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Khaki Campbell Duck Breed – Everything You Need to Know


The Khaki Campbell may be a bit high strung and temperamental. But this duck will lay a lot of large nutritious eggs for the table. They make quite an excellent roast duck as well.

Not only are they prolific layers that have tasty meat, but they are exceptionally adaptive to various climates. They can withstand dessert temperatures to the English cold winter chills.
They are excellent foragers that are independent, and they actually prefer to find their own food.

If they are fed correctly and given enough space to forage about in, they can be quite a calm bird. With enough handling, they are quite tame and pleasant. But as a highly energetic bird, they do need a bit more space than most ducks. They also do not do well in very large flocks.

GENERAL INFORMATION

Country of Origin: England
American Poultry Association: yes Recognized by the American Poultry Association
Duck Category: Light
Duck Class: English
Colors: Khaki, Date of acceptance: 1941
Good starter duck? Yes
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Bantam Variety Available? No
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APPEARANCE / IDENTIFICATION

DUCK BITS DESCRIPTION COLOR
EYES⇒ Same for M & F Dark Brown
BILL⇒ Medium for both M & F M = Green Bill
F = Green/Black
* Black bean tipped
CRESTED? No
LEGS⇒ Color Differs in M & F
Size is the same
M = Dark Orange
F = Brown
Well proportioned beneath their boat-shaped bodies with long graceful necks.
FEET⇒ Color Differs in M & F
Size is the same
M = Dark Orange
F = Brown
WINGS⇒ Differs slightly in M & F F = Darker
M = Lighter with a stripe under
FEATHERS⇒ Differs slightly in M & F F = Dark Khaki
M = Light Khaki
Female has a dark Khaki head
Male has a deep jewel green head
SKIN COLOR⇒ Same for M & F White
Can be slightly yellow depending on their feed
AVERAGE WEIGHT⇒
Adult Female: 3.5 lbs.
Adult Male: 4 lbs.
Mature: **4 lbs. @ 10 weeks old
*Bean: This is also called the nail. It is a small round bump found at the end of the duck’s bill. It is used for defence and to catch insects. It is almost like a fingernail and is damaged can grow back. It can also get overgrown much like fingernails if they do not have something to grind it down on.
** Note: This is an average weight for the male duck and not a guaranteed weight

USE/PURPOSE

Females/Hens

⇒

Eggs, meat, show, breeding and good pets
Eggs⇒
Color: White
Qty/Yr: 180 – 210
Size: Medium
They will start to try hatch eggs from their first lay
Start to lay around 25 to 30 weeks old. They lay consistently through the year
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Broody: Yes Great broody ducks
Mothers: Yes They are really good mothers and make great foster moms
Meat: Yes They have a tasty good quality meat
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Pets: Yes They are active and lively
Show: Yes They are beautiful show birds
Prime: 7 yrs They lay right up to between 8 to 9 years of age if they stay healthy

Males/Drakes

⇒

Meat, breeding, show and pets
Breed: Yes Should only start to breed them at 6 months old
Start: – Start to get fertile at around 3 – 4 months
No. Females 5 For every 1 drake in a flock
Aggressive No They are not at all aggressive may hiss if protecting eggs
Meat Yes A good quality meat duck
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Pets: Yes Lively, active and incredibly inquisitive
Show: Yes They are very attractive show birds
Prime: 4 yrs It is best to mate the younger drakes of up to about 4 years old

TEMPERAMENT

“They can be a bit skittish but otherwise, they are very entertaining as they are so inquisitive”
Good with Kids? Supervised children should be shown how to handle the ducks
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Flyers? They can fly and will fly if spooked or feel threatened. It may be an idea to have their
wings clipped
Noisy Birds? They are not noisy birds
Interact with other ducks? They do not mind socializing with other ducks or birds for that matter
Best duck breeds to mix them with: Any domesticated duck breed
Other animals? Watch dogs and cats around the ducks

IDEAL ENVIRONMENT

“They are quite adaptable as long as they have pond and places to forage”
Ideal Garden Size? Medium to large
Can be Confined? They like to be out and about
Free-Range Yes
Penned Free-Ranging? Will stop them from flying off
Foragers They are excellent foragers
Endures heat well Yes
Endures cold well Yes
Special Requirements? No
Ideal Duck House: A standard size hutch that is well ventilated and insulated big enough to house the number of ducks occupying it
Ideal Duck Pond: A small pond of some form of a splash pool
Flock/Paddling Size: 2 or more.
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GOOD TO KNOW

Special Care/Attention Requirements? They need a bit more room to roam as they love foraging
Known Predators: Check with animal control in your area for known predators
Conservations Status: Watch-For more information on poultry, conservation status, check the American Livestock Conservancy Website
Breeders Clubs: It is best to check with the American Poultry Association for various clubs and or organizations.
Where to buy them: Cackle Hatchery, Metzer Farms, Purely Poultry or check with local poultry farmers/suppliers, the APA
or check with the American Livestock Conservancy
Other: If you do not want to risk having your ducks shipped check with your local poultry farms for advice on your nearest supplier.

HISTORY

The Campbell breed of duck was developed in England in the late 1800’s by Mrs. Adele Campbell. At the time Mrs. Campbell resided in Gloucestershire and wanted to be able to provide her family with an adequate supply of roast duck.

At the time Mrs. Campbell had Fawn and White Indian Runner ducks as well as Rouen ducks. Indian Runner ducks are known to be very good egg layers. The Rouen has a nice sized body as her goal was to create a duck breed that would lay a great number of eggs and have a large body for good meat.

The cross of the Indian Runner ducks and the Rouen created the first Campbell ducks. These ducks went on to become one of the world’s greatest egg laying ducks. They will lay between 250 to 340 large eggs that are known for the exceptional flavor and texture. They also have sought after meat that is of good quality and is really tasty.

Originally these first Campbell ducks were introduced to English society in 1898. But these Campbells did not have a very good feather coloring and were said to resemble Mallards that color was poor and maybe a bit faded.

In the 1800’s around the time, the Campbell was released into society buff colored poultry feathers were the favored color variety.

In an attempt to give her Campbells a makeover and better coloring Mrs. Campbell crossed these Campbell ducks with her Penciled Runner ducks. The result was the unique coloring of the Khaki Campbell. Not quite buff and not quite fawn or brown. The coloring of the ducks reminded Mrs. Campbell of the uniforms worn by the military back them. So the new color variations of the Campbells were named Khaki Campbells after the soldier’s uniforms.

The first Campbells were imported to the United States in 1929. There were accepted into the Standard of Perfection by the American Poultry Association in 1941. Although there are a few color varieties of the Campbell only the Khaki variety is recognized by the American Poultry Association.

Health

They have no known or major health issues

  • Ducks need water to ensure they do not get “wet feather” disease. This is where the preening gland dries out. Water also stops them from getting pests such as mites, fleas, ticks, lice, etc.
  • Well, fed ducks should hardly have any health issues.
  • Any birds kept in a flock need to be dewormed. Although ducks are not as prone as other poultry they should still have a de-worming regime. Speak to a local vet or poultry experts for advice. Our article on Healthy Ducks has some great tips and advice on de-worming ducks.

Video

USEFUL LINKS

  • Animal Shelter (ASPCA)
  • American Veterinary Medical Association
  • American Poultry Association
  • American Animal Welfare Society
  • American Animal Control
  • American Animal Husbandry Society

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