Ancona Ducks

Squaretoes Farm is named after our Ancona drake Mr. Squaretoes, given to us by the stewards of the breed, Boondockers Farm.   We will have ducklings in very small numbers and plan on expanding those numbers in the future when we have a large farm.  Until then, we plan to share our ducks with friends, family and neighbors.  We welcome you out and encourage you to contact the Boondockers Farm or Carol Deppe to secure some ducklings for your farm be it urban or rural.


Ancona Duck

Origin: Great Britain
Weight: 5-7 pounds
Color Varieties: Black, Blue, Chocolate, Lavender, and Tricolored
Plumage: Their pattern is broken with irregular white spots and patches similar to a Pinto pony.  Seldom will any two be alike; the bill and feet are often spotted.
Status: A critically endangered rare breed duck that was developed in the Great Britain most likely from the Belgian Huttegem duck and Indian Runners.  
Practical Qualities: They are the best foraging dual purpose ducks, often neglecting their feed for the tastier and peskier insects in your yard.  They have an excellent carcass and are coveted by many local restaurants.  They lay 210-280 eggs per year outlaying a lot of the heavier laying chickens.  The eggs can be white, cream, green, blue, or spotted. They eat very large quantities of slugs, snails and other insect pests.  They love fruit and vegetable scraps if they’ve been started on them early in life.   They are currently awaiting the chance at being added to SlowFood’s Ark of Taste for their uniqueness to the region of the PNW.


This is simply a very short breed description card.  It is a condensed version of all available information on the breed which further links for can be found through Potlicker.org. The cited information provided can be credited to the following sources: Dave Holderread, Boondockers Farm, Carol Deppe, The ALBC,  The APBPB, The OPB did a really lovely piece on the folks involved with saving and preserving the lineage of a fine duck.

For more photos than can be shared here...

There is Squaretoes Farm Flickr. http://www.flickr.com/photos/squaretoesfarm/

When something that we grow is used in a recipe, or when customers; family and friends send us photos they'll go there.  Other news like where you can find our products, what we are working on will be here.  We LOVE receiving photos from others.  If you enjoy our stuff we'd love to know about it!  

We use, consume and enjoy the things we produce so since it nourishes our family and friends you can be assured it is made with kindness and high standards.  We began this not to be wealthy, but to help us better continue doing the things we love.

Hi!

We like to share our bounty with friends.  We love a good story and enjoy learning from others.  Hopefully we can share some of our beyond organic vegetables with you.  We also seed save and raise Ancona ducks - which are a critically endangered livestock.  During the spring ducklings will be available. We wont be able to do large amounts and can refer you to a great set of folks should you need a guaranteed number.  We grow in St. Johns and love being here.

That's Mr. Squaretoes running out of frame.  He has spotted feet.

If traditional eating and cooking is your thing check out Potlicker.