Duck of Ancona: Characteristics, Origins, Uses, and Full Breed Information

The Ancona duck is a rare dual-purpose breed. This medium-weight duck breed originated in England in the early 20th century.

Ancona ducks are thought to be descended from the Indian runner duck and the Belgian Huttegem duck breed. They bear a resemblance to the Magpie duck, which is the closest relative of the Ancona duck.

And the Ancona duck is the same as the Magpie duck. The breed was bred in the United States for several decades and was exhibited in 1983 in Oregon. They were first made available to the general public in 1984 and have been growing in number ever since. But still rare.

Now this breed of duck is placed in the Critical category of the US Livestock Conservation Priority List. Below are the characteristics, full breed profile, and specific notes about this duck breed.

Characteristics of the Duck of Ancona

The Ancona duck resembles the piebald duck in many ways, but is slightly stockier. It is a medium sized laying duck. The Ancona duck has a medium-sized oval head. They have a slightly concave beak on the topline and of medium length. Their neck is medium, slightly arched forward.

Their body position is 20-30 degrees above the horizontal. The breed is unique among ducks for its broken speckled plumage. Like Holstein cattle, there are no decorations here. Any combination of white and color is acceptable if there are obvious breaks on the head, back, sides and under the body.

But the original Ancona duck only existed in a black and white variety. Normally, the Ancon duck’s beak is yellow with dark green or black markings. Their neck is completely white and their legs and feet are orange with brown or black spots. The spots on the legs increase with the age of the ducks.

The Ancona duck has plumage under the eyes. Ducklings are yellow with spots or dots. Adult ducks are white with markings. Marks vary from duck to duck. And no two ducks have the same pattern.

This breed of duck comes in a variety of colors. Color varieties include; Blue and white, black and white, lavender and white, chocolate and white, silver and white and tricolor. The most common variety is black and white.

Ancon ducks weigh more than ducks. On average, an adult Ancona duck weighs about 2.8-3.1 kg, and a duck about 2.2-2.6 kg. Photo from Wikipedia.

Advantages

Ancona ducks are bred primarily for egg production. But since they are a useful dual-purpose duck breed, they are also suitable for meat production. It is one of the best laying hens among all domestic ducks.

Special Notes

Ancones are beautiful dual-purpose ducks. They are very sturdy and fit easily. They are not windy and rather calm birds, and are also suitable for a pond and a vegetable garden. They are calm and become friendly and affectionate when handled from a young age. They are therefore also good as pets and like to stay close to home.

It is an excellent breed of egg-laying ducks. A duck typically lays 210-280 eggs per year. The color of their eggs is blue, cream or white. Ducks start laying eggs when they are 5 months old (sometimes it can take longer).

As a rule, the Ancona duck lays 5-8 years with maximum production in the first 3 years. The eggs enlarge as the birds grow. Ancona ducks grow quite fast and produce quality meat.

Ancon duck meat is tastier and less fatty than most Peking ducks. They are excellent foragers and can make up their diet with green vegetables, slugs, insects and other arthropods if they forage freely.

Ancona ducks are long-lived birds. The lifespan of the Ancona duck can be up to 10 years. Check out the full profile of the Ancona duck breed in the table below.

video