toward or away from the heat source.

Spec	Male Silver Appleyard
Plumage coloring	Silver‑white head with dark greenish cap, chestnut breast, gray‑and‑white body
Notable features	Distinctively patterned plumage; broad, deep body that dresses out well for the table
Weight	8–9 lbs (large, dual‑purpose drake)
Temperament	Gentle, balanced, curious, intelligent; fits well in mixed flocks, non‑aggressive
Primary uses	Meat, breeding, and adding visual interest with showy plumage
Ideal for	Small farms wanting an attractive, hearty drake for breeding and table use

Pros	Cons
Top-tier dual-purpose: Excellent meat plus up to 265 eggs per year.	Females can be noisy, with a louder quack than the males’ raspier voices.
Meat is tender, lean, and often considered some of the most flavorful duck meat.	They’re a relatively rare breed, so sourcing or preserving breeding stock may require more planning.
Very productive layers compared with many other duck breeds.	Active but not very flighty, so they’ll still need good fencing and water access.
Beautiful, colorful plumage and good flock birds that mix well with others.

Fast 3-5 Day Delivery

For most orders, we use USPS Priority Mail, which typically delivers within 1–3 days. We operate on a Monday hatching and shipping schedule, so that ducklings usually arrive before the weekend.

NPIP- Certified Hatchery

Healthy ducklings start here: as an NPIP-certified hatchery, we carefully monitor and test every bird for disease so your ducklings arrive bright-eyed, energetic, and ready to thrive.

Nearly 20 Years of Experience

A few backyard ducks in 2007 sparked a passion that’s now a nationwide hatchery—yet Shirlock Acres still raises every bird with the same honest, family-level care you’ll read about on our About Us page.

State-of-the-Art Hatchery

From the moment they hatch, our ducklings are raised in a safe, well-kept environment where every detail is watched over with care. That attention ensures the birds you receive are healthy, thriving, and eager to settle into their new home.

Family Owned Business

Shirlock Acres is very much a family story in motion—a hatchery that grew out of Roger and Ruth giving their boys something meaningful to do and slowly turned into a full-time way of life.