Ancona Ducks

[AuroraSprings]

Just updated our "Ancona Colors" page. Let me know what you think.

http://worthitfarms.jigsy.com/ancona-colors

 

[PeacefulWalls]

I'm new to the Ancona duck thread -- I primarily hang out on the Indiana BYCers thread. I, too, have been drooling over the Anconas & have been searching around for them -- this will be our first experience with ducks. I read through old posts & saw Cackle Hatchery mentioned. Stromberg's also has Anconas available -- has anyone ordered from them? So far all we've done in the last 2 years is get chicks from our feed mill & have never ordered to have them shipped before. I also am not ready to start out with their minimum 15 ducks! We don't have an incubator so we're needing to start with ducklings. Does anyone know of ducklings for sale around northern Indiana? Or what might be the closest available? I'm really wanting to get started with them after seeing all the beautiful duck pics!!

 

[itsjustme]

I bought 3 duckling at a farm store marked hatcherys choice.....I think that this is what 2 of them are. They are so cute! Can anyone tell me how I no males from females? I no other ducks its by color females or dull in color. Is it the same for these guys? Mine look the same :/ and can anyone tell me what. Kind of duck is white and grey with a top knot? Its mostly white he has grey on his face with white bands from the corner if its eye across the side of its head. His top knots solid white. Any ideas? I googled it but nothing.

 

[ChristineR]

I bought 3 duckling at a farm store marked hatcherys choice.....I think that this is what 2 of them are. They are so cute! Can anyone tell me how I no males from females? I no other ducks its by color females or dull in color. Is it the same for these guys? Mine look the same

and can anyone tell me what. Kind of duck is white and grey with a top knot? Its mostly white he has grey on his face with white bands from the corner if its eye across the side of its head. His top knots solid white. Any ideas? I googled it but nothing.

You can't sex Anconas by color. They have to be vent sexed or wait to see when they get older.

 

[harriedhomemaker]

You can't sex Anconas by color. They have to be vent sexed or wait to see when they get older.

Yup, that is certainly true if you are buying "hatchery choice".

For others who may not know: there are sexed linked coloring pairings. See AuroraSpring's color page http://worthitfarms.jigsy.com/ancona-colors . In my particular flock, any chocolate ducklings that hatch are most likely female, and blacks are most likely male. It gets tricky when I hatch blues and lavenders - I've got to vent sex those.

 

[itsjustme]

Thank you everyone. I will wait until they are older. iv not tried to vent sex any of my birds. Iv read about it and it made me nervous lol but I will learn 1 day it would make things easier.

 

[HouseMouseHens]

I figured I would give an updated photo of our little trio. We originally bought four straight run from Boondockers Farm in Beavercreek, OR, and just my luck ended up with three boys and a girl. We decided to keep the chocolate drake and sold (what we believed to be) the blue and the buff males. A farm store here in Portland, after hearing about our terrible luck allowed us to come in an vent sex a few ducklings to get a second girl, so we now have a chocolate drake, and two ducks a black and a chocolate. The chocolate duck is about a week younger than the other two, which is why she so much smaller. They are getting big VERY fast! This is them yesterday. They are 6 and 5 weeks respectively.

Fig (the chocolate drake on the left,) Ingrid (the black duck) and Tallulah (the small chocolate duck hiding in the back):

 

[ChristineR]

Yup, that is certainly true if you are buying "hatchery choice".

For others who may not know: there are sexed linked coloring pairings. See AuroraSpring's color page http://worthitfarms.jigsy.com/ancona-colors . In my particular flock, any chocolate ducklings that hatch are most likely female, and blacks are most likely male. It gets tricky when I hatch blues and lavenders - I've got to vent sex those.

True, but that only applies to black and chocolate ducklings if you know the ducklings came from a Chocolate drake and a Black duck.

 

[toadbriar]

Just updated our "Ancona Colors" page. Let me know what you think.

http://worthitfarms.jigsy.com/ancona-colors

This is great! Thanks for the 'penciling' example photo, I've never seen it before.

 

[harriedhomemaker]

True, but that only applies to black and chocolate ducklings if you know the ducklings came from a Chocolate drake and a Black duck.

Yes, that is correct.

My DH figured out the percent chance a particular colored duckling is male or female based on our flock make up. Even with not knowing exactly who the parents are, our chocolate ducklings have a 92% chance of being female and blacks are 78% likely to be male. It is very helpful to be married to a math and science nerd sometimes!