The Poultry Keeper

nigel · Posted: Thu Mar 22, 2007 6:21 pm Post subject: Ancona

This thread is for Ancona

Camile · Joined: 13 Dec 2006 Posts: 96 Location: Faartan

Good morning ..

I just have one Ancona .... don't know if she completely a pure breed although she looks like it .. because she just went broody on me ..

And they are not supposed to be broody, and are considered non-sitters.

They are light mediterranean (Italian), will produce a large number of medium size white eggs, very flighty and good forager.

Camile

Henwife · Joined: 31 Jan 2006 Posts: 3476 Location: Monmouthshire

In their 2nd year they are prolific layers of very large white eggs. Their feathering as chicks and growers will convice you they are magpies not anconas. The hens have large floppy combs & the cocks' are upright. I've got some bantam ancona eggs in the hatcher now, and three cross bred LF hens in the laying pen.

Henrietta · Joined: 07 Oct 2005 Posts: 40

When the chicks first hatch they remind me of a dark choc ice !
They finally turn into the delightful white spotted variety.

Annie (not very original I know) was my first Ancona bantam. She was a "cuckoo in the nest" in that I bought Welsummer eggs and she hatched out! She is very friendly and very chatty. Also very adventurous.
Last year during the hot weather she kept disappearing . Finally returned with 5 chicks in tow all of which she reared to adulthood. Crosses but the hens are very attractive black birds with a purple sheen to their feathers which I've kept. Unfortunately have developed their mother's ability to escape. One dug her way out of a very secure run AND it was during the snowy weather.

This year Annie is being confined to barracks to make sure no more accidents happen. She now has 2 more Ancona friends. (only 2 hatched from 12 eggs bought from Ebay).

At the moment I have 5 chicks in the brooder unit.

Kristal · Joined: 01 Apr 2007 Posts: 115 Location: Shrewsbury

This is Dilys, the 12 week old Ancona that I bought from moo2moo last week. She is a very sweet-natured little bird so far, very tame and friendly.

Wilt · Posted: Thu Nov 01, 2007 12:17 pm Post subject:

Philip Smedley was kind enough to let me have this trio. Sorry the photo isn't up to much!!

GTB · Joined: 16 Jul 2008 Posts: 30 Location: Heart of Wiltshire

Here's a photo of one of my Ancona hens.

They are pretty hardy birds which lay a lovely large white egg (middle egg).

The egg on the left is from a black rock and the one on the right is the first egg from a young Welsummer hen.

Newboy · Joined: 12 Jun 2008 Posts: 60 Location: Cork

Hi Gang,

Anyone know where i could get some Ancona's in Ireland? I had one before and i really enjoyed her as she had a bit of attitude and was the leader of the gang...unfortunately a fox got her. Crying or Very sad

Grant · Joined: 02 Dec 2008 Posts: 5

History
The Ancona Chicken is named after the province of Ancona in Italy from where specimens were brought to the UK and shown in 1851 (for the Great Exhibition). Believed by many to be closely related to the original Mottled Lehghorn further imports in the 1890's and later from both America and Italy concentrated the breed characteristics to the spangled fowl of today. The Ancona Chicken takes its name from the City of Ancona, a port in Italy, from which the first Ancona Chickens were shipped to England.

The Ancona Chicken went to America from England in 1888.

Within Italy they were found in reds, browns and white which would account for the occasional copper appearing in neck hackles it being a genetic throwback.

Characteristics
This calls for the comb to be single or rose with long wattles as in other Mediterranean breeds with a white v shaped tip to the feathers and beetle green metallic sheen to the feathers.

Available large and miniature. Can be flighty. Bold active birds excellent foragers. Very good laying average with a good food / egg conversion due to light body wieghts. This is a non-sitting fowl. They are excellent layers of white shelled eggs and have yellow skin.. The cockerels are slow and difficult to fatten.

Breed Tips
For laying rather than showing use the lighter birds especially in the under fluff. Check also for a very upright tail discarding any squirrel tails as they are normally poor layers.

For breeding the birds with no white splashing and no white in the under fluff are the best consistently.

Supreme layers in relation to food consumption

Purpose
Egg layer

Classification
Light / Soft feather

Origin
Mediterranean

Egg Color
White to cream

Egg Numbers
160 / 180 per annum

Grant · Joined: 02 Dec 2008 Posts: 5

Pulled that straight off my website, so hopefully its all the right information Smile