AMONG ANCONAS" 31 



white or creamy white, although some red is found in the ear lobes of most 

 flocks. English breeders favor yellow mottled legs. The American standard 

 calls for yellow or yellow mottled with black. 



Anconas are very beautiful even from the fluffy yellow and black baby 

 chick period. As they mature from babyhood Ancona chicks never encounter 

 the poorly dressed, half starved, awkward stage common to most young fowls. 

 Raisers declare that they are attractive and graceful every day of their lives. 

 Those who have had experience with Anconas can appreciate this point. 

 Naturally, breeding has a great deal to do with this. We are speaking of 

 thoroughbred Anconas. 



The Ideal Ancona Size 



AS I have already emphasized, Anconas are primarily an egg breed. 

 This is their first and greatest virtue and it is one that appeals to the 

 average person because the biggest profit in the poultry business is 

 in eggs. 



Anconas need to be just large enough so that they can retain in their bodies 

 sufficient vitality to produce eggs prolifically and systematically and they've 

 sufficient size, but no "surplus baggage." There is much more money in 

 producing four legged animals for meat than to raise poultry for the profit in 

 meat. 



Anconas will lay satisfactorily for two or three years longer than any of 

 the heavy breeds of poultry and it doesn't take very many dozen eggs to make 

 up the entire cost of what one would secure for a carcass. 



The Ancona is slightly larger than the leghorn, mature females weighing 

 four to five pounds, and occasionally six. The males weigh five to six, and 

 sometimes a pound more than that. For a time breeders favored extra size, 

 but they found themselves getting away from the dominant merit of Anconas 

 and in securing size were losing out on the egg production end. As a matter 

 of fact, in my early experience I had Ancona males weighing nine and a half 

 pounds dressed, but found that these extra large birds did not produce layers. 

 If size did not interfere with egg yield, I would prefer a bigger bird. But it 

 is eggs we are after, eggs that will pay, and eggs you will get from Anconas, so 

 I endeavor to breed as large as possible without injuring the laying qualities 

 of the strain. 



Another point in favor of the small bird is that five of them will eat no more 

 than three of the large varieties and they do not tend to get broody. They 

 occupy less floor space. It would be natural if you concluded that they laid 

 smaller eggs, but this is not the case. Anconas lay large white eggs which get 

 top market prices. 



I do not favor small, undersized birds. I believe you will agree with me that 

 the ability to lay eggs abundantly is the noblest and greatest ambition a hen 

 can be entrusted with. 



