Ancona Duck

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Ancona Duck
Origin	Category	Egg Colour	Sitter
America	Light Breed Duck	White, Tinted, Blue-green, Spotted	Ocasional

Ancona Ducks at the Boondockers Farm, Eugene Oregon 97405. Posted on Wikimedia by Evan Gregoire - The Boondockers Farm

While it has been earlier reported that the Ancona was first bred in England in the early twentieth century, probably from the same stock that gave rise to the Magpie, there is an article in the Waterfowl Club of America Yearbook of 1913 that reports a duck of the same name had been developed by one W.J. Wirt, of Knowlesville, New York, who had named it after the Ancona breed of chicken. Birds of this type were shown in subsequent years, and took two first prizes at a poultry show in Boston in 1915.

It is believed that the Ancona are descended from Huttegem duck, (also the predecessor of the Magpie duck,) with some Runner duck in the genetic makeup of these birds as well. The patchwork in their feathers is similar to the markings of paint horses and Holstein cattle, the more random and broken the pattern, the better marked the specimen is considered to be.

GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS

The Ancona is a medium sized duck with broken-coloured plumage. The usual color is black and white; other color varieties are: blue and white, chocolate and white, silver and white, and lavender and white. The Ancona is a good layer, producing some 210–280 eggs per year; these may be blue, green, white, spotted, cream, or tinted.

It forages well, is hardy, and is capable of adapting to different environmental conditions.

Carriage - body carriage above horizontal to approximately 20 to 30 degrees.

Head - medium sized oval head.

Bill - Long bill that is slightly concave along the top line, broad, with specks of colour desirable.

Eyes - Large, prominent and well-set; dark in colour.

Neck - Long neck that arches forward slightly and is nicely curved.

Body - Broad, moderately deep especially from breast to abdomen. Long bodied as befits a good forager. Underline close to parallel with topline.

Chest - Full. Breast nicely rounded.

Back - Quite long, somewhat flat along the top line, and broad.

Tail - Sex feathers of the drake are to be hard and well curled.

Legs and feet - Set wide apart, feet and toes straight and connected by a web, colour on the legs and feet is very desirable.

COLOUR OF DRAKE AND DUCK

The plumage pattern is broken with irregular white spots and patches throughout. A combination of white and colour is acceptable as long as there are obvious broken areas on the head, backs, sides, and underbody.

In Anconas, more spotting and less patches are preferred. Spots on the bill and feet are also sought after.

Head — White with irregular patches of colour, particularly under the eye.

Bill — Yellow with dark green or black spotting, with a black bean.

Eyes — Dark blue or dark brown. Plumage colour under the eye also desirable.

Neck — White with irregular patches of colour allowed.

Wings — White with irregular patches of colour. In the black variety some variable reddish-brown cast permissable under wing and breast.

Back — White with irregular patches of colour. Plumage colour covering at least 75% of the back is desirable.

Breast — White splashed with colour. (Swedish bib markings are undesirable for the breed.)

Body and Fluff — White or coloured according to variety.

Tail — White or relevant colour.

Legs and Feet - orange with black or brown markings that increase with age.

COLOUR VARIETIES

The most commonly seen Ancona Duck colour variety has black markings on white. They are also known to exist in blue on white, lavender on white, silver on white, chocolate on white and tri-colour (any bird with white plus two or more colours in the plumage.)

WEIGHT & SIZE GUIDE

Old Drake 5 - 6 lbs (~ 2.25kg - 2.75kg)
Young Drake 4 - 5 lbs (~ 1.8kg - 2.25kg)
Old Duck 5 - 6 lbs (~ 2.2kg - 2.75kg)
Young Ducks 4 - 6 lbs (~ 1.8kg - 2.75kg)

Note that Ancona Ducks are extremely rare in Australia and there is wide variety at this time. In other standards overseas it gives a range of 5 lb. to 7 lb. (2.25 to 3kg) for ducks or drakes. This allows for heavier birds which is consistent with their strong utility history and some flexibility for heavier birds is permissable.