Are Anconas good for showing?

Yes. They're exhibited in the APA's **Mediterranean** class in two varieties — **Single Comb** and **Rose Comb** — both in the black, white-tipped mottled pattern. Timing matters, because the white mottling increases with each molt, so a bird's pattern is show-ideal only for a window before it grays out.

How hard are Anconas to hatch?

No harder than any chicken — **99.5–100°F, lockdown day 18, 21-day hatch**. There are no breed-specific incubation quirks; chicks are vigorous, though flighty and fast-growing once brooding.

Rarely. Anconas are classic non-sitters, so plan on an incubator or a broody hen of another breed if you want to hatch their eggs.

What is the mottled pattern on an Ancona?

A glossy black bird with white V-shaped tips on roughly one feather in five. The white tipping increases with every molt (old breeders called it 'going gray'), so younger birds look darker and older birds progressively whiter.

What's the difference between the two Ancona comb types?

The **Single Comb** (APA-recognized 1898) is the common type; on hens it usually flops to one side. The **Rose Comb** (recognized 1914) is rarer and less frostbite-prone in cold weather. They're bred and shown as separate varieties.

Ancona: The Mottled Mediterranean Layer

Q: What color eggs do Anconas lay?

**White** eggs. The Ancona is a Mediterranean-class, white-ear-lobed breed and lays white-shelled eggs — around 220 a year, and it is a notably good winter layer.

Verified September 2026White eggs

The short version

The Ancona is a hardy, active Mediterranean-class breed that lays white eggs (around 220 a year) and almost never goes broody. It wears a distinctive black plumage mottled with white V-shaped tips — roughly one feather in five is tipped — and comes in two APA varieties defined by comb: Single Comb (recognized 1898) and Rose Comb (recognized 1914). It is an excellent forager, cold-hardy, and prized as a productive, self-reliant layer rather than a meat bird.

APA class: Mediterranean

Egg color: White

Broodiness: Rarely broody

Varieties: 2

Egg-color genetics

The Ancona is a Mediterranean-class layer, and like its Leghorn relatives it lays a chalk-white egg — white ear lobes on a Mediterranean bird are the classic visual shorthand for a white-egg layer. There is no blue or brown pigment involved: the shell is white through its full thickness.

What color eggs do Anconas lay?

White. The Ancona is a Mediterranean-class breed with white ear lobes, and it lays a white-shelled egg of medium-to-large size — roughly 220 eggs a year, with a reputation for laying well through winter. If a bird sold as an Ancona lays a tinted or brown egg, it has non-Ancona ancestry.

Single Comb vs Rose Comb Anconas

The Ancona is one of the few breeds offered in two comb types. The Single Comb is the more common and was recognized by the APA in 1898; the Rose Comb followed in 1914 and remains comparatively rare. Rose combs are often favored in cold climates because a large single comb — which on hens tends to flop to one side — is more prone to frostbite. For showing and breeding, the two are treated as separate varieties.

Breeding notes

Select for the mottling itself: the ideal is a black bird with clean white V-shaped tips on about one feather in five. Too little tipping reads as a plain black bird; too much washes the pattern out.
The white tipping increases with every molt — a phenomenon old-timers called 'going gray' — so a young bird that shows correct, restrained mottling will get progressively whiter with each successive molt. Breeders keep this in mind when picking breeders and when timing a bird's show career.
Keep Single Comb and Rose Comb lines in separate pens. The two combs breed differently and are shown as distinct varieties, so mixing them muddies both the comb and your ability to produce showable stock of either type.
This is a flighty, athletic breed built to free-range over wide areas — give breeders room and secure fencing, and select for vigor and foraging ability, which are core to the breed's value.
Because Anconas rarely go broody, plan on an incubator or a broody hen of another breed to reproduce the flock; do not count on Ancona hens to sit.

Showing notes

Anconas are exhibited in the APA's Mediterranean class, entered by comb variety — e.g. 'Single Comb Ancona' or 'Rose Comb Ancona'. Both are the black, white-tipped mottled color.
Because white tipping grows with age, a bird's plumage is often at its show-ideal for a limited window; showing a bird before the pattern grays out is a real timing consideration for exhibitors.
Judges look for bright yellow legs (some black mottling on the shanks is acceptable), reddish-bay eyes, a yellow beak, and clean white ear lobes. On Single Comb females the comb typically flops to one side, which is normal for the variety.
Keep the white tips clean and the black ground color glossy and free of purple or brassy sheen when conditioning a bird for the coop.

Hatching & incubation

No breed-specific incubation requirements — treat Ancona eggs like any chicken egg: 99.5–100°F forced-air, lockdown day 18, 21-day hatch.
As a lightweight, active Mediterranean breed, Anconas hatch readily and chicks are vigorous; the challenge is usually brooding fast, flighty chicks rather than getting them out of the shell.

Recognized varieties

Single Comb (Mottled)Rose Comb (Mottled)

Frequently asked questions

What color eggs do Anconas lay?: White eggs. The Ancona is a Mediterranean-class, white-ear-lobed breed and lays white-shelled eggs — around 220 a year, and it is a notably good winter layer.
Are Anconas good for showing?: Yes. They're exhibited in the APA's Mediterranean class in two varieties — Single Comb and Rose Comb — both in the black, white-tipped mottled pattern. Timing matters, because the white mottling increases with each molt, so a bird's pattern is show-ideal only for a window before it grays out.
How hard are Anconas to hatch?: No harder than any chicken — 99.5–100°F, lockdown day 18, 21-day hatch. There are no breed-specific incubation quirks; chicks are vigorous, though flighty and fast-growing once brooding.
Are Anconas broody?: Rarely. Anconas are classic non-sitters, so plan on an incubator or a broody hen of another breed if you want to hatch their eggs.
What is the mottled pattern on an Ancona?: A glossy black bird with white V-shaped tips on roughly one feather in five. The white tipping increases with every molt (old breeders called it 'going gray'), so younger birds look darker and older birds progressively whiter.
What's the difference between the two Ancona comb types?: The Single Comb (APA-recognized 1898) is the common type; on hens it usually flops to one side. The Rose Comb (recognized 1914) is rarer and less frostbite-prone in cold weather. They're bred and shown as separate varieties.

Sources

Ancona Chicken (breed profile, history & status) — The Livestock Conservancy (Reference)
Ancona Chickens (breed characteristics & APA dates) — Oklahoma State University — Breeds of Livestock (University extension)

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