Apricot Valley Waterfowl Preservation

09/05/2023

Hey fam!
Just a quick update, because I know some of you are wondering about sales and such this year 👇🏼

If we decide to do a juvenile sale this year, it will be announced in late August. If we don’t make an announcement, we’ve decided not to sell anything. If we do, we’ll provide a list of what is available at that time. Cool? Cool 👌🏼

In the mean time, enjoy this teeny Rouen!

22/03/2023

Oh hey! It’s been a while! Happy belated New Year 😂

We’re still around, just been busy welcoming foals into the world. This is Renata and her filly. We also welcomed two colts in February and are still waiting on one more!

So, how you been? What’s new? What are you hatching this year?

02/09/2022

The famous Dutch Hookbill. We have the largest genetic flock of Hookbills in the world.

We keep them so they exist. ❤🧡💛

21/07/2022

That's us!

A SUMMER CLASSIC!

“Runner Duck” Craft Lager (5%) is a perfect companion for a hot summer night! Made with western Canadian malts and a touch of Czech Saaz hops, it is a modern take on the classic North American style lager but made in a craft way with no preservatives or brewing short-cuts.

Crisp, refreshing with slight biscuit and subtle floral and spicy notes due to the hops, you can find it in our Scarborough taproom and retail store for dine-in and take-away enjoyment, for immediate home delivery via Uber Eats/Skip the Dishes, and is available for Ontario wide delivery via our online store: https://commongoodbeerco.square.site

20/07/2022

Where’s Waldo? 👀

Whenever our Instagram reels start to get attention, we encounter some non-duck people who assume the only reason farms have ducks and geese is for meat.

So in case you’re new (hi! 👋🏼) and haven’t read any of our posts: we’re a waterfowl breed preservation farm. Basically…we farm genetics.

We have some of the rarest domestic ducks and geese, and probably the most diverse colour varieties of Runner ducks in the world. We breed them every spring to grow their populations, focusing on breed standards and genetic diversity.

What you’ll see here is a showcase of beautiful ducks and geese. What you won’t see is instruction on how to look after them. Lots of accounts already do that, and we recommend the book Storey’s Guide to Raising Ducks.

Okay, bye!

06/06/2022

Our girls call these the ‘baby eggs’ 🐣

Sorting hatching eggs has never been my favourite job, but I’ve finally got into the habit of sorting them as I collect them instead of doing it all at once right before they’re ready to be set. I have to say, I definitely prefer my new method!

We set new eggs in the incubator every week, and they are all labeled, counted and tallied so we can keep track of fertility and production easily.

We also make sure to keep ducklings that look similar as hatchlings on different trays so we can easily tell them apart for counting. For example, Welsh Harlequins are in a different group than our Harlequin Runners.

Let us know your preferred hatching routine if you breed ducks! 👇🏼

26/03/2022

Did you know... we also have 11 horses? We have 4 that are in retirement ranging from working on the Toronto Police Force, Fort Erie race track, slaughter truck rescue and a retired show jumper and dressage horse.

This is Renata with baby Flamethrower taking in the nice weather in Kentucky. 🧡

25/03/2022

There’s just something about a Silver Runner 😍

And for once....I’ve included what they look like as ducklings in the second slide! L to R: Silver, Blue, Chocolate, Black

Be sure to save this for future reference ↘️

17/03/2022

Our first waterfowl release day of 2022 is tomorrow!! (March 18)

More information will be available on our website on sale day.

www.apricotvalleywaterfowl.com

06/03/2022

Our young filly enjoying a snooze in the warm Kentucky weather. ❤

28/01/2022

It’s been a hot minute since we did a !

Featured this week is a female Faery Fawn Runner duck. Isn’t she gorgeous? 😍

24/01/2022

So this is how we are spending all these cold and snowy days.. Our birds have lots of space, dry bedding and thrive through winter.

How many breeds and varieties of birds do you see? HINT: a lot!

23/01/2022

It's another absolutely freezing day for us. All birds are in the barns today.

Hope this little Spotted Call duckling warms up your day!

22/01/2022

A basket full of Aylesbury ducklings, what could be better? These loveable gooey doughy bundles of joy are one of our favorite breeds!

Our next waterfowl release coming up soon will feature Aylesburys!

21/01/2022

Extinction is why we exist as a farm. We never sought out to dedicate our lives to the existence of rare waterfowl genetics it kind of came to us as David Holderread passed on the torch and we are doing our best to exist.

Since the pandemic we have made a handful of sales but our demand is through the roof. We are working on finding a balance that works for all of us. We have never been in this for the money as we don't believe preservation and profits go hand in hand! We are in this for the history, authenticity and to prevent Extinction.

20/01/2022

Don't worry about this cold weather.. spring is on the way! Not sure how we are going to fit some foals into the photos with our other babies on the farm..

This spring we are hatching two thoroughbred foals in addition to our usual menagerie. This is an exciting year for new breeds such as the Abacot Ranger, Khaki Campbell, Magpie Runner and Ancona Runners.

We plan to have a spring release of adult birds and we will have some details in the weeks to come. US customers will be able to do farm pickup moving forward with paperwork provided. Spring will be busy this year.

06/01/2022

We have a few new horses arriving to the farm this spring! They are currently in foal and their foals will join us this May. This mare is Renata.

To say that we have been busy is an understatement.

More to come soon.

10/12/2021

If any duck breed is going to play Santa Claus, it’s going to be an Aylesbury 🎅🏼

08/12/2021

That time when I could hold one of our Sebastopol geese in the palm of my hand 🥺

🖼 by

07/12/2021

Oh hey! 👋🏼

Just dropping in to say we’re still here and so are the ducks.

We’re busy building things and adding waterlines to make life a little easier around here so social media kind of fell by the wayside.

Also kind of hard to make new content when your phone battery dies so quickly in the cold 😂

Hope you are all well!

11/10/2021

We had a SUPER long and challenging hatching season this year. With up to 50 different pens of birds breeding things can go amazingly right or wrong. Sometimes things are just out of our control as well.

Overall we are calling 2021 a successful year but not near the year that we had hoped for. Next years plans are already in motion as we are already preparing our breeding flocks for hatching season.

11/10/2021

Isn't this little fella the cutest? 💛🤍💛

We are making plans for our Canadian Fall waterfowl release and should have some details shortly.

08/10/2021

Duck.Face.Friday.

Brought to you by this gorgeous Snowy Dutch Hookbill. 🤎🤍🤎💚

06/10/2021

The gorgeous Silver Appleyard Runner. This variety we have spent the past 5 years working on and made leaps and bounds again this year. 🖤🤍🖤🤍
No, it's not snowing here.. yet!

26/09/2021

The ducks and chickens believe in snacks before dinner, and how can I say “no”? 🦆

Also it’s not like I can stop them...I am not the boss here 😉

Draining water from the wheat before adding the supplements for ‘dinner time’. We feed either fermented or soaked whole grains as the bulk of their diet.

20/09/2021

“It became very apparent to Hilda and her friend Theodore that they may need to ask for directions to their duck pasture after all..”

05/09/2021

Geoffrey is a bathroom hog 🛁

But hey, when you wear white, you gotta be diligent!

26/06/2021

Did you hear?! It’s WATERFOWL RELEASE DAY! 🦆

Today’s sale is open to Canadians only; we provide shipping across the country, or farm pick up near Cobourg, Ontario. 🇨🇦

Please consult our website for our list of duck breeds and corresponding prices (priced per bird).

To place an order CALL 905-376-9792

We accept payment via PayPal or email money transfer: [email protected]

www.apricotvalleywaterfowl.com