Ancona Input Wanted

[BarredBuff]

What are your expieriences with this breed? Are they good foragers? Are they good broodies? Thanks BarredBuff

 

[Cetawin]

I absolutely love mine! I have 5 from Holderreads that are just a year old. They lay on par with my harlequins, they are great bug chasers and eaters, great weeders and a fun heavy weight duck. They are also beautiful...no two marked identically. I have a Black and White, 3 chocolate and white and 1 lavender and white. Great ducks, you will love them.

In this photo you can see my black and white drake in the center standing up, my lavender female to the right and one of my chocolate females on the front right with her back to the camera....they are in the pool with the harlequins.

 

[speckledhen]

Look at those silly chickens drinking the ducks' water!

 

[bock]

I have always thought they were beautiful.

But I don't own any.

 

[katemary63]

Our Ancona ducks, from Holderread, are excellent layers, excellent setters and great foragers. They do need to be wormed and delouced before setting season like any duck. They are beautiful and fun ducks to have.

 

[toadbriar]

They're my first and only ducks so I haven't got a lot of basis for comparison but I think they're so wonderful! A nice all-purpose size with good egg production and a fair-to-good chance of broodies. Plus you do get to play with color genetics and fun unique patterning! I've heard they have a reduced tendency to wander, but forage quite well.

My 3 week olds, crashed out after a day on the pond:

Pondside picnic with Alice Goatie!

Yeah they're all really Anconas. I hatched out 4 white ones out of 12 total. I should play the Lotto.

Pool Party!

They used to love sleeping on my foot:

Zzzzzzzzz

 

[BarredBuff]

How do Anconas do on free range??

 

[toadbriar]

Quote:
Mine do great so far but of course they're all still very young and I live on a dead end road in the woods. All mine want is to swim on their pond and nap under the apple tree. I can't say how adventurous they'd be if they didn't have the pond being a big duck magnet.

 

[LittleSquidgenHome]

Mine are wonderful foragers, about half of my girls were broody this spring, 8 out of 15 to be exact, and I let three hatch clutches. They each had an incredible hatch rate! Only lost one egg out of 36. Now as far as mothering I am not sure, I didn't let my mommies keep their little ones, thy hatched in March and it was FAR too cold for little ones to go out with mommas. They lay alot of eggs, especially if lit in the winter .

We actually just took 8 to butcher yesterday and the girls dressed out at 4pounds and our boys dressed out at about 6. Mine free range in a large fenced pasture. They, mostly, stick close to their house but if there is extra water from rain, forget it. That is immediately where they go to dig up yummy things and play, this was often across the road, hence the pasture fence for us. I love my Ancona's I highly recommend them as a breed. They can be skittish if not handled, but if they are properly bribed they are very friendly. In the summer months ours sustain entirely on pasture and forage and are better for it. Get some you will love them!

 

[tkathleen]

Just curious-How can you tell a white Ancona from a Pekin? I have 3 ducks that I got as yellow ducklings this late March and they grew into 2 white, 1 white with a few black spots, but their bills are yellowier, not as orange, as my Pekin and they are bigger and heavier. Wondering for some time if they are really Anconas or Ancona crosses.