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Member Reviews: Ancona

Positive Reviews

Kristin Brown

Ancona

Posted
By Kristin Brown

Cons: Flighty

This summer I was given two Ancona hens which was a breed I had been wanting for sometime. Their feathers shine beautifully and their patterns are so unique between each bird. The combs are large even with the hens. I was shocked to see how well this breed can fly! My hens easily jump in one swift motion onto the roof of their coop - about 7ft high. They also perch on the 6ft chain link fence of their enclosure each morning before escaping to the other side!    
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bruceha2000

Great birds

Posted
By bruceha2000

Pros: Alert, inquisitive. Pretty with thier upright "fin" tails

Cons: Haven't seen any yet. Will have to watch for frostbite on the large combs this winter.

Purchased from Ideal Poultry. Hatched 6/12/2012, arrived 6/14. Price is per bird without shipping.   They were the first to hit on the water nipples, even before I had the water line hooked up. They come over to see what's going on. They were the first to check out the nest box and lay in it. A Faverolle laid 2 eggs in the coop even though the community box was available AND I had put her in it.   They were stand-offish when younger, wouldn't take earwigs from my hand though they loved them whereas one of the Australorps and one of the Chanteclers would jump in my lap to get an earwig before the other birds had a chance.  I don't know if it was just getting older...
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Negative Reviews

TheCrazyClucker

Never Again!

Posted
By TheCrazyClucker

Pros: Good egg layers.

Cons: Flighty, nervous, mean to other chickens.

I have 2 of these hens, and I will never get any again! My Anconas are good egg layers, but they are VERY flighty, nervous, mean to other chickens, and just a plain horrible chicken!   Here is my Ancona hen Ellie:  
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midasmychicken

Anacona

Posted
By midasmychicken

Pros: good egg layers

Cons: Soooooooooooooooooo flighty. ugly

My anaconas are soooooooooooo flighty you can't get within 10 feet of them without them fleeing. I know it's not me 'cause none of my other hens are like that. They are not pretty. But images I've seen seem attractive. Perhaps it's because they get frostbitten so easily. They are really great white egg layers. I love my chickens but I wish I could get closer to Twitch and Osprey.
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More Reviews

techpeak

Interesting girls

Posted
By techpeak

Pros: Get along well with other chickens, good foragers

Cons: Good ability to fly

Acquired these two girls from someone who wasn't supposed to have them in the city. They were still pullets. They lay one egg every other day between the two of them. Have not noted them to be particularly flighty, however, when they do decide to take wing, they have more height and distance than any other breed in our flock. Was surprised by the height of comb and the spurs on the hens, we actually thought they were roosters at first! Overall, energetic, lively birds that allow us to handle them.
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bruce89123

Great Personalities

Posted
By bruce89123

Pros: Prolific egg-layers

Cons: Constant noise makers

  My two Ancona hens, Heckle & Jeckle. Named so because they are always right next to each other just like in the cartoon.   I love my Anconas. They have got the most funny personalities and very lively. Mine are the most frequent layers in my flock and very rarely skip a day egg-laying. They do however make constant noise. Not too loud, just what seems like a constant wining. These birds are a little on the flighty side and have great jumping ability. Even with flight feathers trimmed mine can jump much higher than the rest of the hens in my flock.
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Mama2D2

Queen Bee

Posted
By Mama2D2

Pros: smart, healthy, problem solver, fast, queen bee

Cons: flighty

I love this bird. She is smart and looks at me when I talk to her. She is the first to squack at me when she seems me, the first out of the gate and the last one into the coop. SHe jumps our 5 foot fence occasionally and have found her roosting in a tree about 15 feet high, not sure how she got there but she comes back when I call for her. She will either be the first to get killed off by a predoator or the last one.   She's a crazy cool bird. One of my favorites.
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Just Because

Italian Beauty

Posted
By Just Because

Pros: Excellent layer and forager. Docile and interacts well with people.

Cons: Flighty and sometimes noisy

The most attractive aspect of this breed, apart from the pretty feathers, is the large white eggs they lay practically everyday. They rarely, if ever go broody, and providing managed well, can fully moult in a month at the end of the year's laying season. My girl is the boss of my little flock and has been the most prolific layer. She even managed to squeeze out an egg well over 100 grams !!!    This is her a few weeks ago.   This is her as a young 'un She started laying at just over 20 weeks old (22 possibly) and didn't waver until she started her moult.   The problem with the Ancona, as with most of its Mediterranean relatives, is the fact they...
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Apyl

Great Breed

Posted
By Apyl

Pros: Comical, friendly, social

Cons: none

My Ancona is 7 weeks old. She is absolutly one of my favorites. Our Ancona is actually my 5yo sons chick, he originally chose the Barred Rock but it was no where near as social as the Ancona chick so now Speckles is my sons. She allows him to pick her up constantly. She doesnt run away and will just stand there for him. She is so friendly and makes the weirdest noise. She doesnt "chirp" like the other chicks, it more of a humming. Its hard to explain. Ancona's are deffinitly in my top breeds.  
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featherfriendlyinIowa52

So far, so funny

Posted
By featherfriendlyinIowa52

Pros: very friendly

My Anconas are only 2 weeks old but of all the breeds (7) in my brooder, these are the friendliest.  They rush to stand on my palm for a ride up to see everything from a bird's eye view.
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clhnd

great year round laying hen

Posted
By clhnd

Pros: great layer year round even at -15 degrees

Cons: little flighty

great breed. out of 20, had no problems.lost none. had no frostbite.
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ScrappyChicken

good white egg layer

Posted
By ScrappyChicken

Pros: good layer, attractive bird, great personality

Cons: not hardy

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.   
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Lbrad7

Nice breed for range growers

Posted
By Lbrad7

Pros: Hardy, attractive, very good layers.

Cons: can be flighty

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.
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ReiMiraa

Eggs, Frostbite, Flighty.

Posted
By ReiMiraa

Pros: Good Egg Layer

Cons: Very Flighty, Frostbite

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.
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