The Ancona Chicken is a Mediterranean class of chicken that originated from the city of Ancona which is situated along the coast of Italy.
The Ancona breed of chicken was first introduced to Britain in the late 1800s and soon after to the United States. Anconas are a close relation to the Leghorn Breed and when they were first introduced to North America people did refer to them as “Mottled Leghorns” or “Black Leghorns”
Similarly to Leghorns they are known as excellent egg layers and can lay between 160-180 large white eggs per year.
It is a truly beautiful breed with its striking greenish black plumage that is speckled with white at the tips of the feathers (known as mottling). The hens by nature are not broody and don’t usually sit on a clutch of eggs.
For areas that pose a predation threat, the Ancona breed would be a great choice as they are considered to be very hardy, quick and alert.
Ancona Chicken Breed Facts
Class
- Standard Mediterranean
- Bantam Single Comb, Clean Legged
- Rose Comb, Clean Legged.
Size
- Standard Cock: 6 lb. (2.75 kg)
- Hen: 4.5 lb. (2 kg)
- Bantam Cock: 26 oz (740 g)
- Bantam Hen: 22 oz (625 g)
Comb
- Single Comb. Bright red, medium-sized red comb has five distinct points. Male: All five points stand upright. Female: First point stands upright; other four droop to one side.
- Rose Comb. Bright red, medium-sized red rose sits square in front, terminating in a well developed spike.
Wattles & Earlobes
- Wattles are bright red; earlobes are white. Male: Long, well-rounded wattles and small almond-shaped earlobes, close to head. Females: Medium, well-rounded wattles and oval earlobes close to the head.
Colour
- Yellow beak, though some black or horn shading at centre of upper mandible. Reddish brown eyes. Shanks and toes are yellow, though yellow mottled with black is acceptable. Plumage is shiny greenish black with white speckling on tips of feathers, distributed evenly and frequently across the body
Place of Origin
- Italy
Conservation Status
- Threatened
Special Qualities
- Lays longer into the winter without supplemental light than most breeds.
The American Poultry Association (APA) first admitted the single comb variety in 1898 and the rose comb variety in 1914.