Ancona Ducks

[toadbriar]

makes sense considering the foundation breeds - though I am not certain how this odd little patch pops up among the black and white - like she is a calico duck

I admit I do enjoy the genetic surprises, and am probably a bit liberal in what I choose not to exclude from my flock. For instance - I am actively fascinated by the color oddities. However if I were selling babies AS Anconas, I'd never send a bird that was overmarked like Kateri, or crested, or all-white. I haven't hatched an all-white since breeding from my own birds, though - and no cresteds have popped up (Kateri is the only one in the flock). I admit I don't mind some speckling on the neck, because it seems to go often with good random checkering. I have hatched some overmarked blacks that looked like sloppy swedish as Kateri does, but they went to pet homes. I've seen the idea of 'perfect' proportion of markings being 75% white & 25% color... but I prefer what 60%/40% looks like. a lot of Anconas are so plain and lightly marked that IMO they look like fat seagulls... so maybe my heavier-marked birds (like m.kitchengirl's Poppy) are compensating.

 

[AuroraSprings]

I've only ever hatched one solid white, she was precious! Had a solid blue bill too. Sweetest one I've ever had.

 

[m.kitchengirl]

Finally got a photo of Kateri's spot - I don't think it's what would be called lacing?

I know we should breed away from it, but I think it is pretty. Did her spot start small & get bigger? I wonder if Poppy will get a bigger spot on her head, too.

I've only ever hatched one solid white, she was precious! Had a solid blue bill too. Sweetest one I've ever had.

She's so pretty, too. Looks a lot like the runner side of the family to me.​

 

[Chicken Crazy12]

Got an egg out of the duck house this morning!

popped it in the incubator to check fertility I'm not going to attempt to hatch any this go around because I have some SQ splash bantam cochin eggs in there. Wish someone would buy me another incubator for christmas

LOL, yeah right.

Anyway, if I get anymore of those penciled ones I'm going to try to work with the color a little bit as a fun side project.

 

[StevenW.]

Quote:
IMO, I think a Buff and White Ancona duck would be awesome to see!
But that's just me though.

 

[StevenW.]

Quote:
Woo!
I bought myself a new incubator for my christmas present this year.

An R-Com 20 Pro.
I have a call duck egg and 1 runner/crested swedish eggs in their that are fertile and growing. I'm not to sure if they are going to hatch though.


I'm wanting to order from this place next year since they have Blue and Lavendar Ancona Ducklings.
http://www.plumrunpoultry.com/ducks.htm

 

[Chicken Crazy12]

Thanks for the link!

I'll probably be ordering from them sometime next year too. I'll just be getting the lavender, which to me looks more like silver

, but we will see. I don't care for the look of those blue's they have though

, so I'll just used their lavenders and breed to my blacks to get some good blues in my flock. Should be all I need to get all the colors in my flock since I already have choc, and black if I add lav or silver I can get the rest of the colors through hatching.

 

[AuroraSprings]

Hmm..I've never seen that site before. Some of their stock is VERY heavily marked. Wonder where they got their birds from? The "lavender" does look more like Silver. Anyone asked them where their stock came from and when they started breeding them? Are they on BYC?

 

[Chicken Crazy12]

Thats what I thought about them being silver.

I agree some of their stock does look very heavily marked, thats why I was thinking If I could cross some on to my stock I would deffinately have to do a lot of culling, but I would probably end up with a few nice marked ones also.

Planning to get a brinsea incubator in the fall of next year so I can hatch the duck eggs easier

If I were to order the lav (Silvers) from them I would probably do a couple different duck pens

#1 Silver hens X Black drakes - For nice blues
#2 Silver drakes X Chocolate hens - To attempt to get some lavenders
#3 Silver Drakes X Silver Hens - So I could cull that silver color to my standards

A lot of work and time involved, but a good challenge makes it all worth the trouble.

 

[Chicken Crazy12]

Is everyone's Anconas laying right now?

After a what seemed like 3 month break my anconas are starting back up. I've already checked fertility and like always all is good there. This morning I got 2 eggs from the pen out of 4 hens that are laying age. So now two are going and I suspect with the daylight hours on the up side the other two girls will be going soon.

Time to start looking into ordering some ducklings to add to the flock..........