The Ancona breeders thread

[elizmartin]

Thanks for posting, great pic and lovely form.

 

[Rhinoman]

This picture is from last spring. A lot of my Ancona's carried their wings low? is this too low?

Also. Joe, I was looking over the pictures you posted on the previous page. Your birds have no large white patches and they just look "tighter" is that a product of cull or is that a pre cull bunch?

It's impossible to know what would they would have looked like had all the chicks you sent me survived till September. There was a real nice pullet in there and another decent enough and a decent cockerel (at least as assessed by my novice eye) all predator food. The chick with the friendliest personality survived!

It was a lesson learned the hard way and we will not be free ranging anymore.

 

[elizmartin]

Am so sorry for Your loss….I love the Ancona's and thought they were lucky because they were so smart about the outside dangers…Last fall and last month i lost 3 hens because i was not able to be there for the Eagle family that has taken up residency over the years. They too are no longer able to free range unless i am working in the yard all day…..I still have 3 Roos and 8 hens….

 

[Yellow House Farm]

Don't worry about the coloring when they're you. They're are three sets of feathers before maturity. The proper mottling comes in when they're adults. As teenagers they have the big splotches of white.

 

[Rhinoman]

What about the wings? Too low right?

 

[Rhinoman]

I really like this [15 month old] cocks shape and size. and you can't tell from this picture but his back is very wide. This is the way he normally carries his wings; too low, correct?

 

[Yellow House Farm]

I really like this [15 month old] cocks shape and size. and you can't tell from this picture but his back is very wide. This is the way he normally carries his wings; too low, correct?

Yes, the wings are too low, which is something I struggle with in general, but there's a lot of positive going on with that bird.

 

[Yellow House Farm]

The strain does have good size: length and width. They're big birds. Now it's about refinement. Are you finding them to be productive?

 

[Yellow House Farm]

Although no one will accuse these of being good photos per se; they do suffice to get of sense of what's coming up from the 2015 hatches. It's still far too early, of course, for fine details--or even not so fine details, but they're shown some preliminary signs of being up on their legs and long of back and tail. All in all, they're exhibiting a high level of uniformity, which is pleasing--as long as the final result is a uniform step forward in standard traits.

 

[Ifish]

Joseph, I love to look at your flocks. I would bet I could give you a sorry excuse for a breed trio, and you would have them looking like clones in a couple years.

I believe I saw a post of yours showing the ancona carcass, and it looked pretty uniform. In your opinion, would a light brown leghorn compare? Or is there less relation between the breeds than one reads?