Ancona Chicken Thread

[AussieRob]

Hi, Yes I suspected as much. Thanks so much for your opinion. Yes we think he is a pretty good looking fella but sadly one of our neghbours would end up reporting us to the authorities and apparently it is quite a nasty fine if you get caught with Rooster/s. Anyway not to worry....plenty of options for homes on properties just out of the city. Cheers, Rob

 

[bruceha2000]

My pullet AC looked like this at 16 weeks old

Geez, don't be saying that! My 15 week old Anconas have bigger combs and wattles than your girl shows at 16 weeks. Not as big as what Rob's bird has and not as red though. One had a bigger comb that pinked up earlier than the other and I was concerned we got both a boy and a girl (don't want boys!). There is a post somewhere back in the forum. But the comb on the "slow" one is getting bigger and pink so I figured *SHE* was catching up to *HER* *SISTER*. Now I'm all worried that instead of 2 girls, we got 2 boys!

Maybe it is just the angle your picture was taken from. Yeah, that's it, just a photographic "trick".

Yeah, I'm neurotic over this "boy or girl" thing. I probably will be until every last chicken is laying eggs.

Oh, yeah, and Rob: G'Day and welcome to BYC. I am new to chickens starting mid June. The *** GIRLS!!!! *** aren't yet old enough to lay yet. Lots of good information and helpful people here on BYC.

 

[bruceha2000]

The combs on both sexes are large, but the boy's combs stand up straight while the hen's combs typically fall over at the back. All the Ancona roos I've had were early crowers, starting at about 3 months. You should be hearing that cockadoodledoooooo very soon.

At what age do the girls do the Veronica Lake "hair (or in the case - comb) over the eye" look?

No crowing yet but they are chatty. "Buck, buck, buck" chatty, not "er, er, er, erooo" chatty. That means they must be girls, right?

Bruce

 

[bruceha2000]

My 12 chickens just love Black Oil Sunflower Seed! Got some last week after reading here on BYC how popular BOSS is with chickens. Even the Anconas are eager to take them from my palm. They have NEVER gotten close enough to take food from my hand before. Always at least two chicken lengths away, except when I'm sitting and they decide they should peck at my pants or shirt. Move your hand toward them AT ALL though and it is back to "safe distance". Now they push in to get their share *.

Must be they really, REALLY like BOSS.

Bruce

* "share", in chicken language, is apparently:
"As much as I can get, the heck with the rest of you"

 

[bobbieschicks]

Geez, don't be saying that! My 15 week old Anconas have bigger combs and wattles than your girl shows at 16 weeks. Not as big as what Rob's bird has and not as red though. One had a bigger comb that pinked up earlier than the other and I was concerned we got both a boy and a girl (don't want boys!). There is a post somewhere back in the forum. But the comb on the "slow" one is getting bigger and pink so I figured *SHE* was catching up to *HER* *SISTER*. Now I'm all worried that instead of 2 girls, we got 2 boys!

Maybe it is just the angle your picture was taken from. Yeah, that's it, just a photographic "trick".

Yeah, I'm neurotic over this "boy or girl" thing. I probably will be until every last chicken is laying eggs.

Oh, yeah, and Rob: G'Day and welcome to BYC. I am new to chickens starting mid June. The *** GIRLS!!!! *** aren't yet old enough to lay yet. Lots of good information and helpful people here on BYC.

Haha - we all go through that - so I'm right there with you! I have several silkies that I haven't a clue about and hope one day they'll either crow or lay so I can plan for their future.

Most ACs will start laying around week 19 or 20 according to all the research I did when I was waiting for my AC to start. Of course it didn't help that she didn't lay until she was over a year old. But you can also tell by the hackle feathering - if she has pointed feathers = boy, if her feathers are rounded = girl. And of course eventually a cockerel - crower or not - will develop those lovely long curvy sickle feathers. So watch for those to start. I was very confident I had a pullet even without the laying - due to her feathering.

Having a larger comb then AC at 16 weeks might just mean your girls are on target to start laying soon! You can post a pic and we can offer a guess for you.

 

[bruceha2000]

Most ACs will start laying around week 19 or 20 according to all the research I did when I was waiting for my AC to start. Of course it didn't help that she didn't lay until she was over a year old. But you can also tell by the hackle feathering - if she has pointed feathers = boy, if her feathers are rounded = girl. And of course eventually a cockerel - crower or not - will develop those lovely long curvy sickle feathers. So watch for those to start. I was very confident I had a pullet even without the laying - due to her feathering.

Having a larger comb then AC at 16 weeks might just mean your girls are on target to start laying soon! You can post a pic and we can offer a guess for you.

No pointed hackle feathers, nicely rounded so hopefully I am good. I'm spending so much time digging trenches and laying hardware cloth to keep the small rodents (voles I think) out that I haven't had time to take any pictures. The coop is an old horse stall in the lower part of a century+ old bank barn. I originally put hardware cloth along the front, in the alley, didn't think about the stall on one side and the storage room with THREE layers of wood floor on the other. I still have to see if I need to do something in the back wall, it is the lower part of the upper part of the barn.

No time make their nest box either!!!! They are 16 weeks old today. Definitely no bright red combs on anyone (though other than the Anconas, they mostly have teeny tiny combs) and no squatting so I should have at least a couple of weeks. I won't be disappointed if nothing happens for another month or two since 20-24 weeks is about what I expected from the beginning. Hope I don't have to wait a YEAR though.

Bruce

 

[BeardedLadyFarm]

I am searching for a rose comb Ancona rooster, or hatching eggs. I am in Schoharie, NY, but am willing to pay shipping. I am routinely in NH and PA, and most states in between.

Many thanks,
Bailey

 

[Yellow House Farm]

Greetings! We have a couple of acceptable Ancona cockerels currently available and might have something better later on. What are you needing them for?

 

[BeardedLadyFarm]

I have a very solid flock of straight comb Ancaona hens, but currently no rooster. It is time to hatch out replacements before they stop laying all together, and I'd like to transition them to rose comb as the generations progress.

I'd be very interested in one of your boys!

 

[bruceha2000]

OK, so my daughter is all worried about the potential for frostbite on the Anconas. One reason I chose them is their cold hardiness. Am I safe to assume that if the humidity in the coop is not high (i.e. well ventilated) and there is no draft, I don't have much to worry about? They use chicken nipples for water so I shouldn't have a problem with frozen wattles.

Bruce