Heritage Leghorns vs Ancona

[trenace]

Hello, for anyone has owned both Heritage Leghorns and Ancona in a free range setting or knows someone who has and can advise, your insight would be much appreciated!

For background, I have started a long-term project to raise "survival chickens" on my 20 acre property in Alabama. Foraging drive and ability and flying ability are both very important to me. I thought that Heritage Leghorns would be the most suitable start, and I now have raised 8 young roosters (from 28) and 21 pullets, this being mixed between Exchequer, Barred, Light Brown, White, and just one Black pullet. (Four more Blacks are still biddies... I wish I had more of them, as the Black pullet is perhaps the best of them, though that could be individual.)

Contrary to my expectations, they seem weak foragers. My American Bresse cockerels and pullets, one month younger, had to teach the Leghorns how to go in the woods, and generally the Leghorns much underperform the American Bresse in foraging activity, while greatly exceeding them in desire to remain by the food bowl.

While of course the Leghorns fly better than the American Bresse, their flying is not much compared to many of the game-ancestry chickens seen in yards around here. I have never seen one go in a tree, either.

I received some advice that Anconas both forage and fly better than Heritage Leghorns, but not from an owner of both.

I really don't want to complicate what I am doing for no need, if there is little truth to this. Already my hands are kind of full. So this would be valuable advice.

Thank you!

 

[Iluveggers]

Not sure if you are looking for a skinnier breed, but my Welsummer are very good foragers. They are very aware of surroundings, the feathers are good camouflage, when something flies over they are rounding up everyone and sounding alarms, dig and find things, communicate well, and seem to be the first to notice anything going on around them. Even our Welsummer mix Olive Egger does an amazing job out with the group. They lay brown eggs, not white, and I’m not sure if that would be a requirement for what you are looking for. As they are heavier they may not fly up as high as you are looking for, but they might be a good group to mix into the genetics.

 

[trenace]

Thank you for your reply, Iluveggers! I will consider them.

 

[trenace]

No one can compare heritage (I am not meaning Tractor Supply, Cackles, etc) Anconas with heritage Leghorns, from breeders maintaining the original birds the best they can?

 

[Sir Sacabambaspis]

No one can compare heritage (I am not meaning Tractor Supply, Cackles, etc) Anconas with heritage Leghorns, from breeders maintaining the original birds the best they can?

I know a few Italian friends of mine who raise the original heritage lines of both breeds! Leghorns originate from the Italian breed called the Livorno. Livornos were imported into the US and eventually became the much larger Leghorns. Livornos are a breed I have owned myself although they passed quite some time ago due to old age. They're quite good at foraging their own food and definitely exalent at flying. However as most animals would, they'll choose as easy meal from the feeder over looking for it. A couple friends of mine who raise the original heritage Ancona lines say that they're very good at foraging and are also very good at flying. They do just as good as Livornos, but lay a little less. None of my friends Ancona roosters have ever attacked them, but there have been a few aggressive Livorno roosters in the past few years. Livornos are flight but on average due worse with predators than the Ancona. I've also been trying to raise my own survival birds and I've been looking into using Anconas, but they aren't very broody. Of course that's just the info from my friends, one of which is my neighbor who has lost several heritage Livornos and American import Leghorns to foxes, but only one Ancona hen. I myself haven't kept Anconas, but they seem like the better option imo

 

[Sir Sacabambaspis]

I live in the EU where a lot of the Mediterranean breeds originate from and with my obsession with chickens I know quite a bit about the history of the breeds that originate from here!

 

[Sir Sacabambaspis]

But in all honesty I'd suggest getting a rooster you know will check all the boxes on your survival birds needs and then breed him to all the hens that check some boxes but not all of them. Or perhaps you could look into already developed breeds or strains like various kinds of Gamefowl or Icelandics. All you really need is a good rooster to teach his hens what to do. If you want to encourage more free ranging I'd recommend feeding them only at one or two specific times during the day and not keep feeders around that are constantly full of food. Doing these methods of breeding and training have allowed me to start creating my own survival birds!