Our Standards
We all adhere to the Dave Holderread guidelines for breeding Ancona ducks. To us, that simply means “not standardizing the breed” – or in genetic terms – not removing diversity and heterozygosity.
Of course we all may breed for our favorite things — body style, temperament, et cetera, but that is the sign of a good breeder versus a producer. The #1 thing is that our members are not trying to standardize the breed even if they have their own “standards” they work from.
If you want to know more information about why you should join, reach out to the “Consultant” members below for their position on preserving traditional Ancona genetics.
For membership inquiries: na.anconaduckalliance@gmail.com
Canada
Florida
Georgia
Indiana
Kentucky
Michigan
Missouri
North Carolina
Oregon
South Carolina
Washington
Virginia
Canada
Chelsea Maryniuk, Whole Hearted Family Farms, Chilliwack, British Columbia
Founding Member / Breeder
Chelsea is working on maintaining a variety of colors and sells ducklings and hatching eggs. She got her ducklings from Al’s Quackery, but is committed to upholding Dave’s standards. She’s also looking for anyone in the US with Holderread lines who can get some hatching eggs to her.
Florida
Amanda Reese, Bronson, FL
Founding Member / BREEDER / Consultant
Amanda collected her flock from several places before the “standard” began. She has a drake and two hens that she hatched from eggs from Head of River Barn, NC. A few green-laying hens hatched from green eggs from a TX seller on eBay. Then, she got three very nice patterned black hens second hand from Cackle because the owner was having otter issues and they couldn’t keep them safe. Her favorite drake is a blue split for chocolate from Vitoria Farms that was being culled. She got some green-eggers from Black Pond Farm in Ocala, FL. They had nice-patterned black Anconas and some green egg layers. Lastly, she got a handful of others from GA as eggs.
Amanda ships and you can purchase directly via Facebook Messenger, email, or on eBay.
Jacqueline and Ken Vickers, Starwater Farm, St. Cloud, FL
Founding Member / BREEDER
Jacqueline and Ken also breed Cayuga ducks.
Georgia
Jan Pelfrey, Cave Spring, FL
Founding Member / BREEDER
Jan started with Buff Orpington Chickens in 2015, added Ancona Ducks in 2016, Cotton Patch Geese in 2020. The chickens originally came from McMurray Hatchery but for the past 3 years I’ve been getting awesome huge roosters from Scott Latta in Alabama. He’s won most of the southeast’s chicken shows and I’m seeing a big improvement in the flocks size. I have 3 separate flocks. The Ancona ducks came from a friend with no provenance, then a rescue friend in Blue Ridge, GA. I breed all colors in two separate flocks, having white, cream and green eggs. The crested gene was apparently in the original flock and I have them pop up every 3-4 years. The Cotton Patch kids came from group members of the Cotton Patch Goose Society on FaceBook. All have provenance. I manage my breeding programs to improve the stock on all 3 kinds of birds, both for color and size.
Indiana
Bruce Burns, New Pekin, IN
Founding Member / BREEDER
Bruce has no crested in his flock. Currently, all eggs are white, but he is looking to add new bloodlines to get the green, blue, and grey tones. The adults come in various colors. They get Purina duck food, and forage in my garden, yard, and creek. Bruce is very happy to have the freedom to breed to the Holderread guidelines versus the proposed standard. He looks for a good mix of white with spotting and tries to keep out the ones that are overmarked.
Kentucky
Brett Sparkmon, Wooded Acres Poultry, Eolia, KY
Founding Member / BREEDER / Consultant
Brett’s Cherokee Tribe name means “Soul Who Flies with the Geese and Ducks”, which he received from a tribal chief when he was around 9 years old. He is a lifelong student of Dave Holderread and consults regarding duck genetics and conservation efforts. He is currently focused on Threatened Cotton Patch Geese and Exotic Greylag and Barnacle Geese. He currently has Michelle J Jones’s Cotton Patch Walker/See line that he is making composites with Summerall and Philadelphia lines. She currently has all of their Ancona in NC.
Michigan
Serena Cohen, Serenade Farms, Pinckney, MI
Founding Member / Breeder / Consultant
Serena was first attracted to Ancona Ducks because of their green and blue eggs. Most of her stock carries crested. Her farm’s focus is on Sebastopol Geese. Email, text, or message on Facebook.
Missouri
Angie Cordray, Ancona Acres, Lathrop, NW MO
Founding Member / Breeder
Angie’s beautiful flock originated from Quackleberry Farms in Louisiana and Al’s Quackery in Maine. Some of her hens lay grey eggs! She is very excited to have the freedom to apply Dave’s guidelines to her breeding program.
NPIP/PT Clean, Ships Hatching Eggs and Ducklings (reach out for details), Farm Pick Up
North Carolina
Emily Rothrock, Franklin County, NC
Founding Member / Breeder
Emily’s flock mostly originated from Mary Ruby from Ruby Roost in Marshall, NC, who got her flock from Nancy at Nantahala Farms. Mary is her mentor now. Emily works by custom order via email for pickup on the farm.
Heather Mercer, Triple Creek Farm, Stantonsburg, Wilson County, NC
Founding Member / Breeder
Heather started with craigslist ducks in 2015 and bred from there. She added some from The Duck Lady in 2022 to get better patterns. She has chocolate, lilac, lavender, black and blue. Her flock is not crested, but produces some crested offspring.
Heather also breeds Aylesbury, Silver Appleyard, Exhibition Rouen, BBS Swedish, Indian Runner (Trout, BBS, Grey, Penciled), Welsh Harlequin (from Dave’s stock), Magpies (BBS, Chocolate), Dutch Hookbill, Buff Orpington, Exhibition Cayuga, and Golden Cascade ducks.
NPIP/AI Clean, Ships Hatching Eggs and Ducklings (reach out for details), Farm Pick Up
Jackie Mobley, Five Pine Farm, Green Mountain, Burnsville, Yancey County, NC
Founding Member / Breeder
Jackie has wild-type mallard and tri-colors with white and green layers. Her flock mostly originated from Mary Ruby from Ruby Roost in Marshall, NC, who got her flock from Nancy at Nantahala Farms. Mary has been to her farm and loves what she’s doing.
Judit Punk, Wilson, NC
Founding Member / Supporter
Judit is a fan of Dave Holderread’s work and upholds his standards with her Welsh Harlequin flock. We hope to one day convince her to raise Ancona, but in the meantime, she is fully supportive of our ideals and can help you apply Dave’s guidelines to your Welsh flock.
Michelle, Duck and Pepper Farm, Burnsville, Yancey County, NC
Founding Member / Breeder
Michelle’s stock comes from several breeders, including Rebecca, Jackie, Amanda, and Emily (all members here). All hens came from blue-green eggs to be sure this gene is prevalent in her flock.
She also breeds Cayuga ducks (that lay dark black at the start of the season and fade to light grey or green) with the hypothesis that hawks think they are crows and they leave your ducks alone; fawn and grey “halfsies” (Ancona/Cayuga) for broody auxiliary females and for meat; and Cotton Patch geese which are currently at Wooded Acres Poultry with Brett Sparkmon to help genetic diversity making composites with 4 lines (Walker, See, Sumerall, and Philadelphia). Email, text, or message on social media.
NPIP/AI Pending – Ships Hatching Eggs and (reach out for details), Ducklings are Farm Pick Up
Nancy Shirley, Nantahala Farms, Tipton, NC
Founding Member / FORMER Breeder / Consultant
Nancy transcribed Dave Holderread’s audio recordings with precious nuggets of his 50-60 years of waterfowl research. She has disbursed her flock and no longer has Ancona, but her flock originated from Boondockers Farm (2011 and 2015), Kim Parkhurst (2012), Worth It Farms (2015), and Emily Evans-Schnee (2015). She has sold eggs and ducklings to various people including Mary Ruby of Ruby Roost.
More information on Ancona genetics from Dave listed on her site here.
✉️ ncfarmgarden@gmail.com
Rebecca Pollina, The Pollina Project, Leicester (and Weaverville), Buncombe County, NC
Founding Member / Breeder
Rebecca’s farm focuses on many things, but when she found out about the preservation efforts,
she immediately wanted to participate in upholding Dave’s standards. She has tricolors in her flock and green egg layers who have created a lot of colors including: black with penciled rust and blue speculum, blue, lilac, lavender, and chocolate and has no known crested. She sold one of her tricolor drakes to Michelle J Jones. You can find her at the Weaverville Tailgate Market.
☎ 631-384-8488 ✉️ rebecca.anthonyp@gmail.com
Oregon
Brittney Frye, Purlieu Farm, Unincorporated, OR
Founding Member / Breeder
Brittany’s stock has no known crested genes. Ducklings will be offered Spring 2024.
✉️ missfrye@hotmail.com
Shae, Logsden, OR
Founding Member / Breeder / Consultant
Shae runs the “Heritage Ancona Ducks” Facebook Group, which is the only group not associated with the group involved with the proposed standardization initiative. Shae previously disbursed her flock and has gotten them back. Spring 2024, hatching eggs, ducklings and young adult ducks will be offered. Shae’s lines are known for being broody and there are no known crested.
☎ 971-226-6286 ✉️ ancona.ducks.usa@gmail.com
South Carolina
Delaney McMaster, Westfarthing Ducks, Taylors, SC
Founding Member / Breeder
Delaney’s flock has no known crested genes. Her ducks came from Mary Ruby in Marshall, NC, who got her flock from Nancy at Nantahala Farms. Email or text.
Washington
Suzanne, Once Upon a Cottage, Ridgefield, WA
Founding Member / Breeder / Consultant
Suzanne hatches exclusively blue-green eggs, so her stock should all carry the gene. You can see photos of the Ancona on her Airbnb site.
Virginia
Nina Cipriani, Rattle Creek Farm, Abingdon, VA
Founding Member / Breeder
Nina is a preservation breeder and does her best to uphold Dave Holderread’s ideas concerning the Ancona and Saxony duck breeds.Her stock originated from Metzer (who Dave and Millie Holderread sold to for many years) and Al’s Quackery.