Ancona Ducks

[Chicken Crazy12]

This one reminds me of how dalmations are born with no spots and then get spots as they age...... It will be interesting to watch this one grow out, but I think it could still use more color than it's showing right now, This may change since it has proved to be the ever changing duckling. I'm also seeing a lack of leg and feet spots and although it could be early on to judge the bill I would like to see at least a few spots at this age. Looks like it may be a blue or lavender. Great job with your little one and update when she gets some more adult feathers in.

If anyone recalls, 3.5 weeks ago I hatched a single ancona duckling that was solid yellow... and I was worried it may not even be an ancona! Well, here she (I think) is today. Guess it is an ancona after all.

 

[Iain Utah]

Thanks Chicken! It's been interesting watching my ancona grow up. At a month old, it is pretty clear now he is a boy... which surprises me because he is very shy compared to my cayuga boy. But anyway... he has over twice the color already from that last picture I took. And it seems to have a brownish tint to the grey color. So, I was thinking he was a chocolate? I named him Hershey.... which still suits him even if he is lavender or blue.

 

[Chicken Crazy12]

If he has a chocolate tint to the grey he is a Lavender. The lavender gene is a combination of the chocolate gene and blue gene.

Thanks Chicken! It's been interesting watching my ancona grow up. At a month old, it is pretty clear now he is a boy... which surprises me because he is very shy compared to my cayuga boy. But anyway... he has over twice the color already from that last picture I took. And it seems to have a brownish tint to the grey color. So, I was thinking he was a chocolate? I named him Hershey.... which still suits him even if he is lavender or blue.

 

[Iain Utah]

OH!! I really need to understand the difference in colors (especially since I have 3 more 9 day old yellow anconas) Thanks for educating me! So... if I understand you, Hershey is a lavender, because the color is best described as a smoke grey with a tint of brown to it. So what is the difference between blue, lavender and silver?

 

[Chicken Crazy12]

Blue: is a medium to medium dark shade of rich blue gray
Silver: is a lighter shade of blue gray and can sometimes have a splash to it
Lavender: is a blue gray with a purple or brownish tone to it

 

[Iain Utah]

I am guessing chocolate would be a solid brown then?

Thanks again for answering all of my questions! I have 3 more yellow babies (9 days old) that I will be attempting to figure out color on in a few weeks.

 

[Chicken Crazy12]

Yes, you should know your chocolate ducklings when they hatch. Some can start out looking black and lighten to a more dark chocolate color and others start out a nice rich chocolate lightening out to a lighter chocolate.

 

[Sapokanikan]

All this talk about chocolate... and ducklings... makes a man hungry.

 

[NYRIR]

Has anybody gotten ancona ducklings from Heritage Turkey Hatchery in Ohio? If so, how did you like them?

 

[StevenW.]

Great information and pictures on here! Even though I no longer have anconas I still like to look at pictures!

NYRIR - I was going to order from them but had a byc member thats been breeding birds a long time said to stay away from them. He visited their facilities and said he was shocked how the birds were housed. And this is my opinion but the pictures of their anconas they have as breeding stock are WAYYYYY to heavily marked and shouldnt be breeding as they will pass that on to their offspring. I highly reccomend Aurora Springs for your Anconas! Great colors and great people to deal with! I'm pretty sure they are going to ship ducklings this year?