straight run silver appleyard ducklings (3)

straight run silver appleyard ducklings (1)

Straight Run Silver Appleyard Ducklings

$10.50

Our Silver Appleyard Ducks are a stunning duck variety characterized by a calm personality, making them ideal for both meat and egg production.

Egg laying: Begins around 29 to 30 weeks with an annual count of 200-270 large white eggs.
Temperament: Calm and easily tamed, good with supervised children.
Flock compatibility: Do well in mixed flocks and with other animals.

Please note: All of our straight-run orders are filled first from a true straight-run mix before separating males and females for other orders. We cannot guarantee a specific number of each gender.

Preferred Ship Dates

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Quantity Discounts

Quantity	Price
1 - 29	$10.50
30 - 124	$7.35
125 - 339	$6.30

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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.

The Silver Appleyard Duck is a beautiful duck breed developed with a dual purpose. These ducks are great for meat and also lay plenty of eggs.

Physical Characteristics of Silver Appleyard Ducks

Appleyard males can weigh up to 9 lbs with a bit of a blocky physique, while females weigh slightly less but have a similar sturdy frame.

Both drakes and hens have dark brown eyes and a medium-length, gently curved bill with a black tip. Their feet are medium-sized and orange-yellow in color, with both genders having white skin.

Hens generally have more grey plumage, with a white head and brown markings, and wings with white markings. Drakes have a dark green head and neck, red-brown breast, sides, flank, and shoulders with white feathers underneath. Both drakes and hens are good options for meat, as show animals, or as pets.

Silver Appleyard Ducks Breeding and Egg Production

Starting at 29 to 30 weeks old, hens begin laying eggs at a rate of 2-5 eggs per day. This results in an annual count of 200-270 eggs, making them one of the highest egg producers. The eggs are large, weighing approximately 80-95 grams each, and are pure white, making them highly valued by both farms and hobby collectors.

Females tend to be quite broody and are great mothers to their eggs. Be careful not to move these ducks during their brooding period, as the hens may walk away from their eggs completely.

Silver Appleyard Duck Behavior

Our Silver Appleyard ducklings for sale are easily tamed and do well in flocks with other animals. They have a calm temperament like Pekins. Silver Appleyards enjoy playing with children with adult supervision and will tolerate dogs and cats. Male Appleyards are noticeably quieter than female ducks, who can be very loud and chatty.

* All Silver Appleyard Ducks Are Shipped As Ducklings*

Silver Appleyard Duck FAQs

Yes. Silver Appleyards are known for exceptional table quality. Their meat is tender, lean, and very flavorful, often considered some of the best-tasting duck meat for roasting and gourmet cooking. They combine a good carcass size with a pleasant, rich flavor.

Their eggs are rich, full-flavored, and slightly more robust than chicken eggs. The thick whites and vivid yolks make them great for baking, custards, and hearty breakfasts, while still being mild enough for everyday cooking.

Yes. Silver Appleyards are considered a relatively rare breed and are listed as “Threatened” by The Livestock Conservancy. That means there are still relatively few registered worldwide, and each new keeper helps preserve the breed.

Yes. Shirlock Acres offers a live arrival guarantee on ducklings. If anything goes wrong within the first 24 hours after arrival, they’ll work with you on a refund or replacement, as long as you follow basic care instructions and provide a photo of any losses.

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.

Shirlock Acres is an NPIP-certified hatchery with nearly two decades of duck experience. Every duckling is hatched and raised in a clean, well-managed facility, then shipped with care-focused packaging and attentive customer service.

Spec	Male Silver Appleyard	Female Silver Appleyard
Plumage coloring	Silver‑white head with a dark greenish cap, chestnut breast, and gray‑and‑white body.	Mottled silver‑buff body with a dark eye stripe and creamy face; softer, more blended pattern overall.
Notable features	Distinctively patterned plumage; broad, deep body that dresses out well for the table.	Among the most striking domestic ducks; balanced build that combines good size with strong laying ability.
Weight	8–9 lbs (large, dual‑purpose drake).	6–7 lbs (solid table size while still efficient as a layer).
Temperament	Gentle, balanced, curious, intelligent; fits well in mixed flocks without being aggressive.	Same gentle, steady temperament; good “family duck” with calm, people‑friendly demeanor.
Egg production (per year)	— (non‑layer)	220–265 eggs per year.
Broodiness / Mothering	—	Medium broodiness; will go broody often enough for some natural hatching but not so often that laying stops.
Hatching / Incubation	—	Standard duck incubation (≈28 days) with good results in incubators or under attentive hens.
Primary uses	Meat, breeding, and adding visual interest to the flock with their showy plumage.	Dual‑purpose: strong egg output plus good meat bird; valuable as the main producer in a small farm or homestead.
Ideal for	Small farms wanting an attractive, hearty drake for breeding and table use.	Mixed flocks or small farms that want one breed to cover both eggs and meat reliably.

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.