Ancona Ducks

[AuroraSprings]

The standard I'm referring to is the one Dave H. is attempting to have recognized. You're correct though, that there is no APA-approved standard.

 

[RAREROO]

Can one of you post pics of what is considered to be lavender and lilac. Is it correct that both have two copies of chocolate and one has two copies of blue and one has one copy ( so one is choc and blue combined and the other is choc and silver ) ? Is that right ?

 

[m.kitchengirl]

The standard I'm referring to is the one Dave H. is attempting to have recognized. You're correct though, that there is no APA-approved standard.

That's what I was referring to as well. I do have & read all the darn time, Storey's Guide, but I didn't know Holderead had an Ancona specific book & will DEFINITELY get that ASAP.

Thanks for the input. I thought along the same lines but wondered if it was "motherly" love that was skewing my perspective. I have lately had a huge wave of doubt about whether I had interpreted what I have read about the Anconas in Storey's & online correctly at all.​

 

[Chicken Crazy12]

m.kitchengirl :

Ok, my big concern is whether my drake is true enough to type. I have resisted getting opinions on BYC because some folks can be kind of harsh, but since we are on the subject of improving lines, how is he? He seems to be very solidly built to me, but something about his neck seems a bit off of type. Am I being too persnickety?
Personality wise, and color wise, he was the best drake I got (wasn't planning on keeping drakes, but he was a charmer, to boot).

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/94687_img_2943.jpg Him, with something on his mind.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/94687_img_2943.jpg Him with his ladies after our first snow.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/94687_img_1845.jpg Him, trying to sneak a patty pan squash.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/94687_img_1996.jpg With the girls again.

I know he isn't that marked, but bearing that in mind Kim gave me some more heavily marked girls. I hope they breed some well balanced Anconas.
I hope he mates with the black duck, Kim that chocolate girl is quite the enthusiastic mate. She shadows him & does her little head flip at me every time I got into the yard. I keep trying to tell her I am not after her man, but she doesn't listen. I want to add a silver, blue, or lilac duck to my breeding pen next year, just so I can have as many colors as possible. (Kim, if you hatch any, I would LOVE more of your girls. They are just so sweet & funny...I think I am going to wait until next year to order from Boondockers, but I keep going back & forth about whether I should do it this year or next.)

I love that this thread is getting active again. I may pester all you folks with breeding questions as the time approaches.

I don't see any big issues with your drake as far as type. Probably the only thing that would get him kicked out of my breeding program would be his lack of spotting in the bill. It's not a huge thing, but It would give him walking papers here beause I have lots of individuals with great spotting in the bill. In the event that he was your only drake or the best drake you have, I would pair him up with a hen with nice bill spotting and try to get a son that had the total package you are looking for. I do however give plus points for having some color on the chest, he is a nice marked boy exept for that bill. It's odd that his legs and feet are so spotted but not his bill.​

 

[m.kitchengirl]

In the event that he was your only drake or the best drake you have, I would pair him up with a hen with nice bill spotting and try to get a son that had the total package you are looking for. I do however give plus points for having some color on the chest, he is a nice marked boy exept for that bill. It's odd that his legs and feet are so spotted but not his bill.

Thanks.

I wonder about his bill too. The other boy I got was far too white. Hardly any black on him, and not very nice at all. To people, ducks, cats, chickens.
He is doing an awful lot of duck surfing, so I imagine that there will be fertilized eggs in February/March to test run & see if we get anything nice.​

 

[AuroraSprings]

Lavender is a recognized color, but Lilac is not. You're correct on the genotypes being different. I honestly have never seen a Lilac Ancona so I have no idea what the visual difference would be from Lavender. We may actually have some and not know it. Does anyone have any photos of proven Lilacs and Lavenders in other breeds (mallard-dev. of course)?

 

[RAREROO]

Quote:
Well what constitutes the recognised lavender color ? Is one or the other or is just recognize as blue and choc in the same bird regardless ? I would thing the distion though would be the lavender would be choc and blue and Lilac would be choc and splash. In turkeys, Lilac is two copies if the slate gene on a bronze based bird, so basicly its a Splash Bronze, so it would make sense to me that Lilac would coincide with the Splash/Silver color in ducks

 

[toadbriar]

m.kitchengirl :

In the event that he was your only drake or the best drake you have, I would pair him up with a hen with nice bill spotting and try to get a son that had the total package you are looking for. I do however give plus points for having some color on the chest, he is a nice marked boy exept for that bill. It's odd that his legs and feet are so spotted but not his bill.

Thanks.

I wonder about his bill too. The other boy I got was far too white. Hardly any black on him, and not very nice at all. To people, ducks, cats, chickens.
He is doing an awful lot of duck surfing, so I imagine that there will be fertilized eggs in February/March to test run & see if we get anything nice.​

I think there's a pretty good chance bill-spotting will develop with age. He's a nice drake and I like guys with breast markings. Temperament counts for a LOT IMO so I'm delighted he's a sweetheart.

Has anyone got anconas with pink bills? I've had a black and now a lavender hen with a pink bill. still spotted and all - just not orange base color. Kinda charming.​

 

[Chicken Crazy12]

No pink bills here, but then again I don't have any blues, silver, or lavenders so it probably has to do with the dilute genetics.

I have however had some penciling pop up. I suspect I know which hen was producing it since she had the most color and these babies had way way way too much color so she was culled. We will see come spring when I start hatching again if I got rid of it. I kinda wish I would have kept it and played around with it a little bit.

Here is a couple pics of the youngsters before I culled them. Mind you these were pure ancona and out of black hen ( i suspect) and I beleive my weird choco drake

 

[AuroraSprings]

Yes, I've had penciling show up too. It was neat but I culled it too. They went to pet homes where the little girls love them. I actually had some crests show up this last summer, so they too were culled. Since the breed is still in such dire straits it's to be expected that not all will meet standard. We just have to breed away from it.

Pink bills and/or feet aren't a part of the breed standard either. I would think, as long as it's otherwise a nice duck, you could breed away from it and not worry too much about it.