Everyone Needs Ducks!
So, like many things on our homestead, we strive to get the most out of everything. We upcycle everything! Reduce, reuse, recycle is pretty much a way of life. We take other peoples unwanted items and turn them into shelters and nest boxes. So it only makes sense that when it comes to our animals Dual Purpose is the way to go!
Choosing a dual purpose duck was a no-brainer but finding the right one was more of a challenge. There are so many options out there! We decided it was also important to us to help breeds on The Livestock Conservancy 'Watch' list. Then, one of our followers on Facebook sent a private message to our page, Wholesome Roots - Passionate Plants, about a local farm that had a rare, heritage breed, dual purpose duck called Ancona, and it just felt like the right fit!
After a bit more research we found that Ancona was considered a large sized, heavy egg layer with a friendly personality! Sounded perfect, so I reached out to Worth It Farms and arranged to have Ryan pick up a dozen eggs for us to hatch out. We had good results, with 10 eggs being fertile and developing in the incubator and 9 of those hatched out perfectly!
They grew fast and strong and have been so fun to watch grow up. They are now full size and we have 6 hens and 3 drakes. A pretty good ratio if you ask me! We are happy with their size and personality! We ended up with a nice variety of color too! So, with the fact that they were old enough to sex, we knew it could be any day now that we see our first Ancona egg or it might be that they will wait till spring because of the decreasing daylight. So, imagine my joy and excitement when I go out yesterday morning and find...
How perfect! I love colorful eggs and this blue/green egg made my day! I was hoping some of our new duck hens would carry the colored egg gene that makes this breed even cooler! I am quite happy with our choice to raise Ancona Ducks and I hope to be able to raise even more in the future!
So if you are looking for the perfect dual purpose duck for your homestead, I highly recommend the Ancona!
Thanks!
~Rose
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