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Keeping Ancona Chicken: Eggs, Temperament & More Tips

As many of our readers already know, Mondays at typesofchicken.com are reserved for our weekly Pros & Cons articles concerning a particular chicken breed.

We have written articles about many of your favorite chicken breeds such as the Silkies, the Cornish, Buff Orpington, American Game Chicken, and more.

This Monday the Ancona chicken breed comes to turn in one of our Pros & Cons articles and as we have said a few times before our Pros & Cons lists are based on our own experiences as well as our research on the particular subject.

But first, let’s talk about the basic characteristics of Ancona chicken.

Origin of Ancona Chicken

Ancona chicken, known in Italy as Pollo Alla Ancona, originated in the 19th century and is popular in Britain and the United States.

It was first imported into England in 1848 by Edward Rider, a London merchant, who had been visiting Italy when he fell in love with the breed.

The breed’s name comes from its origins: The city of Ancona is located on Italy’s Adriatic coast and has been home to a large port since ancient times.

That port was a destination point for goods from other parts of Europe and later North America, so it’s not surprising that this breed would eventually end up there as well!

Ancona Chicken Characteristics & Temperament

Ancona chickens are lively and hardy, with mottled white feathers that give them their characteristic appearance.

What do ancona chickens look like?

They have v-shaped feathers with markings, and their legs are yellow. Their skin is also yellow, and the ear-lobes are white or cream-colored.

The Ancona Hen’s are medium size with a comb that falls gracefully to one side. Ancona roosters tend to weigh from 2.5 to 2.8 kg, while hens weigh about 1 kg less than the roosters.

Ancona Chickens
                                                                          via Flickr/Larisa

They Are Highly Intelligent And Friendly

The Ancona chickens are very intelligent and friendly and this makes them a very good choice if you want a smaller one-breed flock.

They will give you a sufficient amount of eggs and will be friendly towards you and your family.

Having a chicken breed that is famous for its friendliness does not mean that every chick will grow into a friendly chicken, you will still need to know the steps of raising friendly chickens in order to have a family-friendly flock.

Observant And Alert

Having observant and alert chickens is a big deal to every chicken keeper.

This means that they are going to notify you and your flock of an upcoming threat and will most likely be the risk-taker and the first to try any new undiscovered treat that you will present to the flock.

How many eggs do ancona chickens lay?

Ancona chickens are reliable egg layers. They typically lay around 180 to 240 eggs per year, which means you can count on them for fresh homegrown eggs.

You are wondering what color eggs do ancona chickens lay?

The Ancona chickens are known to be able of laying large white eggs and that is why many chicken keepers tend to get chickens from this particular breed. Being a great layer is a big Pro for every chicken breed.

Although they are known to give large white eggs, much like any other chicken breed – they still need to be fed properly in order for every egg they lay to be of high quality.

When do ancona chickens start laying?

Most chicken breeds start laying eggs between 6-8 months, but for this breed, this is not the case. They can start laying in 5 months(20 weeks) which is another great piece of information if you want to buy Ancona Hens.

How long do ancona chickens live?

They’re generally amiable and have an average lifespan of eight to twelve years. Feel free to bring one home today—it could be the perfect fit for your needs!

Cons:

Can Ancona chicken fly?

Yes, they can! A chicken being flighty may mean that they are more fun to have than other calmer chickens, but it also increases the chances of the flighty chicken escaping or getting hurt while jumping.

Ancona chickens tend to fly when they’re in danger from predators like hawks or cats. They can fly about 50 feet (15 meters) at a time and have been known to fly up to 2 miles (3 kilometers) away from their nests.

If you do not have the means to properly close your run or the time to regularly count your chickens it is better to get a different and calmer chicken breed.

They Can Be Mean To Other Chickens

The Ancona chickens may require a bit more attention and preparation in order to be friendly towards the rest of your flock.

They are aggressive when some other chicken disturbs the pecking order even if they are not affected by that disturbance.

Ancona Chickens
via Flickr

They do not like newcomers in the flock so if you decide to add chickens in your flock where you have the Ancona breed you might want to make sure that you have prepared for adding that new chicken to the flock.

Other than this we couldn`t find any particular cons that we could connect with the Ancona chicken breed.

Conclusion

The Ancona will make a beautiful addition to any farm flock, as long as you have the space for them.

They are not just beautiful birds, but also very entertaining. Seeing their antics in the coop or yard will put a smile on your face each and every day.

If you want a fun pet chicken that can also produce some extra income for you, then the Ancona is an excellent choice.

References:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancona_chicken

https://www.agraria.org/polli/ancona.htm

https://web.archive.org/web/20130410101652/http://www.albc-usa.org/cpl/ancona.html

https://www.nal.usda.gov/exhibits/ipd/frostonchickens/items/show/278

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2 thoughts on “Keeping Ancona Chicken: Eggs, Temperament & More Tips”

  1. I have recently acquired three Ancona poulets and they settled in immediately.
    Within two or three days they knew when I was approaching and eat from my hand.
    Still not able to pick them up but really enjoy them being a part of my life.
    Names? Dawn, Dorothy and Daphne!

    Reply
  2. Hi! I have recently acquired 22 chicks from Murray McMurray after a 30 year break from raising them and I chose the Ancona for one of the 2 roosters in my flock that consists of Ancona,Ameraucana,Australorp,Bielefelder,Black giants and a Buff Orfington with the addition of a free chick that I suspect to be a Bielefelder Rooster.The Ancona rooster is by far the most active and friendly out of them.He immediately gets on my hand and doest want to be put down, usually falling asleep! He is so cute and hopefully will be a watchful guardian of the flock with the amount of hawks we have here.(his name is Roy after the rooster in the Garfield and friends cartoons)He is my buddy and hopefully will take to training well.i had a Austrolorp as a child that would sit on my shoulder at any given opportunity and remain there.Very happy with my Ancona!
    Rich W

    Reply

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