HISTORY OF ANCONAS 
41 
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Anconas in Enqland 
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Anconas were introduced into Eng¬ 
land from Italy in 1848—forty-two 
years before the first exportation was 
made from England to the United 
States. 
The English poultry breeders were 
not slow to realize the superiority of 
Ancona?, and the breed became firmly 
established, and have since been one 
of the leading breeds for profit, and 
have consistently made records in the 
Laying Contests. 
The English Ancona differs some¬ 
what in type from the American Stan¬ 
dard, and also is bred lighter in color. 
The following is reprinted from the 
English Ancona Club Standard. 
General Characteristics. 
Cock 
Head —Deep, moderate in length, rath¬ 
er inclined to width, carried well 
back. 
Beak— Medium, moderate curve. 
Eye —Bright and prominent. 
Comb —Single, medium, upright with 
deep broad even serrations (5 to 7) 
forming a regular curve, coming- 
well back and following line of 
head, free from excrescences. 
Face —Bright Red. 
Earlobe— Medium, inclined to almond 
shape, free from folds. 
Wattles —Long, fine in texture; in pro¬ 
portion to comb. 
Neck —Long, nicely arched, well-cover¬ 
ed with hackle. 
Body— Broad, tapering to tail, close 
and compact. 
Back —Moderate length. 
Wings —Large, carried well tucked up. 
Breast —Full and broad, carried well 
forward and upward. 
Legs and Feet —Medium length, strong, 
set well apart, clear of feathers 
thigh not much seen. 
Toes— Four, rather long and thin, well 
spread out. 
Tail —Full, carried well out. 
Size and Weight —Cockerels about 5*4 
lbs. 
Carriage —Alert, bold, active. 
General Appearance —Good beetle- 
green ground, tipped with white 
(the more V-shaped the better), 
no inclination to lacing. 
Hen 
Head —Moderate length, rather broad. 
Ey e —Bright and prominent. 
Comb —Medium, falling on one side, 
partly hiding face, free from ex¬ 
crescences, broad serrations, fine 
in texture. 
Face —Bright Red. 
Earlobe —Medium. 
Wattles— Medium length, well round¬ 
ed, fine in texture. 
Neck —Medium length, carried well up. 
Body —Round and compact, with great¬ 
er posterior development than cock 
Back —Rather long and broad. 
Wings —Large, carried close to body. 
Breast —Full and prominent. 
Legs and Feet —Same as cock. 
Toes —Same as cock. 
Tail— Neat, carried well out. 
Size and Weight— Pullets about 4%.lbs. 
Carriage —Lively, active. 
General Appearance —Good beetle- 
green ground, tipped with white 
(the more V-shaped the better), 
no inclination to lacing. 
Colour. 
Beak— Yellow, with black or horn- 
coloured shadings. A wholly yel¬ 
low beak not desirable—see “De¬ 
fects.” 
Eye: —Iris, orange red; pupil, hazel. 
Comb, Face and Wattles -Bright red, 
face free from white. 
Earlobe— White. 
