04/13/2026
The Ancona is a hardy, adaptable, all-purpose duck. They are excellent layers, typically laying 210-280 white, cream, or blue eggs annually.
The Ancona averages 6-6.5 pounds and is a bit stockier than its close relative, the Magpie duck.
Their broken, mottled plumage is unique among ducks for, like Holstein cattle, there is no set design. While black and white is the most common and well known color of Ancona duck, it is also possible to get broken patterns of Blue, Chocolate, Silver, Lavender, Lilac, or Tricolor.
The Ancona also grows relatively quickly and produces high-quality meat that is more flavorful and less fatty than that of most Pekin ducks. Anconas are well suited for situations where they can forage for some of their food and can eat large “banana” slugs. If they are handled as young birds, they are especially good pets, and they don’t like to roam too far. They are not fliers.
https://livestockconservancy.org/ancona-duck/
