Uses: Exhibition. Utility: eggs. Eggs: 200 - 270 white / cream.
Origin: Italy
Weight: Cock: 2.7 - 2.95Kg, Hen: 2.25 - 2.5Kg.
Bantam Cock: 570 - 680g, Hen: 510 - 620g.
Colour: Beetle Green ground tipped with white.
Useful to Know: A good layer that is an active forager. Like the Leghorn, the large comb can suffer from frostbite.
Photo: A National Champion Ancona owned by Mr. C. Marles. Photo courtesy Rupert Stephenson.

The Ancona Chicken takes its name from the eastern Italian City of Ancona. It is thought they first reached the shores of England in 1851. There are a number of views about the origins of the Ancona, some believing that it is very similar in appearance to the original Mottled Leghorn and that in fact it is no more than a variety of Leghorn, however, it remains a distinct breed and has it's own characteristic type. There has been a Blue Mottled Ancona developped in Germany and Holland. An autosexing breed called the Ancobar was created from the Ancona by Professor Lamoureux in America in 1941 and later on in the UK but it has never been popular and is thought to be extinct in the UK.

Breeding Hints

Plumage of juveniles changes after the first moult. The white tips to the feathers get larger and there are more of them after each moult.

Photos

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Books

The following books are available. Links take you to the Amazon or other sellers' pages for the books.

• Popular Poultry Breeds - D. Scrivener - P.9 - 11
• British Poultry Standards- P.31 - 33

Breed Clubs:

• UK: The Ancona Club of Great Britain.
• Australia: Ancona Club of Australia.

Discussion

• Comments / Questions? Looking for stock? Visit the Ancona Section of our Forum
• Please leave us a comment below if you can provide further information or would like to write an article on this breed.