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ANCONA DUCKS
-CLICK BUY DUCKS TO ORDER-
- Anconas are in the critical
or endangered category of the American conservancy breeds
Ancona ducks are mild tempered and often friendly ducks with excellent foraging and egg laying capabilities.
Uniquely to Anconas' the female is the one that goes to find forage, males of other species often keep their girls from finding precious food for their eggs.
Anconas' are primarily white with broken colored plumage with no set design, similar to Pinto horses and Holstein cattle.
We raise our ducks on a 100% pasture and garden. We encourage them to use their nests for their eggs which always doesn't seem to happen. We are experimenting with different methods and rotations currently to keep them out and let them lay only when they need.
Ducks
need to be locked away at night to protect them from predators of all
kinds such as raccoons, skunks, wild and neighborhood dogs, unless you have a livestock guardian dog.
Night time houses must be heavily constructed, have sturdy floors, be draft free but well ventilated. Any
areas with chicken wire must be ¼ inch to prevent crafty raccoon arms
from reaching in, remember these are strong animals with an appetite.
For
optimum protection we have brought two Great
Pyrenees Guardian dogs to our farm to live with our ducks full
time, you can read more about livestock guardian dogs by clicking the
tab on the top of the page.
Ducklings
are all originally from Holderread Waterfowl Conservancy and have been
selected for egg laying and foraging ability and show quality standards. We do work with our friend Carol Deppe who has a wonderful small flock she does genetic selection with.
From the minute they hatch they are bonded with vocal encouragement and interaction. We believe that properly cared for and socialized ducklings make happier and easier going ducks. This and better understanding of your ducks needs and likes will translate to more consistent heavy egg production.
What you need for ducklings and what ducklings need from you?
From the day you get
them.
The Brooder
You will need to create a “brooder” to house your ducklings
for the first 4-6 weeks to keep them warm.
There are many different models of all-inclusive brooders from battery
style boxes to hovering space ship looking canopies; they can utilize gas or
electric. They can be expensive and you can
often just as easily create your own brooder for less. Ducklings need .75 sq ft each for the first
two weeks, 1.75 until 4 wks, 2.75 until 6wks.
Half this for the bantams. We
have found plastic Rubbermaid totes/tubs to work best for smaller numbers of
ducklings as they are easily maneuverable, however a kiddy provides much more
space especially for larger numbers but is very awkward to get move outside
when full of used bedding and needs additional guards to be set around the
perimeter to keep ducklings in and drafts out.
The Water
Until a few weeks of age ducklings need a constant supply of
fresh water and need feed 24 hrs a day until two weeks of age at which point
they can be fed a few times a day. After
a few weeks they can go 8-10 hours at night without water if denied food as well. If ducks have food they must have water to
wash it down or they can choke.
Ducklings drink often and poop a lot especially after the first week, so
it will get puddly quickly requiring bedding to be refreshed often.
Bedding
We find straw to be the best bedding source because it is
cushiony, makes a nice nest, it keeps deep litter aerated, and when it needs to
be changed it can be used as fertilizer rich mulch in our garden. Shavings, sawdust, peanut hulls, and crushed
corncobs have all been used satisfactorily, NO cedar and treated
woods. We have tried peat moss seeing it is a wonderful mold-resistant
bedding source but found that our ducks liked to forage in it creating muddy
water in minutes. Some say ducks can choke
on the straw, ducklings instinctually start foraging hours after they hatch, if
it looks like it could be food (grass/ a worm), they might try to eat it, make
sure the straw is large and gets changed as soon as dampened. Start
with a few inches and add more as needed, change when damp. Always be careful
that bedding provides stable footing for ducklings, slippery surfaces like
newspapers can cause “sprawled legs”. and wire floors . Pine chips work for the first couple of weeks then we move to other materials, try to get chopped up straw if possible.
Waterers
Waterers must be designed deep enough to fully submerse
their bills to ”blow out” or dislodge food/dirt but shallow or tall enough so
that ducklings cannot get in them at all. We feel it’s best to purchase a
waterer designed for this, a good investment are a plastic screw on water and
foods ring from the feed store. Water
rings are cheap and will attach to any small mouth mason jar, prop the water up
on a stand a couple inches so they cannot sit in it. Having multiple water and feed locations to
reduce competition prevents less dominant ducks from getting pushed out of
their share. Until 7 weeks of age they
do not have oily plumage that allows them to float and can easily drown. Ducklings should not be allowed to swim until
at least a few weeks of age and should never be left in water unattended, water
should be changed as soon as it gets muddy, stagnant water can be extremely
harmful. In an outdoor yard it is best to move waterers
and kiddie pools often, ducks like to muddle where they drink and will quickly
ruin the forage in these areas. Make
sure to keep your ducklings warm and draft-free, a ducklings get cold easily,
especially when wet, and may die if not warmed quickly.
Feeders
A good feeder to consider
Plastic-
Metal-
Lighting
For a small amount of ducklings, for 0-12 you can use one or
two 40 watt blue (party) bulbs, research has shown blue light is more gentle on
the ducklings eyes and can reduce the incidence of feather eating. For more ducklings or just a larger area you
will need a red 250 watt heat lamp.
A duckling’s
environment and the temperature
A duckling’s environment should be 90 degrees the first week
and then 5 degrees less every week after.
At 6-8 weeks when they are well feathered and can stand temperatures
down to 50 degrees so long as the temperature doesn’t fluctuate
drastically. Buy a thermometer from the farm/feed store, or
I have used a probe style BBQ thermometer with great success since you can set
an alarm to go off if it gets to hot or cold.
The thermometer needs to be level with the ducklings and if the probe is
metal you can tape some tissue over it to keep it a more natural temperature. A better way to accurately tell if the
brooder is right temp is to watch their behavior. When ducklings are perfectly comfortable they will mill
around the light happily, when they are cold they will huddle together under
the lamp shuffling uncomfortably in a pile, and when they are too hot they try
to escape to the outer edges where it is coolest. If they’re
too hot, raise the brooder light, if they’re too cold, lower it. Make sure to have a space they can escape the
intensity of the lamp if they are hot. Always
hang it higher than 18 inches above the bedding, we start with the lamp .5-1 ft
above the brooder tub. The heat lamp needs a porcelain fixture with
light reflector and sturdy rubber coated wire clamp. Be sure to position it far from the edges of
a plastic tub any other combustible frame, it will brood up to 40 ducklings
depending on breed and temperature. Be
very careful that the lamp is securely clamped in place before ducklings are
placed under it, make sure it cannot slip and whatever it is attached to not
flammable, cannot fall or collapse. The
brooder should be located in a draft free, peaceful place of the house. Ducklings are very sensitive to smells and smoke,
they should not be placed in a kitchen or a bathroom, do not handle them with
heavy perfume on or after smoking.
Ducklings are susceptible to salmonella, wash hands before and after
handling to keep your birds and yourself healthy.
Talking to them
Even before they
hatch they can hear voices and they start communicating back while still inside
their egg. They imprint easily but can
be frightened just as easy. Always
announce yourself by talking to them before you enter their room or house, this
way you won’t startle them. It is
important to socialize your ducks, talk to them often or sing them a song, be
playful with them and they play back. This
imprinting process establishes a trusting bond which will make raising and
keeping them easier and more joyful later on.
You know you are doing a good job as mama duck when you have to watch
your footing for ducks running under and I promise, the sight of your baby duck
running its little wheels to keep up after you can bring tears to your eyes.
Putting them outdoors
early on
Ducks thrive on a routine from an early age and do best when
given access to outdoor forage, sunlight, and fresh air, about 10 ft of space per
bird, during the day starting as early as a couple weeks old depending on
temperature/climate. In addition to
increasing sanitation, this encourages ducklings to eat foods rich in minerals
and nutrients naturally balancing deficiencies in supplemental feed and
reducing their consumption of it, and giving them necessary exercise to grow
slower and stronger. A tractor or coop can
be set up as an outside brooder for ducklings over one week old, they may need
an additional heat source inside depending on outside temp but again this
should always be adjusted before putting ducklings in. This is where a thermometer with a separate
handheld alarm comes very handy. Be
careful of poultry netting and wire fencing or for strings used for trellising;
ducks and especially ducklings, they can easily get their heads, bills, and
feet stuck and twisted.
Predator Protection (We are trying different methods of not locking away at night with full time house access, only try with a full time guard dog, or poultry netting.)
Predators are the
number one cause of death in backyard poultry; this includes neighbors’ dogs
and cats. Raccoons can smell a duck from
5 miles away and will reach through 1 inch wire and eat them through the cage,
never use larger than ¼ inch. You can
read the horrific stories on web forums like backyardchickens.com or you can
just take this advice, it’s better to build it predator proof, you can never
have too many safeguards. Fencing must be 5ft tall to keep out dogs/coyotes
even though ducks cannot jump a 3ft waddle fence. In
some places you will lose a full grown duck to hawks in the daytime the day you
put the bird out, in those places a tractor or covered run is essential. Sometimes electric fencing is a good
investment as long as it is positioned so ducks cannot get stuck in it. Predators also will dig under to get into a
pen or coop, raccoons, skunks, foxes, opossums, mink/weasels, and even rats. Be
careful that shaded places such as brambles, bushes, trees, and tall grasses
make perfect environments for predators.
We have found the only way for us
to ensure our ducks are safe is to employ the help of guardian dogs who live
with and watch out for our ducks full time.
This may not be the solution for everyone; we have included more tips on
predator proofing coops/enclosures/yard in our housing section.
Chemical pesticides
and herbicides
Be aware that chemical pesticides and herbicides are
exponentially more poisonous to ducks than to us, and are potentially fatal. It is important to teach ducklings to forage
for bugs, we toss them snails and slugs to eat as soon as they are outside, be
careful that bugs do not come from areas with pesticides. Whatever you teach them is a treat now will be
what they search for later on, i.e., do not feed your tender lettuce and beet
greens to your ducks and expect them to leave them alone in the garden. We find keeping waddle fences around the
perimeter of garden beds allows them to catch slugs and snails as they come and
go. You can trap snails for them by
angling wood boards against the beds, the snails will climb up the shaded side
and then you flip them to expose them to the ducks.
Keeping them happy
Keep your ducklings safe from trauma like kids or dogs
chasing or loud noises, even angry music.
Dave Holderread told us he plays classical music in his hatchery which
keeps the ducklings calm, he has gone to consult at other hatcheries where they
play heavy rock and observed the birds on edge.
In as few as a few weeks ducks will learn their routine and enthusiastically
put themselves away at night and wake you to let them out in the morning. They will develop their favorite places,
foods, toys, and will develop personalities as unique as their spots.
Optimum egg production
Light
requirements, egg laying and life cycle:
Ducklings from 0-8 weeks of age require 24hrs of light,
natural daylight from 9-20wks, and after 21wks 15minutes more light should be
added daily until they receive 14hrs of daylight. Use an automatic timer. Be aware of daylight patterns. Too much light at a younger age can cause them
to develop quicker and start laying prematurely, this causes ducks to lay
smaller fewer eggs, and it shortens their production life. For optimum egg production ducks require 14
hrs min, 16 max. Routines with lighting
are important, a decrease of even 15 min can heavily stunt a laying ducks egg
production. Houses need 1 bulb watt 4sqft at 7-8ft off the ground, this is one
40-60watt incandescent 6-8ft off the ground for 150-250sqft of space. For outside use one 100watt with a reflector
for each 400sqft. Ducks start laying at
around 17-34wks and will continue to lay some until they are 5-8yrs old
although they lay the most amount in the first year only showing minor decrease
in productivity in the second and third years (but the eggs are bigger). Ducks can live 10yrs or longer.
HOUSING
What does
Safe Housing consist of?
Ducks require housing
at night to keep them safe from predators, to provide them a comfortable routine,
a place to lay their eggs, and to give them protection from the elements in
extreme weather. A minimal duck coop requires
2.5 sq ft per bird and if many are kept, ensure 1 nestbox (12’’ all around with
a solid floor) per 5 birds and should be provided 2 weeks before laying. You can place dummy eggs in them to encourage
their use. Nestboxes can be removable and attached to the
side of the structure and preferably have a hatch that opens to collect eggs
from outside. Ducks are very good at making nest themselves if provided enough
hay and if they are unsatisfied with their nest or get pushed out of it by a
more dominant female they will make one elsewhere, if a duck seems to have
disappeared you might want to look in the most overgrown places. Some duck coops are designed with an outdoor
pen attached which is helpful when you may not be home for a period of time and
need a safer environment free from aerial predators. Predators can easily dig under a pen so the
coop still needs to be shut nightly for the optimum protection. Depending on
your space/acreage you may decide to build a light duck house on wheels or
skids so it can be moved around when the forage gets low. Using portable fencing you can control where
the ducks are concentrated and how much grazing and fertilizing they do in a
particular area.
The Duck “tractor”
set-up
It is possible to
keep ducks permanently in a “tractor” set-up, which is an all inclusive coop
and run, and depending on how many and what kind of predators you have it could
be necessary. We feel that with the exception
of meat ducks it is most humane and most respectful to the animals natural
instincts and behaviors, it is also most healthy for ducks to have a house with
2.5 sq ft per bird at night and a grassy (or weedy) yard with the minimum of 15
sq ft per bird in the day. Ponds are big
perks but certainly not necessary,
plastic kiddy pools work wonderfully for their sanitation and amusement,
and you can siphon or hand fill the water in watering cans to fertilize your
plants. Your set up will depend on your landscape and amount of space, types and
density of predators, and the size of your flock/s. A doghouse
or shed bought from craigslist can be converted into a comfortable duck coop,
even the shell of a car makes a nice well lit coop on wheels, and often the
best ideas come with creativity. Most
domestic ducks are short and do not fly or use a roost, the exceptions are Muscovy’s and the
completely unrelated Mallard, the other original wild “duck” from which all
other domestic ducks are derived. Ducks
do not need a tall house but it is a benefit to be able to stand in it while
cleaning it out if it’s large and if you use deep litter you must account for
this building up a couple feet. Design in
a door big enough to use a pitchfork or shovel to scoop out the litter. The coop needs adequate ventilation, in
larger houses this may require exhaust fans in the summer, in smaller houses
this can be accomplished by grated vents and/or windows. Be careful that windows (even after the
bedding has accumulated over the winter) are high up so that ducks are free
from drafts.
Materials to consider
Make sure to only use ¼ inch wire, raccoons that can smell a
duck from 5 mile away can easily reach in and grab them while they sleep, they
cannot pull them out whole but they can eat it through the wire. It is
best to build a coop with a raised wire mesh floor to keep ducks safely dry in
floods, away from dirt which they will turn to mud, and again, to keep ducks safe
from predators. We use plastic coated
1/8 inch wire secured in a frame for the floor. You can also place wire or wood around the
coop to discourage digging. Wire mesh
allows breathability which is important when using the deep layer method. This is when bedding is replenished and
changed out as little as once a year.
Many studies have been done on the inactivation of bacteria when bedding
is kept dense in this manner. The
stacked litter generates heat during the decomposition process, killing
bacteria and heating the coop. The key
is to have ample bedding to absorb the manure, if you smell ammonia or attract
flies you aren’t adding enough and should start over. The ammonia smell was from nitrogen
vaporizing, nitrogen is valuable fertilizer in your straw garden mulch. Coops with deep litter do not need
supplemental heat in our climates, Holderread says deep litter can account for
20% more eggs in the winter months from added heat. In colder climates houses benefit from added
insulation like straw bales or earth bags piled up around the structure or air
cells added to the structure itself which can be filled with an insulating
material. To allow as much natural light in as possible
use clear plastic corrugated, they are also light and easy to install.
Ducks are not suited
for confinement
Ducks require some kind of outdoor pasture and forage, they are
not suited for confinement. Ducks kept
in small pens will not learn to use their muscles properly. This can be accomplished using a “tractor”,
or preferably a fenced yard providing a minimum of10-15sqft of space per bird,
50 is more ideal. The duck yard must be free from obstacles that
can trip or injure a duck, thorns can get stuck in a ducks foot and an
infection can easily develop. Ideally
the duck yard is well drained with a slope to prevent stagnant water holes and
mud. It is sometimes necessary to import
pea gravel, sand, or wood chips to spread in highly trafficked areas. If possible it is best to rotate duck
pastures sometimes by moving their permanent housing and or fenced yard which
will prevent overgrazing, and even out manure/fertilizer spread and grass growth.
You should also move waterers and kiddie
pools often as ducks like to muddle where they drink and will quickly ruin the
forage in these areas. Ducks do enjoy
tender greens in the garden and may need to be fenced out of smaller crops or
kept out of others like corn until they grow taller. Ducks
can be used to increase fertility and sanitation in this rotation. Ducks can be used to clean up fallen orchard fruit
before it rots, or eat dung beetles and fly larvae, spreading manure after
livestock. When used on ponds they can
be used to eradicate mosquito larvae and control heavy growths of unwanted
vegetation such as green algae, duckweed, pondweed, widgeon grass, musk grass,
arrowhead, and wild celery. Two to six
ducks per acre or six to ten per acre of water, or in more heavily grown areas
fifteen to thirty ducks can be used initially but eight birds will maintain it.
ABOUT OUR FEEDS
Both chick starter and scratch grains are inadequate
nutritionally for ducks. They require a
balanced feed with vitamins and additional niacin, 2.5lbs brewer’s yeast per
50lbs of feed, they need more like 3.5lbs when they start laying , or 100-150mg
niacin per gallon water, or 35mg niacin from 0-2wks and 30mg from 2-10wks, more isn't better. The niacin (brewers yeast is a source) is
essential for them to absorb other nutrients, ducks should have access to
pasture as bugs are a primary source of natural niacin and protein. Rickets is often confused with niacin
deficiency and is caused by vitamin D deficiency or phosphorous/and or calcium
deficiency/imbalance. Make sure the feed isn't too high in protein, it should
be around 15% from wk 2 pretty much on (you can give more protein to layers and
obviously meat birds are different), you can bring the protein level down a bit
by adding oats. If they don't get enough excessive and eat too much (especially
without niacin) they easily develop shaky legs and become lame. Ducks are "allergic" to
medications and preservatives in feed, make sure medication is free. We give a blend of probiotics to all our
ducklings and then occasionally to our ducks, probiotics are especially helpful
with sick ducks and will help them recuperate after antibiotics, you can use
live cultured yogurt for this. Hope this
is helpful.
Incubation
Its best to "cool" the eggs by removing the heat
for 5-10 min if you overheat them. Humidity needs to be 85 degrees on a
wet bulb or 55% on a hygrometer, unless the eggs were washed and then bump it
to 65%. During the last few days of incubation it should be 75% or 94
degrees on a wet bulb, and the temp should be lowered 1.5 degrees. Your
eggs are fine, but those hovabators... I used to have a bbq thermometer
with an alarm on it to tell be when mine would skyrocket.
ANCONA COLOR
DESCRIPTIONS AND TRAITS
Because of their incredible ability to turn “waste” foods into
eggs and meat they have been compared to the cartoon, the garden shmoo. The
Ancona was developed in Great Britain during the early twentieth century and
most likely originated from Runner ducks and Huttegen ducks, an old Belgian
duck. This is the same foundation stock as the Magpie duck. "They have
been raised in the United States for several decades and were exhibited in 1983
in Oregon. Although still rare, their numbers have been increasing since 1984
when they first became available to the public." (Holderread 2001, 53)
The Ancona averages 6 to 6.5 pounds and is a bit stockier
than its close relative, the Magpie duck. It has a medium sized oval head, a
medium-length bill that is slightly concave along the top line, an average neck
that arches forward slightly and body carriage is 20 to 30 degrees above
horizontal. The broken, mottled plumage is unique among ducks for, like
Holstein cattle, there is no set design. "Any combination of white and
color is acceptable as long as there are obvious broken areas on the head,
backs, sides, and underbody." The neck is normally solid white, bills are
yellow with dark green or black spotting, and the legs and feet are orange with
black or brown markings that increase with age. (Holderread 2001, 53) Varieties
include Black and White, Blue and White, Chocolate and White, Silver and White,
Lavender and White, and Tricolored. Chocolate is a sex-linked recessive trait.
If a chocolate drake mates with a black duck, all female offspring will be
chocolate, while all male offspring will be black. A black drake mated to a
chocolate duck produces all black offspring. Only male offspring will carry the
sex-linked recessive chocolate gene. (Holderread 1985, 4)
The Ancona is a hardy, adaptable, all-purpose duck. It is an
excellent layer, typically laying 210-280 white, cream, or blue eggs yearly.
The Ancona also grows relatively quickly, and produces high quality meat that
is more flavorful and less fatty than that of most Pekin ducks. Anconas are
well suited for situations where they can forage for some of their food and are
capable of eating large "banana" slugs. "They make excellent
pond or yard ducks since they tend to stay close to home, do not fly under
normal conditions and are large enough so that they are less likely to be
preyed upon by winged predators. Typically they have moderately calm
temperaments and make fine pets." (Holderread 2001, 52)
Bantam Silver Appleyards
- At
Boondocker’s Farm we raise two duck species which are in the critical
or endangered category of the American conservancy breeds.
- Bantams
can fly very well which is sometimes very beneficial when encountered
with predators as their size can make them more susceptible to
predators in the first place.
Bantam Silver Appleyards are tiny ducks (under ¼ the size of a medium duck)with big personalities.