Ancona Chicken Thread

[Yellow House Farm]

They have some strong qualities, but I'm not impressed with their back lines. They're a little low on their legs and could use more size. They're color, however, is strong. I'll try to ost some pics.

 

[elizmartin]

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

The aloofness, foraging abilities and their strong egg laying qualities are what first attracted them to me (besides being a spots lover). Once i saw my first real Ancona i was hooked, they are beautiful. I only have Rosecombs from Yellowhouse now, and have given my regular combed ones to a friend that has had a hard time keeping chickens - dogs/coyotes.....Anconas are smarter than most and she still has them.......(mine are penned and double fenced )

i usually am able to figure sex by flipping older birds over and looking at their vents....males remain small while pullets start to be bigger and more elongated.....its best to look at birds around the same age......

i would keep an eye out for rodents too...they also utilize and dig tunnels and i finally had to resort to cement block floors and poison to keep the birds safe. they just laughed at my traps.

eliz

 

[bobbieschicks]

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

I haven't noticed any problems with AC's comb during the very coldest part of winter. You could always put something on the comb when it drops to freezing - maybe some vasoline or bee balm. Although I didn't have to do that with AC and this past winter we had several times of extended below freezing outside. Of course the coop stays warmer than the outdoors due to deep litter and the sun beating down on it. I do not use heat in my coop and we have terrible high humidity levels here in VA in the summers.

 

[bobbieschicks]

The aloofness, foraging abilities and their strong egg laying qualities are what first attracted them to me (besides being a spots lover). Once i saw my first real Ancona i was hooked, they are beautiful. I only have Rosecombs from Yellowhouse now, and have given my regular combed ones to a friend that has had a hard time keeping chickens - dogs/coyotes.....Anconas are smarter than most and she still has them.......(mine are penned and double fenced )

i usually am able to figure sex by flipping older birds over and looking at their vents....males remain small while pullets start to be bigger and more elongated.....its best to look at birds around the same age......

i would keep an eye out for rodents too...they also utilize and dig tunnels and i finally had to resort to cement block floors and poison to keep the birds safe. they just laughed at my traps.

eliz

I think it would be nice to have a rose comb AC - they are such beautiful birds. My AC has the single comb and I think she was prettiest when her comb was just starting to grow out.

I haven't had a problem with rodents - my girls take care of those for me. I found a tiny dead mole in their run area a few days ago - obviously they had found it first.

 

[bruceha2000]

I haven't had a problem with rodents - my girls take care of those for me. I found a tiny dead mole in their run area a few days ago - obviously they had found it first.

I found a dead vole in the outdoor run this summer. Given it was bloodied up, I presume the girls took it out. My guess, related to the coop, is that the voles have been coming in at night, when the girls are asleep.

Bruce

 

[sdlennon]

I purchased this one as a sexed day old chick. He/she shares a coop with a super friendly/excellent laying RIR.

I don't know much about Anconas (or poultry in general for that matter).... is it a cockerel?

 

[farmerChef]

I purchased this one as a sexed day old chick. He/she shares a coop with a super friendly/excellent laying RIR. 

I don't know much about Anconas (or poultry in general for that matter).... is it a cockerel?

Pullet, see how the comb flops over, the roosters arent supposed to do that. She also does not have pointed saddle(back) or hackle(neck) feathers.

Just noticed she was one short wattle and one long one,

 

[bobbieschicks]

Pullet, see how the comb flops over, the roosters arent supposed to do that. She also does not have pointed saddle(back) or hackle(neck) feathers.
Just noticed she was one short wattle and one long one,

xs 2 - my pullet's comb flops like that too - so I'd say pullet. How old is she? They start to lay around 19 to 20 weeks old usually. Mine waited until 55 weeks - but that is not the norm.

 

[bruceha2000]

OK, I got some pictures today. As usual, the girls were not all that interested in posing. Based on the "no pointy feathers" bit, I think I'm good.
They are 17 1/2 weeks.

Zia:








Uwe. She was slower to start growing her comb and wattles:



Bruce

 

[bobbieschicks]

OK, I got some pictures today. As usual, the girls were not all that interested in posing. Based on the "no pointy feathers" bit, I think I'm good.
They are 17 1/2 weeks.

Zia:








Uwe. She was slower to start growing her comb and wattles:



Bruce

All I see are pullets.