Call Ducks
Call ducks are a small breed of duck known for their small bodies and beaks. They were originally used to attract wild ducks to hunters. They now make excellent pets, due to their small size and friendly nature.
Silver Birch holds some of the best bloodlines of call ducks in the UK, including the Lovell line, the Soper line, the Hammond line, the Davies line, the Woodward line and the Shilton Line. This means that we are able to supply our clients with exhibition-quality birds at reasonable, fair prices. However, we also breed a large number of pet quality birds, so we can appeal to a wide range of audiences.
We breed a variety of colours, including Butterscotch, Black, Yellowbelly and White, as well as Silver, Abacot, Blue Appleyard and Appleyard - colours which are the inspiration behind our name (Silver Birch).
All of our birds are raised on grass, to allow the ducks to flourish and show their true colours.
Exhibition Abacot and Silver Call Ducks from the Shilton line.
Exhibition Abacot and Silver Call Ducks from the Shilton line.
Colours
Please click on the photographs of each call duck colour to view more information and photographs.
Yellowbelly
Yellowbelly is a colour exclusive to call ducks, and is still relatively uncommon. The underbelly of the female is a beautiful pinkish-buff, with mallard markings on the back and wings. They have a brown stripe across the eye.
Our Exhibition Yellow Belly breeding birds were sourced directly from the Hammond-Davies line, and we also breed from a mixed line for added diversity. Our mixed line birds can be seen in the photograph.
Please note that the ducks pictured are currently moulting, and so their orange markings are not visible. The two females are from the Shilton line, and the male is from the Lovell line.
Abacot
Abacot is an unusual colour of call, and it is relatively rare, certainly among those who keep call ducks as pets. Abacot females have orange markings on their heads, and black freckles sweeping down their breasts and backs. Combined with the features a call duck is renowned for (a short beak and small body), the abacot truly is one of the most interesting calls. The Silver Call is somewhat simpler, the females closely resembling a white call duck, but with grey freckles running across their heads.
Silver Birch breeds from a large number of abacot call ducks, derived from a number of renowned breeders. Some of the birds we breed from are directly from the Shilton line. Our Shilton-line call ducks have claimed prizes at a number of regional shows, and were placed at a National-level show. We also breed from Lovell Abacots.
Silver
Please note that these ducks are currently in moult, which is why the female's grey markings are not as prominent as in the spring. A Lovell pair are pictured above, and a Shilton pair are pictured to the right (below on a mobile device).
The Silver Call is somewhat simpler than the Abacot call, and the females closely resemble a white call duck, but with grey freckles running across their heads.
Silver Birch breeds from a large number of silver call ducks, derived from a number of renowned breeders. One of our pairs of Silver Call Ducks are from the Lovell line, which is arguably the best Silver bloodline in Europe. The drake claimed a prize at the National, where over 7500 birds are exhibited, and has acculumated many accolades at regional and local. We also breed from a pair of silver call ducks from the Shilton line.
White
White may be the most well-known and the most common call duck colour, but it is certainly one of the nicest.
Silver Birch offers pure breed, exhibition white call ducks, and our White breeding pair are some of the best of their colour in the country. Sourced directly from the breeder of the Lovell line, our White drake has collected a large number of prizes at both National, Regional and Local shows (such as Best Waterfowl at Northampton Show), and the duck has also claimed places at National, Regional and Local shows.
Regular Appleyards
Appleyard is a relatively uncommon colour of call duck, and very few are sold on the open market. Appleyards, as seen in their name, have very similar markings and colours to their bantam and heavy duck counterparts, the Minaiture Appleyard and the Large Silver Appleyard respectively.
We hold two lines of Appleyard Call Duck - the Soper line and the Hammond line, both which were sourced directly from the respective breeders. Silver Birch will exhibit these birds in 2021.
Blue Appleyards
As their name suggests, Blue Appleyards are darker than their regular counterparts. Blue Appleyards are very uncommon, and there is only one breeder, excluding ourselves, who we can confirm sells these birds on the open market.
Due to the colour's rarity, we breed from just one line of Blue Appleyard call duck - the Hammond line. From this strain, we care for an unrelated trio of birds, which allows us to satisfy our clients' needs.
Butterscotch
An extremely popular colour, Butterscotch Call Ducks are always in demand.
Sourcing an excellent Butterscotch on the open market has become exceedingly difficult, and Silver Birch is pleased to offer some of the best.
We hold two lines of Butterscotch Call Ducks - the Hammond line, and the Soper line.
Black
Exhibition Black Call Ducks are difficult to source, and this is not aided by the fact that, when fully mature, they are extremely beautiful.
Black Call Ducks have a green sheen coating their black, silky feathers (this sheen is not visible on the photograph, due to the sunlight levels at the time of the shot). They are extremely similar to Black East Indians, which makes the breed perfect for clients looking to purchase small, friendly birds with similar patterns and markings to Black East Indians.
We hold two lines of Black Call Ducks - the Hammond line, and a German bloodline. This allows us to provide unrelated pairs for breeding.