Ancona Ducks

[Lovem all]

Our 13 year old never showed interest in chickens but fell n love with our rescued ducks so we got him 3 anconas. Does any one else own these and does anyone have an fun facts or tips on them?

 

[Ratchnick]

They are a great breed, next on my list to try.

http://www.boondockersfarm.com/Pages/Delaware.html

 

[Lovem all]

@Ratchnick thank you, that's a great link

 

[SailorNoMore]

In 2019 I ordered four black & white hens from a hatchery. After they were five months old I found a chocolate drake on craigslist. I incubated four of their fertile eggs this year. And to my surprise two of the four hens went broody and shared a nest and hatched four more ducklings. My original 4 became 13 the following year. I enjoy them very much.

 

[Lovem all]

@SailorNoMore that's wonderful and I bet we'll be the same way lol. Oh also what color are the eggs and how do they taste?

 

[SailorNoMore]

@Lovem all The ones I have, Blacks & Chocolates, lay white eggs. I enjoy the eggs. At first I made the mistake of frying them to long and getting a rubbery texture, when I cut down on the frying time their texture and taste improved. The eggs make a good and noticeable difference in cakes and cookies. My wife on the otherhand prefers chicken eggs. So this house has both. You will notice that the eggs are harder to crack open and the clear fluid is a lot thicker. If you make hard boiled eggs you will find that the yoke does not center nicely like a chicken egg does. You will remember the day that you discover your first egg. Mine happened at five months. Enjoy!

 

[Ratchnick]

If you want to center the yolk use hot tap water, add eggs and stir the eggs as they come to a boil.

 

[Lovem all]

This is a really great info. Thank you all! I assumed it would be more like a guinea egg with the higher richness

 

[sierraforest]

We have two Anconas and love them. They're hardy and tolerate the cold PNW winter well, they're quiet, they're homebodies (so we've never had to clip their wings b/c they don't even try to fly), they lay pretty regularly, and though they're not prone to wanting to jump in your lap they are calm and will eat from our hands and snuggle against us when we sit with them on the grass. One lays cream-colored eggs while the other lays light blue-tinted eggs.

 

[Lovem all]

@sierraforest that sounds wonderful, I hope our ducks turn out like that.