32 
HISTORY OF ANCONAS 
just outside the city of Dallas, Texas. 
There are 32 acres devoted to poultry, 
among which Anconas are leaders. A 
fortune has already been spent in 
equipment, and the initial capacity was 
15,000 layers; 12,000 brooding; 7,000 
incubating. Many additions have since 
been made. Several breeds that were 
kept at the beginning have been dis¬ 
carded for the more profitable Ancon¬ 
as, and the goal is 10,000 laying An¬ 
conas. Several times Anconas from 
this farm have won prizes at egg-lay¬ 
ing contests. All of their 1922 pullets 
will be trap-nested, and only high pro¬ 
ducers be used in the breeding pens. 
H. Cecil Sheppard, Berea, Ohio, has 
the largest poultry breeding plant in 
the world, and it is devoted exclusively 
to Anconas. He started on a town lot 
seventeen years ago, with thirty-one 
birds. In 1922 he raised 18,000 An¬ 
conas, two-thirds of which he kept for 
breeders. He is using over a thous¬ 
and acres in his Ancona operations, 
and his Ancona business exceeds $100,- 
000 annually. Mr. Sheppard says that 
while a few years ago most of his 
orders were from small breeders and 
back-lotters, of late he has been sup¬ 
plying some of the largest commercial 
egg farms with Anconas. 
F. M. Frost, Route 1, Box 149, San 
Gabriel, California, has nearly one 
thousand Anconas on his “Rose Lawn 
Ancona Ranch’’ and will double his 
capacity during 1923. He has some 
fine show stock, but keeps Anconas 
because they produce more eggs, larg¬ 
er eggs, and produce them at less cost 
per dozen than any other fowl. 
Ward Bowen, proprietor of “Shady 
Brook Farm,” Union Star, Missouri, 
has four laying houses with capacity 
for over 1500 layers. Fourteen colony 
houses with capacity for 5000 chicks. 
Incubator capacity 3200. Approximate¬ 
ly 11,000 chicks were hatched in 1922. 
After the hatching season is closed 
eggs are shipped to New York, Chica¬ 
go, and Kansas City, or sometimes to 
the local Farmers’ Union. Trap nests 
are used, and 1500 pedigree chicks are 
hatched each season. Mr. Bowen’s An¬ 
conas have many show and laying con¬ 
test prizes to their credit. He contem¬ 
plates increasing his incubator capac¬ 
ity to keep pace with the increasing 
demand for baby Ancona chicks in 
large lots to commercial egg farms. 
College View Farm, Hillsdale, Mich., 
is an exclusive Single Comb Ancona 
enterprise owned and operated by G. 
A. Zilch. There are over 25 acres of 
land, and the 600 laying Anconas will 
be doubled this season. Several new 
buildings have recently been added. 
1922 incubator capacity has been in¬ 
creased by recent addition of a 3600 
egg Candee. There are three separate 
colony brooder houses. A specialty is 
made of selling hatching eggs and 
baby chicks, and particular stress is 
made of chalk-white eggs. 
Merryall Poultry Farm, Route 3, 
South Kent, Conn., last year began on 
a commercial egg basis. After keeping 
accurate records they found that their 
Anconas averaged more eggs per bird 
for the year than their other breeds, 
so they will hereafter specialize on An¬ 
conas. This year they are adding in¬ 
cubator capacity and additional brood¬ 
er houses. A large part of their eggs 
and broilers go to private customers, 
and nearby summer camps. 
W. H. Handorf, Route 2, Milwaukee, 
Wis., specializes on Single Comb An¬ 
conas, because they make him a larg¬ 
er net profit than other breeds. He 
