Ancona
Gallus gallus domesticus
✨ Dato Curioso
The Ancona's mottling increases with each moult — hens become more attractively speckled as they age, unlike most breeds where plumage quality declines.
A lively Mediterranean laying breed from the Marche region of Italy, named after the coastal city of Ancona. The Ancona is recognised by its striking mottled black plumage with distinctive white V-shaped tips on each feather, giving it a speckled, beetle-green sheen in sunlight. An excellent forager and reliable white-egg layer, it is hardy, self-sufficient, and alert — qualities prized long before commercial breeds existed.
🏷️ Raza
Ancona
💭 Temperamento
Active, alert, flighty, independent, hardy
📏 Tamaño
Medium (2.3-2.7 kg)
⏳ Esperanza de vida
5-8 years
🎨 Colores
Black mottled with white tips; beetle-green iridescence
🌍 Origen
Italy — Marche region (Ancona), 19th century
🏠 Hábitat
Free-range preferred; thrives in open runs
🍽️ Dieta
Layer pellets; excellent forager — supplements diet with insects and greens
🎯 Propósito
Egg
🥚 Color del huevo
White
👑 Tipo de cresta
Single
🏅 Clase EE
Large Fowl