Khaki Campbell: Breed Information and Owner’s Guide
Khaki Campbells are a British species of duck found most commonly in the UK and common in other countries. They are hardy ducks easily able to endure all weather conditions. While they are not preferable for meat production due to their leanness, they make up for this by laying an average of 200 eggs per year during their lifespan.
Keep reading to find out more about this duck breed.
5 Quick Khaki Campbell Facts
- Lifespan: 10-15 years
- Scientific name: Anas platyrhynchos domesticus
- Body Type: Erect
- Eggshell Color: White with a tint of brown or pink
- Egg Production: They lay more eggs per year than any other type of duck.
Breed History
Khaki Campbell Ducks are a breed of domestic duck that originated in England. It is believed that they were bred from the mallard and either the Indian Runner or the Welsh Harlequin, but this has not been verified.
They were first shown in 1930 at a country fair in Surrey, England, under their original name of Khaki Canvas Duck. That was due to their unique coloring, brown and green, with a canvas-colored pattern on them.
They received their current name after winning the best novelty exhibit at another country fair later that same year. They also began appearing as khaki-colored ducks with white bibs in 1935 and blue beaks and feet by 1947.
The Khaki Campbell is noted for being the first breed of duck to exhibit completely different feather colors on their bodies’ top and bottom halves.
What do Khaki Campbell Ducks look like?
Khaki Campbell Ducks are medium-sized ducks weighing between 5 and 7 pounds. They have a height of 20 inches and a length of 40 inches, and they work well as pets because they do not fly away.
The Khaki Campbell Duck’s color will blend in with terrains such as grass or mud when fully grown. The beak is orange with a black tip, the feet are grey-black, and the eyes are red with black pupils.
Recognized Varieties
Wheaten is the lightest coloration of Khaki Campbells and is similar to wild mallards in coloration. These ducks receive their name from their white, yellowish-brown coloring, giving them a wheat-like appearance. Their necks tend to be more grayish than other varieties as well.
Chocolate is very similar to the White coloration of Khaki Campbells, but they do not exist. The American Poultry Association allows any duck with a chocolate-colored head to be registered as a Chocolate Khaki Campbell Duck, even if their bodies are not chocolate-colored.
Blue is similar to the original White Campbell variety except for some slight differences in coloring. They have black eyes and bluish-gray bills. These ducks were originally bred by Harry Burnhope, who wanted to produce American Blue Ducks in England using Khaki Campbell Ducks. However, this did not work due to genetic reasons.
American Green is truly the only green-colored type of Khaki Campbell Ducks. They have copper eyes instead of black like most Khaki Campbell Ducks do. These ducks were originally exported to America in 1894. However, they did not become common until much later due to how easily they lost their coloring when plucked for meat production during WWII.
How to tell Khaki Campbell Duck’s gender
Vent Sexing
To perform this sexing technique, hold the duck with one hand so that the bottom portion of the bird is facing upwards. Next, spread open its tail feathers so that you can see where its vents are located. It is located just under the tail feathers.
Then, take a look at your duck’s vent; you should be able to see its reproductive organ if it is a male or female Khaki Campbell Duck. If you see something that looks like cloves, then it means that this is a male duck, but if no reproductive organs are showing, it means that this is a female Khaki Campbell Duck.
Behavior
One way of telling whether your duck is male or female is by observing their behavior, such as how they swim. The males tend to sink while females float because of their fat stores in the body.
Vent Marking
To perform this technique, take a sharpie and mark the vent area with an “X” or “O” depending on your preference, then wait for 24 hours after you mark them so that the coloration starts to show up.
If you see a black color appearing at their vent area, then it means that they are male Khaki Campbell Ducks, and if you see a white color at their vent area, they are female Khaki Campbell Ducks because of the lack of pigment at their vent area.
Bill Sexing
To perform this sexing technique, take a look at the shape of their beak. Male Khaki Campbell Ducks have an “arrow-shaped” beak, while female Khaki Campbell Ducks have rounder-shaped beaks since they do not use their beak as much as males do when mating.
Feather Sexing
To perform this sexing technique, take a look at the color of their feathers. Male Khaki Campbell Ducks have an “eclipse” feather pattern, meaning that white dots surround their dark-colored feathers while female Khaki Campbell Ducks’ patterns are solid throughout their bodies.
What is it like owning Khaki Campbell Ducks?
Noise levels
Since they are so small, the ducks only produce a very mild quack; this makes them popular pets easier for apartment dwellers and owners with young children.
However, noise levels produced by the birds range from 50 to 80 decibels at their loudest (considering ducks’ hearing ranges from 100 Hz – 2 kHz), which may be considered noisy for those who are sensitive to noise or who live in densely populated areas.
Personality
The Khaki Campbells are quiet, docile birds that do not have any special needs other than being given a safe place outdoors for them to graze and plenty of water for drinking and swimming. They should be provided enough space to get away from each other if they feel threatened or crowded.
The breed has been known to get along well with children, but owners must always supervise their interactions with household pets such as dogs, cats, and rabbits because the ducks tend to wander off looking for food while eating.
Egg Production
Female Khaki Campbells should be laying eggs by the time they are six months to a year old. They lay well until seven years old and then go through a molt every year after that, where they stop laying. Once they hit 10 years old, their laying abilities become limited and quite erratic.
The Khaki Campbell ducks lay an average of 180 white eggs per year after successive layings every 26-28 days (about 240 in optimal conditions). Their eggs weigh about 1/2 pound (225 grams) on average. These eggs have an attractive appearance because of their mottled coloration. Eggshells’ colors range from white to blue, but a semi-clear, creamy white is most commonly seen.
Khaki Campbell Duck Care Guide
Health Issues
Health issues that Khaki Campbell encounters include:
Prolapse Egg Basket
This occurs when feces accumulate inside the oviduct; this may be due to multiple reasons but often includes an inability to pass water properly because of lack of access or appropriate bedding material.
Egg Binding
This refers to the inability of the female Khaki Campbell to pass an egg. That can be due to lack of access to water, lack of suitable nesting material. Also, some disease conditions like infectious Bronchitis may predispose to this condition- but once again, it is because there are no available materials or space for the bird to lay eggs properly that result in this condition.
Infectious Bronchitis
This a highly contagious respiratory disease that causes loss of appetite, coughing, sneezing, and nasal discharge. It is spread through direct contact with other birds and contaminated feeders, waterers, and equipment.
Infectious Anemia
This is a viral disease that attacks the red blood cells. It gets its name from the pale combs and wattles in birds afflicted with this condition.
Feeding
Ducks are opportunistic feeders, eating any plants or seeds they can find in their environment. As with nearly all birds, ducklings have no teeth, so parents must supply the necessary nutrients by taking in food and regurgitating it for their young. It is preferred that the food be soft and contains a high level of water (therefore partially digested), especially in the case of ducklings, who cannot process dry or hard foods easily.
However, if fed only store-bought duck food, the ducks might eventually become malnourished or develop malnutrition-related health problems. It’s a good idea to feed your ducks healthy table scraps and healthy things from the garden so that they can get a more varied diet.
Coop set-up and Run
It is important to account for swimming, preening, and bathing needs when providing living space for your ducks. In general, you should aim for a minimum of 5-7 square feet per duck if they will be confined indoors (in a backyard pen, inside the coop, or garage), and this amount should go up if you plan on letting them roam free during the day or all year long.
You can always increase space requirements even more by adding a wading pool and fenced yard.
Growth Stages Overview
There are four major stages ducks go through before they reach the age of one year:
Goslings (0-3 weeks old)
Goslings are born after an incubation period of 28 days and are covered in down. They require round-the-clock care for their first few days as they cannot regulate their temperature but will huddle together for warmth. Their diet consists of waterfowl starter crumbles to give them the protein and nutrients needed to grow properly.
Ducklings (3 weeks old)
Ducklings are now mobile and able to feed themselves. They will start moving out of the coop/pen to eat grass, weeds and bugs, and other small animals that may be present in your yard during this stage.
Juveniles (4-8 weeks old)
Once you see them sprouting adult coloration, they are ready for juvenile pens where they can begin to mingle with other ducks their age to learn proper social skills. They still require round-the-clock care as they are not yet prepared for survival on their own.
Adults (1-year-old)
Once they reach adulthood at eight weeks, it is a slow time to transition to whole-home integration where they can live with you in your home.
Do Khaki Campbell Ducks make good pets?
Khaki Campbell Ducks can make excellent pets once they have been properly trained to interact with humans. In reality, ducks do make sounds like quacking, but this should never be seen as an invitation for anyone to ‘talk’ back because these vocalizations serve quite specific purposes, such as telling other ducks where they are; it doesn’t mean that your duck is ‘talking to you, it’s just a quack.
Frequently Asked Khaki Campbell Questions
How much are Khaki Campbell ducks?
Khaki Campbell duckling price ranges from $5 to $75, depending on the age and breed of the bird. For example, a one-day-old Khaki Campbell duckling can be bought for as little as $5, while a three-year-old breeding female would cost a minimum of $75.
Can Khaki Campbell ducks fly away?
These types of ducks were bred to keep up with their owners while walking them through the park. For this reason, it has become an urban duck, and they are one of the most common breeds you will find in big cities.
They will need an unusually long runway to get enough airspeed before flapping their wings. That makes them unable to fly higher than 2 meters because their wings have been adapted not to do so.
Summary
The Khaki Campbell ducks are known for laying large numbers of eggs, the females usually laying more than 200 eggs per year on average. The breed falls under two categories: egg layer and dual-purpose (for both meat and eggs).
Generally, the ducks will begin laying around 6-8 months old; there is not yet practical data on these birds’ total productive life span. Further, you will not be challenged to feed them since they eat most of the foods they come across. These ducks can also be good pets since they are friendly and do not make noise.
