Ancona Ducks

[PeacefulWalls]

A little taste of spring is in the air. It looks like you have a busy farmyard - do your Anconas get along with everybody?

They have their own stall area in the barn -- we still need to figure out different living arrangements for them outside for the summer. So they don't really have a chance to interact with any of our other animals, except for the the occasional chicken decides to fly over the stall wall & visit (& eat their food!) They pretty much ignore their chicken visitors. And sometimes our cat likes to go in their stall and torment them. I think she's figured out that she can chase them around & they're scared of her!

 

[learycow]

Quote:

Thanks - good to know that they are friendly with a variety of animals in case I expand. I am looking at a 2.5 acre property so I won't be able to get too crazy.
I have not thought about feeding the eggs to dogs as you and several others have mentioned - do you cook the eggs first or just give them the whole, raw eggs?

When breeding them, how long to you isolate the ducks from the drakes to make sure you are getting the cross your want? I read for chicken it was something like 2 weeks, but I haven't seen anything for ducks?

From my own experiments that I did last summer with various duck breeds, I would wait at least 4 weeks. They tend to hold fertility very well for the first 2 weeks after taking a drake away, and lose fertility after that at a fair rate. By day 30, I didn't have any fertile eggs in any of the breeds I did this with.

 

[peachncrm37]

Okay guys I'm going crazy and I want SILVERS. Just found out the farm I'm on the waiting list for Silver ducklings from SOLD their whole flock. Glad they notified us. So I need more ideas. I WANT silvers specifically. Not mixed, not black, not assorted, SILVERS. Adults work too!!! Willing to pay the price I just want them!!!

Thanks for any help

 

[learycow]

Okay guys I'm going crazy and I want SILVERS. Just found out the farm I'm on the waiting list for Silver ducklings from SOLD their whole flock. Glad they notified us. So I need more ideas. I WANT silvers specifically. Not mixed, not black, not assorted, SILVERS. Adults work too!!! Willing to pay the price I just want them!!!

Thanks for any help

I sent you a message

 

[wildnature]

From my own experiments that I did last summer with various duck breeds, I would wait at least 4 weeks. They tend to hold fertility very well for the first 2 weeks after taking a drake away, and lose fertility after that at a fair rate. By day 30, I didn't have any fertile eggs in any of the breeds I did this with.

Thanks - that is helpful to know.

 

[peachncrm37]

Hey guys, just wanted to share a Facebook group for selling/trading Anconas.

https://m.facebook.com/groups/1424595561120863?ref=bookmark

 

[Tricia5099]

Hi, I was wondering if anyone can explain color genetics in anconas? Can lilacs and lavenders be breed together! If so, what would they create, would it be %50 of both. What about breeding blacks to chocolates? Can anyone explain to outcome of breeding any variety or anconas to another. I know a black to a black would produce %100 blacks. Please get back to me about this soon, anyone lol, it's going to help me decide what I want to buy. I would like to know the results of breeding any of the following : lilacs, lavenders,blacks, chocolates, buffs, blue and tricolor

 

[SilkieSensation]

Hi, I was wondering if anyone can explain color genetics in anconas? Can lilacs and lavenders be breed together! If so, what would they create, would it be %50 of both. What about breeding blacks to chocolates? Can anyone explain to outcome of breeding any variety or anconas to another. I know a black to a black would produce %100 blacks. Please get back to me about this soon, anyone lol, it's going to help me decide what I want to buy. I would like to know the results of breeding any of the following : lilacs, lavenders,blacks, chocolates, buffs, blue and tricolor

I can tell you you don't want a black drake as your only drake. Breeding a chocolate drake to black ducks gives you sex-links in anconas. Ducks will be chocolate, drakes will be black. Other than that, I have not done the research. I am assuming a tri-color drake will give you the widest color variety for each color of hen, but again, I have not researched it.

 

[Colonel]

How broody are Ancona ducks? I've got three Pekins, and I've never gotten them to set on the eggs (I'll be putting some in the incubator later this week). Every once in a while, I'll get one of my Buff Orpington hens to do what mama hens are supposed to do, but it's rare. How common - or uncommon - is it for Anconas to hatch out a brood and raise them? Yes, it's easy to just stick the eggs in the incubator, but what I really want is ducks that will hatch out their own eggs and raise the ducklings.

 

[wildsam]

How broody are Ancona ducks? I've got three Pekins, and I've never gotten them to set on the eggs (I'll be putting some in the incubator later this week). Every once in a while, I'll get one of my Buff Orpington hens to do what mama hens are supposed to do, but it's rare. How common - or uncommon - is it for Anconas to hatch out a brood and raise them? Yes, it's easy to just stick the eggs in the incubator, but what I really want is ducks that will hatch out their own eggs and raise the ducklings.

Not sure myself on good broody ducks but one of my Pekins IS broody (very rare with Pekins) and is sitting on a clutch for a couple of weeks now.

Holder reads book says that they have fair to good mothering instincts. So I guess it all depends on Ur hens or you just have to throw in the bator every time.