Ancona ducks, when can I say they are pure?

[Goat_Walker]

Ok - SO I am hrrible with genetics, but I have some magpie x runner ducklings that look exactly like anconas and have all the right marking. I plan on breeding them in spring - if they breed true can I call the offspring Pure Anconas? or do I have to wait for a few generations??

 

[TK Poultry]

idk if there is an ancona standard but once they conform will tht standard i guess you could call them pure but it will take awhile to get to that point i would expect.

 

[Cetawin]

Nope you cannot. The Ancona is a separate and distinct breed which has it's own SOP and does not result from that cross even though it looks Anconaish. Magpies are a relative as are Hookbills but a different breed. In other words...breeding a runner and a magpie will not give you a Ancona.

Check out Holderread's site and book it is all in there.

The Ancona was developed in Great Britain during the early twentieth century and most likely originated from Runner ducks and Huttegen ducks, an old Belgian duck. This is the same foundation stock as the Magpie duck. "They have been raised in the United States for several decades and were exhibited in 1983 in Oregon. Although still rare, their numbers have been increasing since 1984 when they first became available to the public." (Holderread 2001, 53)

The Ancona averages 6 to 6.5 pounds and is a bit stockier than its close relative, the Magpie duck. It has a medium sized oval head, a medium-length bill that is slightly concave along the top line, an average neck that arches forward slightly and body carriage is 20 to 30 degrees above horizontal. The broken, mottled plumage is unique among ducks for, like Holstein cattle, there is no set design. "Any combination of white and color is acceptable as long as there are obvious broken areas on the head, backs, sides, and underbody." The neck is normally solid white, bills are yellow with dark green or black spotting, and the legs and feet are orange with black or brown markings that increase with age. (Holderread 2001, 53) Varieties include Black and White, Blue and White, Chocolate and White, Silver and White, Lavender and White, and Tricolored. Chocolate is a sex-linked recessive trait. If a chocolate drake mates with a black duck, all female offspring will be chocolate, while all male offspring will be black. A black drake mated to a chocolate duck produces all black offspring. Only male offspring will carry the sex-linked recessive chocolate gene. (Holderread 1985, 4)

The Ancona is a hardy, adaptable, all-purpose duck. It is an excellent layer, typically laying 210-280 white, cream, or blue eggs yearly. The Ancona also grows relatively quickly, and produces high quality meat that is more flavorful and less fatty than that of most Pekin ducks. Anconas are well suited for situations where they can forage for some of their food and are capable of eating large "banana" slugs. "They make excellent pond or yard ducks since they tend to stay close to home, do not fly under normal conditions and are large enough so that they are less likely to be preyed upon by winged predators. Typically they have moderately calm temperaments and make fine pets." (Holderread 2001, 52)

 

[Goat_Walker]

Well darn... Guess I read the info page wrong. COuld anything come out of these ducklings if they breed straight? I love the markings.

 

[Cetawin]

I really do not know...you would have good looking offspring. What you would have are ducklings that you like....and that is all that really matters.

 

[TK Poultry]

i didnt think anconas were accepted in the APA? and i dont see why you couldnt get something similar to an ancona but the easiest thing would buy some anconas

 

[Cetawin]

Correct...The Ancona has not been accepted by the APA as of yet but I do not think that will last long....not with Dave Holderread breeding them and introducing them.

 

[Goat_Walker]

I can only find a handful of people with real Anconas and the one person who i tried to buy an adult drake from was selling him for $50 - out of my price range.

Yeah, they are really pretty looking and im hoping i will get the broody qualities of the magpie and the egg laying ability of the runner. I was planning on keeping two males and two - three females since right now I have 1 male and 7 females. Plus two scovies but those dont count. I love the colors and was really dissapointed whne my one blue juvenile was killed by the neighbors dogs.

 

[CityChicker]

Have you tried Holderread's for ducklings in the Spring? Their Anconas are pretty reasonably priced as ducklings. There are a couple of other hatcheries that have them now too and I happened to see someone selling eggs on Ebay as well. Of course, Holderread's tend to have some of the best quality, but they can indeed be found form other sources.

The nature of the Ancona pattern is always going to result in birds with a vast array of colors and patterns. Some of the best birds may even come out of breeding stock with poorer patterns. I, personally, don't see anything wrong with you developing your own line of Anconas. I wouldn't advertise them as "pure", but "pure" is very relative in the duck world. A lot of duck breeds have been developed just in the last 50-60 years and most of them are mixes of the same original breeds (at the end of the day, they are ALL selectively bred Mallards). I don't think that outcrossing or developing new lines is a bad thing at all. In fact, it is what improves the chances of survival for a breed. Literally all major breeders, including Holderread's, utilize outcrossing to increase genetic diversity.

Now, I would never endorse haphazard cross breeding of birds to be sold as a specific breed, when they are only similar in appearance. Deliberate, selective breeding in order to create a new line or add blood to an existing line is a different story though. Rather than advertising them as "pure", you could certainly advertise them as your own line with an explanation of how you created them and let people decide for themselves whether or not to buy them.

 

[TK Poultry]

pm kswaterfowl because he sold me 8 of his then last summer he bought a lavender x black pair form me so they would be black splits