Is my ancona a.... A.... MAGPIE?!

[DUCKGIRL89]

So I got 7 ducklings early spring last year and some people told me my black and white duck was a ancona, so I though "COOL" so I have been calling her my ancona for almost a year... Now ive been looking at hatcherys in TX with anconas to see where they may have gotten mine, and none have anconas, but ideal has magpies, could i have a magpie?!

 

[RAREROO]

Do you have a pic ? Anconas have random spots and blotches all over. Magpies should have a more definded pattern with a patch on the head and a large patch/saddle on the back

 

[DUCKGIRL89]

Quote:
She has no sploches. See the thing is I wanted to get a drake (ancona) for her to hatch pure babies

would that still work? Let me get a pic real fast!

 

[JulieNKC]

It's possible. They are very similar in markings, size, egg laying, etc. The only reason I know mine is an ancona and not a magpie is because she came from Orschelns and their ducks came from Estes, which has anconas but not magpies. Do you know or have any way of finding out what hatchery she came from?

 

[DUCKGIRL89]

 

[RAREROO]

Quote:
She doesn't have the "correct " color for a magpie but I have heard it is a hard pattern to get consistant and then especially comming from a hatchery, they wouldn't put effort into the pattern, so she may well be a hatchery magpie but some anconas can have a lot of black coverage like that so I couldn't say for sure.

 

[JulieNKC]

How big is she? Ancona's are supposed to be bigger than magpies. Mine is bigger than my khaki, but slightly smaller than my swede mix drake.

 

[DUCKGIRL89]

She is about 6 or 7 lbs...

 

[ChickenfootDuckbutt]

Quote:
mine were smaller than my two magpies, could fly some too, they were purebreds, from stock decended from holderheads.


she could either be a poorly marked magpie, or a poorly marked Ancona.

I can't really tell.

 

[toadbriar]

I'm trying to select for a heavier body, and more speckled markings, precisely cos of ambiguous situations like this!

It's tough. After all... this is also a hatchery Ancona - from cackle:

Your girl looks like a real sweetie, no matter what she is