Saving Animals Together since 1983

Meet our two new residents: Marge & Maggie the Appleyard ducks

October 2, 2025

These two super cuties have already stolen our hearts…

Say hello to Marge & Maggie — two beautiful miniature Appleyard ducks who joined the Hopefield family last week.

Their previous owner was struggling to give them the care they needed and made the difficult decision to rehome them for the sake of their happiness and well-being. While we are at capacity for most animals and birds right now, luckily, having recently extended our duck pond and enclosure, we had the perfect space to welcome these two lovely girls. They wasted no time getting stuck into exploring their new home, and we’re sure they’ll enjoy the rest of their lives here at the sanctuary.

Just a gentle reminder to everyone while we’re on the subject of ducks, before we know it it will be that time again whereby we’re flooded with requests to take in ducklings and chicks from school hatching programmes… If your school or nursery is thinking about taking part in these dreadful experiments, please do share our blog on this subject. These living beings deserve so much more than the tragically short life they are subjected to (because, despite what the hatching programme salespeople might say, the majority of these chicks are culled when they quickly become surplus to classroom requirements).