If there’s one universal truth about Ancona ducks, it’s this: they love water. Not like, “Oh, this is fun” love—more like, “I must fling it everywhere, immediately, with wild-eyed joy” kind of love. Give them a clean bowl or a fresh kiddie pool, and in approximately 90 seconds, you’ll have a splash zone that rivals a water park built by toddlers on espresso.
It starts innocently enough. They waddle up, tails wiggling, eyes bright. Then the chaos begins. One’s head is in the bowl, the other’s tail is in the air, another is enthusiastically digging a mud crater next to the water like it’s on a mission from the duck gods. Water doesn’t stay in the container—it becomes airborne. Your dry coop run? Not anymore. Welcome to Swampville, population: you and your very satisfied ducks.
And yet… I can’t stop refilling it. I know I’ll be mopping, digging trenches, and rinsing mud off my boots for the hundredth time, but seeing their pure, unfiltered joy makes it worth it. My Anconas might be messy, splashy little water gremlins, but they’ve taught me that a little chaos is a small price to pay for that kind of happiness. Just… maybe don’t wear your nice shoes.