Duck Breed Focus - Silver Appleyard

[smithmal]

I think a 4' x 8' coop would be fine (32 square feet) for the amount of ducks you want/have. Rule of thumb is between 3 - 5 square feet per duck. My coop is 24 square feet (3' x 8' x 4') for five ducks (3 SAs, 2 WH and 1 PEK).

If you're interested, here's a link to a video providing an overview of the coop and duck yard I built.

smithmal

 

[ShrekDawg]

Here is a coop I found when I was building my chicken coop that you may like! It's low to the ground so probably better for ducks anyhow

Of course, you do need to buy the plans but honestly you really probably don't unless you want/need more specifics! They have 4 good pictures of it and you can essentially see how to build it from the pictures without buying plans

https://www.meyerhatchery.com/productinfo.a5w?prodID=NECP

But also 4x8 is a pretty easy size to build, that's how big my coop is that we're building, and we found a really cheap plan on here but we did modify it a bunch haha they used OSB/particle board which would just fall apart so we used 3/4 pressure treated plywood for the floor and pine sheathing for the walls and I think roof, I forget what thickness. But we also covered it with tar paper and cement clapboard we found cheap on Craigslist and then shingles on the roof. If you're not going to cover it with some sort of siding or paint/protectant then you would really probably want to go with regular plywood.

But a 4x8 coop is pretty easy, you just need a bunch of 2x4s, plywood, and nails and/or screws essentially.

But we built ours on a 6x8 frame with pressure treated 2x6s so that we could add a storage area and nest boxes on the extra 2 feet. The nest boxes I think are 2x4 feet and we made 3 boxes. We were going to do 12x12 inches (1 foot by 1 foot) but I think they're bigger, I forget what we decided on haha I think 15 or something like that. 1 foot is plenty big enough for chickens but not sure about SAs. You would probably want to go like I did, a bit bigger. The bump out makes it really easy to collect eggs and most birds use it. I don't think ducks really fly much? And like to nest on the ground from what I've seen. So if you put the nest boxes indoors they would have to be on the floor or low to the ground which would mean the eggs might get dirtier and you would also need to bend down a lot which I don't think you would want to do. A bump out would allow the nest to still be on the ground but make them much much easier to collect.

We didn't end up building the storage area because we put a window in the wall haha but I do think a storage area is a good idea, next coop.

And another thing, I would maybe make the coop bigger than you think you need in case you do add more birds later.

My dad insisted on only 4x8 because it's a "mansion"/chicken palace compared to their current coop and he didn't want anymore chickens (we have 8) but I really wish we had just gone 6x8 or even 8x8. We already built it on a bigger frame anyway so it really wouldn't have cost anymore, except maybe a couple more pieces of wood. Now I am wanting a few more chickens and there's no room in the coop.

So definitely go a bit bigger if you can.

But 4x8 can hold up to 8 chickens (or ducks) at 4 sq. ft. each so there should be plenty of room.

 

[smithmal]

My advice when choosing a coop design (in order of priority):

1. Make it as easy to clean as possible. A vast majority of your time and labor will be spent removing and replacing the bedding in the coop so make sure your design makes this duty as painless as possible

2. Make sure your coop is predator proof. Proofing the coop is dependent upon a couple things:
a. Is the coop inside a secured duck yard. If so, you already have a primary level of security. If not, you will need to ensure that it can be secured from super predators like racoons, foxes, hawks, weasels and snakes
b. Will you be securing your ducks in the coop each night or will they go in there on their own. If your securing them (i.e. opening and shutting the coop door) then that increases the security. If not...
c. How secure is your food source (as it can attract predators)
d. Do you ducks co-mingle with wild fowl? If so, then you have additional disease concerns that can get into your flock and wipe them out.

3. Provide plenty of venting. Rule of thumb... 20% of the surface areas of your walls should be vented

4. Install an underlay in your coop. I went with stapling down thick plastic. Others do lineoleum, etc. This is needed to ensure your coop's floors don't rot

5. Will you be keeping water in your coop at night? Personally, I don't do this, but others do. If you choose to keep water in your coop, you'll need to come up with a design so that it doesn't go everywhere (ducks are a hellacious mess when it comes to water sources)

6. Will you be providing lighting to your coop to keep the 15 hours daylight cycle (to keep up duck production)? If so, think about how to get electricity to the coop, a timer, and what sort of lighting system you'll choose. I went with a LED light specific for egg layers, but others do well with just a fluorescent.

7. Choose a design that is easy to repair. This is the biggest plus to building your own coop (if you decide to do so) as all the materials most likely are obtained from your local hardware store so they are easy to obtain when repair is necessary. I also choose wall dimensions that are pretty standard so I can easily purchase new wall material and replace the old walls/roof with little cutting and measuring.

8. Will you insulate your coop and/or provide an external heat source? This final element depends upon your location and temperature range during the winter months. I went with insulating the floor and ceiling in my coop (zone 6).

In my opinion, the above covers the main elements to think about when deciding upon a duck coop design. Ducks will naturally seek shelter when it gets dark. My ducks always lay in the coop in the early morning hours. This is great for me as I don't need to go on an egg hunt each morning to gather my eggs. I simple open the door and after they ramble out, I grab the eggs. The better you coop, the more comfortable the ducks will be and the more they will lay.

Hope that helps,

smithmal

 

[Grampsof8]

The Silver Appleyard duck was created by Reginald Appleyard, from which the breed took it's name. He created this breed on his farm, “Priory Waterfowl Farm”, which was located at Ixworth, near Bury St. Edmonds in Suffolk, England, in the 1930’s. He managed to create a heavy bird that aged 9 weeks old, could produce a roughly 6.5lbs table bird (plucked) with an excellent meat to bone ratio, that was also capable of laying a good number of large white eggs.
After World War II Silver Appleyard ducks became very rare as the interest in poultry declined in Britain. Tom Bartlett, owner of "Folly Farm" in Gloucestershire, England, kept 130 different breeds of poultry for display to the public and was instrumental in reviving the Appleyard during the late 1980’s.
Silver Appleyards are usually the most active foragers out of all the breeds of heavy duck. They are great additions to the homestead that make excellent table birds and lay large white eggs and go broody fairly often.
The Silver Appleyard was introduced to North America during the late 1960’s, but they took some 20 years before being readily available. The breed was admitted to the British Poultry Standard in 1982 and the American Standard of Perfection in 1998.
Details:

Uses: Dual purpose, meat and eggs.
Egg laying: 100 to 180 large white eggs yearly.
Origin: U.K.
Weight: Drake: 8 – 10 lbs; Duck: 7 – 8 lbs (large fowl)
The breed comes in large fowl as well as "Mini" size.

Pic by @Miss Prissy


Pic by @Miss Prissy


Pic by @Cherlyn


Pic by @Cherlyn

BYC Reviews:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/products/silver-appleyard

Breed Discussions:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/283565/mini-appleyard-ducks/0_30

Do you own Silver Appleyards? Are you a Silver Appleyard breeder? If so, please reply to this thread with the your thoughts and experiences, including:

· What made you decide to get this breed?
· Do you own them for fun? Breeding? Some other purpose?
· What are your favorite characteristics about this breed?
· Post some pics of your birds; male/female, chicks, eggs, etc!

I’ve owned laying hens for a number of years and decided to add ducks to our farm. I wanted to get a breed that was hardy, friendly and a good layer. I decided on Silver Appleyards and are very happy with them.