Ancona

The Ancona takes its name from the Adriatic port of Ancona on Italy's eastern coast, and is one of the lighter Mediterranean breeds kept on British smallholdings and in back gardens. Its plumage is the feature most keepers notice first: a glossy black ground with a greenish sheen, each feather tipped in white so that roughly one in three carries a white point. The mottling grows more pronounced with every moult, so a young pullet shows less white than the same bird will carry a year or two later.

Anconas are utility birds, bred for eggs rather than the table. A fit hen lays a steady run of medium white eggs across the year and, unlike many heavier breeds, tends to keep laying through the colder months. Broodiness is rare in this breed, so hens carry on laying instead of going off lay to sit a clutch.

The breed is alert, quick on its feet, and does best where it has room to range. Anconas forage keenly for insects, seeds and greenery, which cuts feed bills for anyone able to let them out during the day. They are also strong on the wing and will happily use a fence rail or low branch as a perch, so housing and boundaries need to be planned with that in mind.

Who it suits

The Ancona suits a keeper after reliable eggs who can offer space to roam. It rewards free-range or generous run set-ups and stays productive through a damp British winter better than many breeds manage. It is not the right choice for anyone wanting a placid lap hen or a bird content behind a small run, since Anconas are flighty, fast, and keen to get airborne. They settle well enough in a mixed flock, holding their own without dominating it, but they are not suited to a keeper after a calm, docile pet.

The breed was developed in the Marche region of central Italy, around the Adriatic port that gave it its name, from local farmyard fowl. These birds shared their ancestry with the wider Mediterranean group that also produced the Leghorn, and in the early years the two were not always kept apart. What set the Ancona apart was its black-and-white mottled plumage, against the solid colours common among its relatives.

Anconas reached England in the mid-nineteenth century, with imports recorded from around the 1850s. British breeders went on to refine both the type and the mottled pattern, and much of today's standard owes its detail to that work. The breed was admitted to the British poultry standards later in the century, and it remains recognised by the Poultry Club of Great Britain.

From England and Italy the breed crossed the Atlantic to the United States, where it was accepted into the American Poultry Association's Standard of Perfection, the single-combed variety in 1898 and the rose-combed variety somewhat later. Both comb types are still kept today.

Through the twentieth century the Ancona was valued on British farms and smallholdings as a hardy layer, particularly where birds had to forage for themselves and cope with a damp, changeable climate. As commercial egg production moved over to specialised hybrid strains, Ancona numbers declined, and the breed is now largely in the hands of smallholders, exhibitors, and those keeping traditional poultry for conservation reasons.

The Ancona carries itself with the trim, active outline typical of the Mediterranean laying breeds. The body is fairly compact, the breast carried forward and the tail held well up. Face, comb and wattles are bright red, set off by white earlobes. Two comb types occur: a single comb, upright in the cock and often falling to one side in the hen, and a rose comb, which sits low and flat to the head.

The plumage supplies the breed's defining mark. Each feather is black with a green sheen and finishes in a white tip shaped rather like a V. The standard calls for even mottling right across the bird rather than patches of solid colour. White tipping increases with each moult, so a bird looks darker as a pullet and carries more white as it ages.

Coat and colours

Mottled black-and-white is the only recognised colour. A good specimen shows clean white earlobes, a long flowing tail on the cock, and yellow legs and beak, with a degree of black mottling on the legs being typical rather than a fault. Bantam Anconas exist and follow the same pattern on a smaller scale. Uneven mottling, solid white feathers, or a loss of the green sheen count against a bird under the standard.

The Ancona is inquisitive, energetic, and rarely still. Birds spend most of the day foraging and cover a surprising amount of ground when given the run of a garden or paddock. They watch the sky for danger and dart for cover quickly, which serves them rather better against hawks and buzzards than slower, heavier breeds manage.

Around people, Anconas tend to keep their distance. They are not aggressive, but they dislike being caught and would rather run or fly off than be picked up. Regular, gentle handling from a young age will tame individual birds to a degree, though the breed as a whole stays flighty. Within the flock they are generally peaceable given enough space, although their pace and energy can unsettle calmer breeds kept alongside them.

The breed flies strongly and will roost high given the chance. Keepers should expect birds to clear low fences without difficulty, so runs often need a cover or a taller boundary than a heavier breed would require.

Anconas are undemanding birds for a keeper able to meet their need for activity. Their close feathering sheds rain well and copes with cold, so the main requirements are space, security, and ordinary flock husbandry.

Grooming

• Check the vent and surrounding feathers for cleanliness, particularly in wet weather.
• Inspect legs and feet for scaly leg mite and treat promptly if found.
• Provide a dry dust bath so birds can deal with external parasites themselves.
• Clip a wing if flight needs to be limited, bearing in mind this also reduces a bird's ability to escape predators.

Exercise

• Allow daily free-ranging or a large run; Anconas do not do well in close confinement.
• Provide perches and varied ground so birds can forage and fly.
• Scatter feed or greenery to encourage natural foraging.

Environment

The breed copes well with cold thanks to its dense feathering, and the rose-combed form has the added advantage of a smaller comb area. Single-combed birds, however, can suffer frostbitten comb tips during a hard frost. Provide a draught-free, well-ventilated coop with dry bedding. In warm weather give shade and a constant supply of water, as Mediterranean breeds generally tolerate heat reasonably well.

As an active layer, the Ancona needs a balanced poultry feed suited to its life stage. Birds with access to range will find a fair share of their own food as insects and greenery, which can reduce the amount of bought feed required, but a proper formulated ration should remain the mainstay of the diet if egg production is to stay steady.

Treats and supplements

Offer insoluble grit free choice so birds can grind their food, since active foragers take in a good deal of coarse material. Provide crushed oyster shell or another calcium source separately for laying hens, to support shell quality. Keep treats such as greens, mealworms and grain to around a tenth of the diet so they do not unbalance the ration. Clean water must be available at all times.

The Ancona is a robust breed with a typical lifespan of 5 to 8 years. Its small size, active habits and close feathering keep it generally healthy and well able to forage for itself and avoid predators. The breed carries no widespread inherited disorders, so most health problems seen are those common to backyard chickens generally.

Preventive care

• Keep the coop dry, clean and well ventilated to limit respiratory disease.
• Provide a dust-bathing area and check birds regularly for mites and lice.
• Rotate or rest range ground to reduce worm burden.
• Provide free-choice calcium and grit to support laying health.
• Quarantine any new birds before adding them to the flock.

Because Anconas are active, quick, and fly strongly, housing has to give them room while still keeping them contained. A standard coop with nest boxes and perches suits them well, but the run needs to be larger and more secure than for a placid, heavy breed. Birds kept in close confinement become stressed and may start feather-pecking, so range access or a generous run matters.

Setup checklist

• Predator-proof coop with secure latches and a covered or tall run.
• High perches set above the nest boxes, to suit the breed's roosting habit.
• Dry, deep bedding and good ventilation without draughts at floor level.
• Shade and a dust-bath area within the run.
• Constant fresh water, with grit and calcium available free choice.

Anconas seldom sit, so hatching generally means an incubator or eggs placed under a broody hen of another breed. The eggs themselves are white and medium sized and follow the usual chicken incubation period of about 21 days. Set clean, fresh eggs and keep conditions steady throughout for the best hatch rate.

Hatching steps

1. Select clean, well-shaped, fresh eggs and store them pointed end down below 18°C until setting.
2. Run the incubator empty for a day beforehand to confirm the temperature and humidity are stable.
3. Set the eggs and begin turning, marking each side so turns can be tracked.
4. Candle at around day 7 to 10 and remove any clear or non-developing eggs.
5. On day 18 stop turning, raise the humidity, and move to lockdown.
6. Let chicks hatch and dry off inside the incubator before moving them to a warm brooder.