# New Silver Appleyard Ducklings W/Pictures!!!



## salmonslayer91 (Oct 10, 2010)

FINALLY GOT THEM!!!:clap::happy::clap:

i tried several weeks ago but holdearends was sold out then last night they called at 7:30 pm and i picked them up by 8:00pm i was NOT prepared! set them up in the bath tub for now they seem to like running around, all are eatin g and drinking though one looks as if he cant walk 100% hes (Marty) stumbles and falls but has perked up and is doing well other then that. 

My wife has named them all (6) Marty, Martha, Marlin, Micky, Minced, Meat

minced and meat will be finding new homes soon we simply cannot have 6 ducks in our smaller yard 

but im hoping for 1 boy 3 girls or 2:2 

anyways below are pictures and a link to a youtube video



























take note of my little pooche isabella (bella) all healed up from her near death experiance with a case of pyrometra :dance:


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## salmonslayer91 (Oct 10, 2010)

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGY3mZWrgqc[/ame]
sorry for the heavy breathing and irratic footage  :hammer:


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## GrannyCarol (Mar 23, 2005)

For the one that stumbles, double check the feet to be sure they are not curled under and might need taping. Congrats! I'd keep them until they are four weeks old and you can tell what's a boy and what's a girl by their quacks. 

Do you have them for the table? If so, I would suggest keeping them all and butchering the extras. If not, then, yes, sell the extras. 

They are cute little buggers!! I'll have to get some pictures of my silly, awkward, fluffy ducklings.  Maybe I'll even get such pictures off my camera and post some! lol

Oh! I noticed yesterday that my 3-4 week old Appleyards are starting to feather in and the three girls have a white breast in the middle and the drakelet is getting pink on his chest. Very happy to have three girls and one boy, though one of the girls is blue and I suspect actually an Appleyard Saxony cross (I got them from a local gal who has both varieties of duck). I already have a half Appleyard drake that is blue and he is stunning, I'll probably breed for it for fun. However I wanted to mention the color difference is obvious and may be even younger, I wasn't looking for it. When I have time, I'll go back through some older pictures to see if I can tell on younger ducklings.


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## salmonslayer91 (Oct 10, 2010)

his feet are definatly not curled i watched for quite a while they are flat. he does seem to have a rocking motion when standing almost tremer like ....  

eventually the plan would be to have a breeding trio or more and butcher the excess drakes and/or sell excess above what we "want" to butcher, at this point im still working on my wife and she is getting used to the idea but im not pushing it! 

im AMAZED at how quiet they are all six of them just barly peep to each other i wouldnt even know they were there if every once in a while one got excited and sprinted into the others causeing a rucus. 

id apretiate it i can give you close ups of them maybe the amount of darkness on the head could imply hen or drake? i do have a fellow accross town that is interested in 2-3 which would make my flock the perfect size (as of now)


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## GrannyCarol (Mar 23, 2005)

Unfortunately, at this age color doesn't tell you anything about the sex of Silver Appleyards. If you want to be sure you have a trio, keep them until they grow up and you can tell. I would suggest you do that so you don't waste your time and money getting them and ending up with three boys or three girls!


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## salmonslayer91 (Oct 10, 2010)

good point. that would really suck! i had a heck of a time getting them in the first place! i may relocate two of them simply because this fella is sorta of a friend and perhaps we could switch if he ended up with two boys and me four girls  or vice versa


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## GrannyCarol (Mar 23, 2005)

You could try this.... just do be gentle and careful with your babies! You can mark them with a zip tie around the ankle, but be really careful there to that it will stay on, but is loose enough to remove easily as the duckling grows. 

http://www.metzerfarms.com/SexingVideo.cfm?CustID=345093

I'm thinking about trying to vent sex my Saxony babies, but they are older, not sure what the difference is, but they say this method is good for the day olds, mine are more like a week.


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## salmonslayer91 (Oct 10, 2010)

will try lin the morning lets see what happens  it looks easy enough but im SURE itll be alot harder then it seems where are your pictures? fluff ball sharing time!


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## Cyngbaeld (May 20, 2004)

Mix some chopped raw liver or liver puree with their feed. Vitamin deficiencies will cause tremors.


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## salmonslayer91 (Oct 10, 2010)

fed the liver, shes walking much better and much less tremble-y, upon sexing i believe i have a trio now i just rehomed the other three to the man accross town we have each others number in case later on we need to trade a hen for a drake or a drake for a hen, anyways i "think: ive got a trio and hope i wont have to do it, carol the video sure makes it look alot easier i was probily a little nervious due to not wanting to hurt them but in a months time or so i should know for sure what i have


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## GrannyCarol (Mar 23, 2005)

Cool! I had to smile when he said that when he first tried he got 80% girls! But when he practiced more he got the normal ratio of drakes to ducks. 

I bought four Appleyard babies this spring, looks like I have three ducks and one drake, which is great. However it also looks like one of the ducks may be an Appleyard cross, she is blue and not a normal color. Since the gal I got them from has Saxonys, I suspect she's a Saxony cross. I don't so much mind, I have a half Appleyard drake that is blue and he's gorgeous. I'm not breeding them for sale, but for myself, perhaps the outcrosses will improve vigor? Maybe I'll work on a strain of blue Appleyards? Who knows?


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## salmonslayer91 (Oct 10, 2010)

hmm the new craze blue appleyards developed by GrannyCarol in E. Washington  sounds like a plan!!! i got dibs on the first sale of the final product 

ETA i know for sure i got one male  boys you can tell right away IF it comes out girls may be a girl or a boy that was a tad bit too modest


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## GrannyCarol (Mar 23, 2005)

Here is a picture of the blue boy, Larry. It doesn't really do him justice, he's prettier than the picture:










He's a little smaller than the full Appleyards, his father was large, but not as big as either a Saxony or an Appleyard. My daughter thought I ought to breed "Saxoleyards" or some such silliness!  I'll have to get pictures of Bluebell as she gets older and feathers in. Right now they all look like adolescant fluff balls.


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## salmonslayer91 (Oct 10, 2010)

APPLEYARD + SAXONY = APPONY ? i like saxoleyards better


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## GrannyCarol (Mar 23, 2005)

Yah, us too!


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## BackfourtyMI. (Sep 3, 2007)

Very cute little ducklings!

Larry is awfully handsome too Grannycaro!


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