Ancona

I started with five of these, but am now down to one.  They seem to be the least hardy of my Mediterranean breeds.  That being said, anconas are some of my favorites.  They have very interesting personalities, even as young chicks.  They are adventurous and are often the first to approach and try something new--whether it be a treat or an object, they are usually the first to peck at it.  They do not seem to do as well in a free range situation as some others, though, tending to stay close to home.  They lay a good sized white egg.   

Of the white egg layers, these are among my favorites. Very pretty, hardy and I think they are among the best layers of large white eggs.

I have 2 hens left of this breed. I started out with 5 and a rooster, some didn't survive free ranging as well as I hoped.

Oddly I could tell who was a rooster by 2 weeks. It was the ugly one with the enlarged comb, funny looking wings... and it crowed. The males of this breed mature very fast.

The hens lay white eggs and are more dedicated to the job than rode island reds. The only drawback about having them in colder climates is that they get frostbite on their large combs. They also choose to sleep in the trees instead of a warm coop. It is also a threatened breed. I do love the speckledness.