Who has Khaki Campbells?

[Cottage Rose]

I'm thinking about getting a few for egg layers. Do they really lay super good or is it just some strains and if so who has them?
Do they have good temperaments?
Any comments appreciated. Thanks!

 

[HollyDuckFarmer]

My KC gal (almost 2yrs old) is a great layer and a great mom. She takes some time off for winter and that is ok with me. Honestly the Pekin x KC cross I had was a better layer tho. Plus her eggs were much larger. I have read that egg laying traits are passed down from the drakes, something to keep in mind.

 

[ducksinarow]

I have them. I have 9, 4 females and 5 males. I know not a good ratio but I am working on that. Yes they are great layers. Mine are friendly. I free range. In the pen they run from you unless you have a handful of peas. I have 2 groups. They do not like each other. One group stands at the back door begging for peas and the other at the front. Peas are the key to friendly ducks. They are gentle ducks. They could not hurt a child. They are not lap ducks but they are friendly. Mine came from Cackle hatchery through Rural King. They are light on the feed and produce a lot of eggs.

 

[StruckBy]

I'm down to one khaki at the moment but had 2 different groups of 4-6 in the past. Mine have all been quite good layers. I'd say that sheer egg volume was a toss-up between the khakis and some hybrid cresteds I had (no, I don't approve of breeding cresteds but they were all I could get at the time & they were breeder 'culls' that were about to have a not-good ending). On a feed-ratio basis, the khakis are the most efficient egg producers out of all the breeds I've had. They are awesome foragers too. I will say that I have had problems with them going broody on me (but I am very bad at collecting eggs every day...if I get them 3 days a week it's a good week) and then being VERY serious defenders of their eggs. I have scars to remind me to not mess with a broody khaki ever again! When not sitting on eggs, mine have been pretty middle-of-the-road in temperament. They come running for food, but aren't interested in being touched.

Although they aren't as flashy as some breeds, I'm a big fan of khakis. They're good foragers, not super noisy, good feed conversion for eggs (I'm too soft to butcher), are good enough flyers to have some predator evasion abilities but aren't interested in wandering/flying off, and seem to be better at hiding from predators than other ducks. Every single time I've had predator issues, whether it was a goshawk, a raccoon, or dogs, my khakis have been the most successful at surviving.

 

[learycow]

I raised and bred Khakis for 6 years (I no longer have them).
I started off with about 25 from Metzers and 25 from Cackle that I raised to maturity. I kept 12 (2 drakes, the rest hens) as breeder ducks. I wanted to breed mainly for production, foraging ability, body type and color (for showing for fun) and temperament.

I found that most of the hatchery ducks are bred for production only. They lay like crazy (I got 1 egg a day from each hen, they would take the really cold days off, but laid about 330-350 eggs per year for the first 2 1/2 years). And they are super skittish, very timid around people.

So after a few generations of breeding, I ended up with the ducks that I wanted. They were great at foraging and feeding themselves, I had a few go broody (though they made terrible mothers), they laid tons of eggs, and I got a few who were less timid who would come over for treats and such. Not to mention they out-laid my chickens every year! And a trio that I showed 2 years in a row won Reserve Grand Champion of the Show, Grand Champion Waterfowl, as well as BB and BV.

So my advice would be to show around first. If you don't want hatchery birds, look for a breeder out there who has developed his/her own lines like I did (even though the original flocks were hatchery birds). Depending on what they breed for, you may end up with calmer, high production birds who will last a little longer than the hatchery ducks. And who are a little more self-sufficient.

 

[Cottage Rose]

Appreciating all the comments!
Sounds like they might be worth trying.

 

[learycow]

Appreciating all the comments!
Sounds like they might be worth trying.

Yes!
If you want lots of eggs and don't necessarily mind not being able to catch them to play with, they are great birds to have.
Plus they are small and don't eat as much as the larger breeds. To me, they are like the leghorns of the chicken world. A small, compact bird, efficient at converting food to eggs, and very fun to watch as they all have different personalities

 

[Flowerhen]

I also have Khaki Campbells. They are funny little birds. I have one sitting on about 15 eggs in the barn right now. This is day 18 and I hope she will be a good mother. It is pretty cold out right now. I have three females and usually get 3 eggs a day. I have 3 males as well. They all get along like a happy little family. They are really protective of one another....and like someone else mentioned, they really do have their own personalities. They let me know when their feed bowl is close to being empty. nonstop quacking !!.

 

[Cottage Rose]

Yes!
If you want lots of eggs and don't necessarily mind not being able to catch them to play with, they are great birds to have.
Plus they are small and don't eat as much as the larger breeds. To me, they are like the leghorns of the chicken world. A small, compact bird, efficient at converting food to eggs, and very fun to watch as they all have different personalities

I don't care if they're pets...I have plenty of other pets to keep me happy.
With them being low feed to egg conversion and self sufficient is very appealing to me.

I may very well try to find some next spring.
Any Michiganders here that have Campbells?
I'd rather just buy a few than have to get a big order of them from a hatchery.

 

[Marissa Van]

I have a question and maybe you guys can help me with it. Do khaki Campbell's need a drake to produce eggs of do that do it all on their own? New owner to two female khakis thanks in advance