71 
HISTORY OP ANCONAS 
clay two varieties of Anconas are recog¬ 
nized. These are distinguished by their 
combs, one being rose comb and the 
other single comb. The single comb, 
which was the first imported into this 
country, is much more commonly bred. 
There is no difference in the body 
shape or plumage pattern. The two 
varieties are identical with the excep¬ 
tion of the comb character. 
The American Ancona is somewhat 
similar to the Leghorn in body shape, 
with the exception that the body is a 
little deeper and a little longer. They 
are slightly shorter of leg than the 
Leghorn, which makes them look pro¬ 
portionately smaller than they really 
are. The standard Ancona color is 
what might be defined black mottled 
with white. The black is rich and 
lustrous and, in contrast to the clean, 
sharp white, makes a very pleasing ap¬ 
pearance. The ideal Ancona feather 
is black throughout its entire length 
with a slight greenish sheen with the 
tip pure white. The demarkation be¬ 
tween the black and white is sharp and 
distinct. 
Anconas must be cared for as much 
as any other Mediterranean breed. In 
our climate they must be housed well 
and both males and females alike dur¬ 
ing the winter must be given neces¬ 
sary protection to keep their combs 
from freezing. 
They should be allowed from 3 to 4 
square feet of floor space in the laying 
house and they should be given espec¬ 
ially large quantities of mash and grain 
as their production increases. 
They are naturally heavy layers. In 
order to lay heavily any hen must be 
given an abundant supply of egg build¬ 
ing material. 
About 12 pounds of grain per day per 
100 birds is a satisfactory allowance 
for Anconas when they are laying 
heavily. Consuming this amount, they 
will eat just about the right amount of 
mash. 
But the best rule is to feed them all 
the grain they will clean up and still 
be anxious for more at feeding time. 
One should not overfeed them by al¬ 
lowing the grain to be in the litter, 
which puts the birds out of producing 
condition. 
The Anconas are gaining in popular¬ 
ity from day to day. When old exhibi¬ 
tion breeders take them up and when a 
hungry generation of poultry raisers is 
prone to give them serious considera¬ 
tion, they have surely won their way 
to a successful future. 
When one is looking for a light, ac¬ 
tive bird, laying a large white egg, and 
a bird which lays many of them, and 
many of them in the fall and winter, 
the Anconas are worthy of serious 
- ~ , • - 7 ' 
consideration. 
