Ancona Chickens

- Poultry - Back Yard Farmer 045- Poultry - Back Yard Farmer 011 - Poultry - Back Yard Farmer 029 - Poultry - Back Yard Farmer 047Ancona Chicken

Ancona chickens have a distinct plumage color pattern – black ground color mottled white. On the ideal bird, one out of every five feathers is tipped with white. As with other mottled colored breeds of poultry, there is a tendency for the mottles to increase in size and quantity as the chicken ages. Ancona chickens have yellow legs, often with a few black mottles; reddish bay eye color; yellow beaks with black stripes on the upper mandibles; and white ear lobes.

The breed takes its name from Ancona, Italy, where for centuries such chickens were bred. The first Ancona chickens arrived in England about 1850. The breed was maintained there from that time until a second importation was made in 1883; from 1883 onward the breed gained some popularity. By about 1888 Ancona chickens from England arrived in America. The first importation was made by Francis A. Mortimer of Pottsville, PA. In 1906, H.C. Sheppard of Berea, OH, also imported Anconas and they soon became a well-known and popular race of chickens.

The breed has many similarities to Leghorn chickens, and has even been referred to as Mottled Leghorns by some poultrymen. They are the same size as Leghorn chickens and nearly the same shape. However, they differ in that the back on Ancona chickens slants downward from shoulders to tail and shows a slight angle where these two sections of the body meet. While the Leghorns may be referred to as “flighty”, Anconas go a step farther and may be referred to as “pheasant-like.” Both breeds are non-sitters and excellent layers of white-shelled eggs.

Ancona chickens are very hardy, fertile, and prolific. They can be a bit wild in their habits – easily flying to avoid potential dangers and ranging over a great area when foraging. They stand frost and snow quite well and will surpass Leghorn chickens as winter layers. The chicks hatch a canary and black in down color, feather and grow quickly, and pullets will often begin laying at five months of age.

Ancona chickens were recognized by the American Poultry Association as a standard breed in 1898 in the single comb variety, largely on the strength of their popularity in England, and in 1914 in the rose comb variety.  Males weigh 6 lbs and females weigh 4.5 lbs.

Like most light breeds, Anconas hardly ever go broody. They are very economical to keep and deserve to be more popular than they currently are in New Zealand.

 

19 thoughts on “Ancona Chickens”

  1. They look beautiful hens! I live up on Pin eHill and am planning on keeping chickens, need to make enclosure first though. What height would you reccomend for these birds? Do you clip their wings?
    thanks, Becky

    Reply

    • I keep mine behind a normal fence – about 1.2 meters high. It all depends if they are happy where they are and if there is enough moving around of good areas for them. It also helps to clip one wing. They can be taught to stay in as well

      Reply

  2. What a nice article 😊 I have two Ancona that we hatched from fertile eggs that came from Dunedin 7 years ago (I suspect my dad must have bought them from you!). They are now retired and help me fertilise the garden regularly. I would love to have some more in the future so that we get some eggs too. Do you regularly sell fertilised eggs?

    Reply

    • Kimberley – Thanks for the message. Yes, I sell fertile Ancona eggs most of the time, even though at present very short in supply. Come September onwards supplies would be better.

      Reply

  3. Hi There will you have Red Shaver pullets and Ancona Pullets the first week of July as we will be in Dunedin then.

    Regards

    Lucas

    Reply

  5. Thank you for a very enlightening article, above I fell I love with the ANCONA as soon as seeing the photos but after reading the article I must try and incubate some, I will be ordering very shortly
    Kind Regards
    Graham
    LEVIN

    Reply

Leave a comment