Female Khaki Campbell Keeps Disappearing

emhartner · Jun 28, 2015

We have 6 Khakis that are over a year old and over the past four days one of my females is gone most of the time. What I mean by most of the time is that we saw her one morning hanging out by the coop before I let the others out. That day after work she was gone again. We do have an overgrown field next to the yard and I'm wondering if she's perhaps getting lost in there or maybe sitting on eggs. But from what I've read Khakis have no interest in doing this - and up until this point I've seen no such interest.

I'm considering brush hogging down the field so she can't hide in there (assuming that's where she is) but I don't want to mow her over either.

Why do you think she's wondering off?

Miss Lydia · Jun 28, 2015

emhartner said:
We have 6 Khakis that are over a year old and over the past four days one of my females is gone most of the time. What I mean by most of the time is that we saw her one morning hanging out by the coop before I let the others out. That day after work she was gone again. We do have an overgrown field next to the yard and I'm wondering if she's perhaps getting lost in there or maybe sitting on eggs. But from what I've read Khakis have no interest in doing this - and up until this point I've seen no such interest.

I'm considering brush hogging down the field so she can't hide in there (assuming that's where she is) but I don't want to mow her over either.

Why do you think she's wondering off?

She may have a nest, next time she is home lure her into her coop with some treats then close the door and do the brush hogging but do it soon before they eggs begin to develop. also you run the risk of a predator getting her leaving her out over night.

emhartner · Sep 5, 2015

Ok - a little late but I have some updates. Shortly after the first female started disappearing, the other two females started disappearing as well - to the point that at night the coop was a bachelor pad! I could see the males hanging out at the edge of the field during the day, and every few mornings a female would be out by the coop making A LOT of noise. When I would let the drakes out and put the food out, she would just eat for a few minutes straight, hang out with the drakes for a bit, and then disappear again.

I then decided to carefully brush hog the field. After about 10 passes I ended up mowing over one of my females while she was on the nest! I felt terrible!!! Apparently she had no intentions of moving even with all of the loud noise and movement around her. I didn't brush hog any more after that.

Eventually one of the other females had rejoined the flock and stayed with them (I think that her nest may have been raided). A while after that my daughters noticed that the last female and rejoined the flock AND one little duckling was following her around! We decided to bring her in (the new duckling) since we felt that would increase her chances for survival. She's getting so big so fast and now we are working on introducing her to the flock (they are currently deathly afraid of the little duck).

All of this to me is amazing since I had read that Khaki Campbells have no interest in sitting on eggs - yet all three of my females did it at about the same time.

Carcajou · Sep 5, 2015

emhartner said:
Ok - a little late but I have some updates. Shortly after the first female started disappearing, the other two females started disappearing as well - to the point that at night the coop was a bachelor pad! I could see the males hanging out at the edge of the field during the day, and every few mornings a female would be out by the coop making A LOT of noise. When I would let the drakes out and put the food out, she would just eat for a few minutes straight, hang out with the drakes for a bit, and then disappear again.

I then decided to carefully brush hog the field. After about 10 passes I ended up mowing over one of my females while she was on the nest! I felt terrible!!! Apparently she had no intentions of moving even with all of the loud noise and movement around her. I didn't brush hog any more after that.

Eventually one of the other females had rejoined the flock and stayed with them (I think that her nest may have been raided). A while after that my daughters noticed that the last female and rejoined the flock AND one little duckling was following her around! We decided to bring her in (the new duckling) since we felt that would increase her chances for survival. She's getting so big so fast and now we are working on introducing her to the flock (they are currently deathly afraid of the little duck).

All of this to me is amazing since I had read that Khaki Campbells have no interest in sitting on eggs - yet all three of my females did it at about the same time.

I have had my Khakis act like that. They will go broody but won't always follow through and are not great mothers. I once had a female that disappeared during days but would come back at night. I knew she had a nest somewhere but I could not find it. One night she did not return and I could not find her. Then about noon the next day she came to feed. I then watched where she went. I found a nest with 19 eggs in it. After I destroyed the nest she lost interest. She still goes through broody periods but it didn't last long this year though she really does not like laying in the coop during summer.

When my ducks change where they lay I try and find their new spot right away. They don't seem to get it that the eggs are for me to eat and not for them to sit on!

JadeComputerGal · Sep 5, 2015

My KC went broody at just over a year old. She was reliably broody and fiercely protective of her nest. She was also fiercely protective of her babies, even after they were about her size, and this included protecting them from her mate drake she was very bonded with.

Miss Lydia · Sep 5, 2015

emhartner said:
Ok - a little late but I have some updates. Shortly after the first female started disappearing, the other two females started disappearing as well - to the point that at night the coop was a bachelor pad! I could see the males hanging out at the edge of the field during the day, and every few mornings a female would be out by the coop making A LOT of noise. When I would let the drakes out and put the food out, she would just eat for a few minutes straight, hang out with the drakes for a bit, and then disappear again.

I then decided to carefully brush hog the field. After about 10 passes I ended up mowing over one of my females while she was on the nest! I felt terrible!!! Apparently she had no intentions of moving even with all of the loud noise and movement around her. I didn't brush hog any more after that.

Eventually one of the other females had rejoined the flock and stayed with them (I think that her nest may have been raided). A while after that my daughters noticed that the last female and rejoined the flock AND one little duckling was following her around! We decided to bring her in (the new duckling) since we felt that would increase her chances for survival. She's getting so big so fast and now we are working on introducing her to the flock (they are currently deathly afraid of the little duck).

All of this to me is amazing since I had read that Khaki Campbells have no interest in sitting on eggs - yet all three of my females did it at about the same time.

I am so sorry that had to have been heartbreaking. Keep the area brush hogged next year so you don't have to go through that again.. and please post pics of your lil duck. Congrats on it

emhartner · Oct 18, 2015

Back to provide some updates on our little Khaki Campbell that showed up back in May. Her name is Kris (the kids wanted to pick a gender neutral name since they didn't want to properly sex her). When I first introduced her to the flock, the other ducks were so scared of her - she just ran and ran after them until she would collapse. So we waited until she was bigger and tried again. At first they were scared of her, but eventually they would tolerate her. But, having three drakes and three females (counting Kris) the drakes were sexually ruthless to her (MUCH more so than to the other females). So we decided to keep one drake and give the other two drakes to a friend (leaving us with one drake and three females). Even after being with the flock for a month and a half now, the ducks are still not nice to her. She follows them around, but isn't always allowed to eat or drink with them. The drake is often putting his head down and charging her. I really hope she's accepted one day soon.

Anyway (at the request of Miss Lydia), see below see a picture from right after we found her:

Here is a picture of her hanging out with the dogs. The dogs seem to love her, and she's not afraid of them like the other ducks:

Finally,
This is most surprising to me. I found this about a month ago in the field just off of the edge of the yard where I had recently brush hogged. I was surprised to see nest building so late into the season.

sourland · Oct 18, 2015

Very good move on finding a home for two of the drakes. She may always be a little bit of the 'odd man out', but will gradually make her place in the flock.

Female Khaki Campbell Keeps Disappearing

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