I see you are from Maine. Where did you get your anconas?
I had one group that started laying around 5 months this spring, and another that seemed to take 6 1/2 months before they started up. The messed up weather we've had since last winter has really messed with them! Even my muscovy were molting multiple times, started laying almost 2 months late, and are STILL laying and brooding now which is late for them. And my older ancona flock quit laying when it was FREEZING, started up for a few months (enough to get my few hundred hatched for spring orders!) then stopped again when it got colder than normal in May. Then they all molted so hardly any eggs for the start of summer, now are laying again but not yet full swing.
From my experience, if you let them raise their own they will stay with them until they are 2+ months old. Once they decide they are old enough (or once you take the babies away) don't expect to see eggs for at least 3-4 weeks.
