Ancona Ducks

[LoveToFarm]

I recently obtained this drake...I did not raise it or breed it. I want your opinion on color, pattern placement, and type. I kind of have my own thoughts about him already but I'd like some other opinions. I know pictures are really tricky...and I've learned that to hard way...but I can provide my guess if anyone out there has any questions. Thanks guys!

Im new to all this but he is very pretty bird!

 

[newducklings]

How many fertile eggs will an ancona lay?

 

[SilkieSensation]

I recently obtained this drake...I did not raise it or breed it. I want your opinion on color, pattern placement, and type. I kind of have my own thoughts about him already but I'd like some other opinions. I know pictures are really tricky...and I've learned that to hard way...but I can provide my guess if anyone out there has any questions. Thanks guys!

Chocolate & very nicely marked.

 

[learycow]

I recently obtained this drake...I did not raise it or breed it. I want your opinion on color, pattern placement, and type. I kind of have my own thoughts about him already but I'd like some other opinions. I know pictures are really tricky...and I've learned that to hard way...but I can provide my guess if anyone out there has any questions. Thanks guys!

 

[AuroraSprings]

Taking into account where the color is and how scattered the markings are AND where the "brown" color is. I'd say he's a black drake with heavy rusting. It can go up to the shoulders and along the sides easily. If his head and tail are black, he's black. Cute boy

 

[buff goose guy]

The person I was gonna get my Anconas from wanted 35 dollars for 1 duck

 

[Alice28]

The person I was gonna get my Anconas from wanted 35 dollars for 1 duck

Holey cow! I thought the $15 per duck we were being charged was a bit steep!

 

[buff goose guy]

I told them that that was way to much but hey I can't make them change that

 

[learycow]

It all depends on location and demand.
In southern Maine there aren't many good quality anconas.
I get $10-12 each for ducklings.
$20-25 for juvie females, $12-18 for juvie males
$30-40 for adult females. $18-20 for adult males (or I sell excess meat males for $10 each just to get rid of them)

 

[MightyDucksVT]

Taking into account where the color is and how scattered the markings are AND where the "brown" color is. I'd say he's a black drake with heavy rusting. It can go up to the shoulders and along the sides easily. If his head and tail are black, he's black. Cute boy

Thanks everyone for your input! When I first got him I was rather put off because he was not as advertised as "a chocolate drake", but his personality has grown on me and so did his markings.

After having him for a bit, and inspecting him to try to figure out what the heck he actually was. I can say he definitely has a black head but his colored plumage on his body is mostly a dark brown...which in the low light looks black. So like Learycow said that would make him a tri-color...He has the beetle green sheen on most of his feathers both black and brown, and definitely has something funny going on with his chest/shoulder feathers.

AuroraSprings, I use your Ancona duck colors guide on your website all the time

but I am a little confused on the part covering "pencilling" and "rust". His chest/shoulder feathers look as though they have rust on the ends, for example I can see about a centimeter of the brown feather and then towards the end is about another centimeter or less of rust..? If that is rust then what is the pencilling Learycow thinks may be on him? Can you clarify these to characteristics a bit more? I know pencilling is "bad" and rust is "ok" but I don't really understand the difference.

Thanks.

And to add to the conversation about price this guys and his dad were each $15 which I thought was a good price. Obviously, I wish I would have gotten what I drove over 400 miles for that day but at least I still got some ducks! If anyone is wondering about the other drake I got, he was a very lightly marked lilac and he actually is the father of this guy. I got him as a companion for a loner crested white duck and they are doing really well!