My husband and I raised our children on our 53-acre farm near Lathrop in Northwest Missouri. I am an elementary school teacher, and with some time available during summer and an empty nest, I was ready for a new project. 
 
     Ancona Acres was born in 2018 when we decided to add ducks. When first deciding which breed to get, Anconas stood out because of their unique looks, heat tolerance, cold hardiness, and calm disposition. They also are prolific layers, laying an average of 240 eggs each year. Anconas are a dual purpose breed, meaning they can be used for both eggs and meat. Being a heritage breed means they will be with you and lay longer than commercial breeds. They will lay for five to eight years and can live ten years. After a lot of searching, we bought our first seven Ancona ducks and the rest is history. What started out as a little hobby quickly grew, and six years later we still enjoy our ducks as much as ever.
 
     Anconas are a landrace breed and are not recognized by the APA. However, we do breed for certain, consistent qualities. These qualities include broken plumage, weight of around six pounds, concave bills, medium length necks that transition smoothly into the back, under eye markings, and color on chest. We keep green egg layers in our flock and have introduced a tricolor female for the first time this year.  

 

     You can find more information about Ancona ducks by visiting The Livestock Conservancy at:

     https://livestockconservancy.org/heritage-breeds/heritage-breeds-list/ancona-duck/     

 

     We do not use large scale hatchery birds in our breeding program. Our stock comes from other small NPIP breeders across the United States. We introduce new bloodlines every few years.  In short, we do the best we can to produce quality Anconas, and we love working with this amazing landrace breed. Please reach out with any questions. Thank you for visiting our website!

〰️Angie