Ancona Duck colors

[Ichthius]

Where do you find the Ancona message group?

 

[yaddaluvpoodles]

Thanks all! I think I'm addicted..... groan... there goes the budget!

Local library has "Raising the Home Duck Flock" which is by D. Holderread and put out by Storey books, but I didn't see anything about color genetics in it. Thinking have to to have "Storey's Guide" which isn't at this branch at this time.

I did have Magpies for a while and loved them. The only thing I didn't like is that if the markings aren't correct, well time to rehome that duck. Somehow seems not right to not move ahead with ducks who have markings that are a bit off when everything else about them is right (I'm talking the offspring, my adults were gorgeous!)

Darla

 

[yaddaluvpoodles]

I did a Yahoo groups search and found the Ancona group.

 

[Okla-doodle-doo]

I ordered anconans from Holleread a couple of years ago. They looked nothing like the pics just posted! I believe those are magpies. Mine were a lot more "spoted" and at least 50% white. None had the "bib" look.the bib look is what the magpies have. I received blacks,blues and one chocolat in my order.

 

[Ichthius]

Thanks for the yahoo tip.

Chapter ten of Holderread's raising ducks (storey's guide) is devoted to color.

I have anconas from Holderread's line. I think the solid color wings and bib are something you have to select against every generation to keep the speckling.

 

[goosedragon]

Quote:
Raising the home duck flock was an earlier D. Holderread duck book and you are right there wasn't much about color genetics. If I remember right, there are two chapters about color genetics in the later Storey's guide, one about Muscovy and one about the other domestic ducks. Magpies are very hard to keep the correct markings, the best thing to do is sort them early because you can tell if they are right as soon as they dry off and the ducklings are very saleable because they are so darn cute!

 

[kswaterfowl]

Hi Goosedragon!!! Yes, you will get a wide variety from Holderreads. We had birds that were magpie marked, pencilled and white (runner pattern) marked, swedish marked and even pure whites from time to time. We had a lot of small birds originally and crossed a hatchery pekin in at one point, had some recessive white issues, but eventually we culled enough to get rid of them. Anconas are awesome because you can tell roughly what they will look like as day olds. Granted as the hens age they develop more white in their solid patches making them appear more random, we often kept drakes with cape markings and almost all of our breeders had a cape to an extent, color on the top of the head to some degree and facial coloring. If it had an exact bib, it was culled. I also use to look for birds with color in the flanks and underbody, but mostly in the males. Lightly marked hens are easier to use than lightly marked drakes, but we had a problem more often than not with hens that were "overmarked" and drakes that were "undermarked" I liked to go about 60% white 40% color, but its hard to do when you only have a small number of birds to hatch from. Our flock at the largest was 20 birds, and we never hatched more than that at any given time, but we CULLED like mad when we did hatch birds. I will try to find a picture of some of ours, we use to have. We only have a silver hen and a black drake and a blue drake now.
K&S

 

[CityChicker]

It makes perfect sense based on how Anconas were developed that you would get some with Runner pattern, some Bibbed, and a lot in between. I regret selling mine. I'm sure I will add them back to my flock as I have more room again.

 

[yaddaluvpoodles]

I ordered the Storey's guide from the local library, should get here sometime in the next couple of weeks. I am a bit redfaced as to HOW many times I went through the older book (written by D. Holderread and put out by Storeys) looking for the color genetics info. Thought I was blind,everyone kept telling me it was there and I sure couldn't find it.

Does anyone have some photos of tri-color anconas?

What does everyone think about the Chinook anconas which are currently being developed?

Thanks, Dar

 

[Cetawin]

This link has some pictures of anconas albeit not the greatest but...

http://www.geocities.com/jk85rabbit/waterfowl.html

There is a tri-color on there.... tri-color is simply white plus two or more other colors at least that is what I am finding.