Last week saw the first clutch of Silver Appleyard ducklings being hatched. This is our second year of breeding Silver Appleyard ducks to exhibition standard with the long term goal of exhibiting them at local poultry and agricultural shows.

These ducklings have been bred by parent birds selected by students against breed standard which is a fantastic opportunity to see selective breeding in practice. Students have seen the progress made in one breeding season, so we are looking forward to future hatches.

As the weather has improved we have had more practical lessons exploring the nutritional need of different ages of animals. Students have been practicing their animal handling through carrying out full and comprehensive health checks on all of the animals at school ready for the breeding season.