The Ancona duck was developed in the early twentieth century in Great Britain. It was first exhibited in the United States in 1983, and only in the last thirty years has it been available to the American public. Although its numbers have been increasing in the U.S. since its arrival, the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy still classifies the breed's status as Critical.
Pros: Amazing layer, calm, quiet, great forager, friendly within the flock, funny and fun to watch, beautiful
Cons: none
I have one Ancona now and getting more in the Spring because I have fallen in love with the breed.
Eggs: Our Ancona is an amazing layer who has not missed a day in 6 months - laying through the winter. Eggs are white and shaped a little more oblong than my Pekin and Runner.
Temperament: She gets along great with other breeds, including my very aggressive Pekin drake. She has the energy to keep up with my Runner but is calm enough to hang out with the Pekins. She doesn't love to be picked up but doesn't fight it either, making it easy to do health checks. I've read that some people consider them loud, but I don't find that to be the case with my Ancona. She rarely makes a noise unless it's feeding time - and the occasional really loud 'quack laugh' which we just find to be adorable.
Flight Risk: Sometimes she will jump straight up and fly about 2 feet - then struts around so proud of herself - there's no need to worry about Anconas flying away.
Size: The size is perfect in my opinion. Legs are sturdy and body is tight so very minimal risk for leg injuries or issues.
Foraging: My Ancona will eat anything in her path. She's the only one of my ducks that's eaten a large frog and a mole - with no digestive issues whatsoever. She has no issues catching them either!
Water: I wouldn't recommend getting this breed if they won't have access to water regularly for swimming. Our Ancona loves to swim!
I own three Ancona ducks, one black, one chocolate, and one lavender. They're active foragers and fairly sweet. Their colouring is quite fun to look at and they really just make me smile. Overall I'd recommend them for any flock.
How unusual. I keep a large laying flock of ducks, including Anconas, but it takes them 23 hours to produce an egg, so you should never get 2 per day more than once every 22 days.
I love my ducks (I have anconas and muscovies) but I got both types as a herd, as adults, and only succeeded in taming the Muscovies.
my anconas no longer run away when I am within a one-mile radius, but they definitely have developed a dislike for my presence (except when I'm feeding them.)
Fun fact, the females are actually the dominants in the Ancona flock! I have several and my oldest girl runs the whole flock including my rouens, Cayuga, blue swed, and calls!
I raised 4 this spring. They are only three months old. They absolutely love their kiddie pool but I cannot get them to go in the pond. That was the purpose for raising them. I’m at a loss to figure out what to do with them.
Though I've never owned any breed other than Ancona, I love my girls and their sweet personalities. They're homebodies, very habitual, have big appetites, and often can't get enough of their pond.
