The khaki-Campbell duck Thread !!!!!!!!

[Carcajou]

Hi all. I haven't posted in a year and decided to start posting again.

My flock is doing well, even our little Buffy who suffered a broken wing I am sure a stroke in 2013. She stopped laying last fall, survived a brutal winter, and hasn't laid at all during 2015 though gets along as best she can. She is a resilient little duck (she is somewhat smaller than the others). I don't think I posted about a hit and run driver that ran down two of my girls last August, and he was on the wrong side of the road when it happened so I think it was on purpose. About 2 vehicles per hour (or less) travel this road, great visibility both ways, and they still were run down. I was quite upset for a while over it.

Had up to 16 wild mallards visit daily during a February and March cold snap as my spring fed pond was pretty much the only open water around though the water table got low enough that part of my pond did freeze over, which it usually doesn't, and I had to chop ice 1-3 times a day. Cost me an extra bag or so of feed which I gladly supplied. Very interesting to watch nature's dynamic between my flock and the wild birds.

Herewith some recent pics of my beloveds:

Late April snow

Little Buffy walking down to the pond

March 2, 2015. My four in lower left. All the activity did help keep the ice broken up.

 

[feasel]

I'm so sorry to hear about your ducks being hit by a driver, that's awful. Very glad to see that little Buffy is surviving, though, and how nice of you to put up the wild mallards during the winter. I have only just joined Backyard Chickens but have 3 little Khaki Campbells which are still settling in.

 

[KhakiKristi]

That's so cool about wild ducks coming to stay for awhile! Looks like they all got along fine with the pet ducks.

I have 3 khaki's as well! Ended up with 2 boys and one girl and she hasn't started laying yet--too soon I think. Right now they all are fine together but will probably have to separate at some point. Or we may get a couple more females--not sure yet.

 

[OldMissionChick]

We got 2 KC back in March and they both ended up being drakes

 

[AA Maple]

Well I finally got around to some flock management. Out of six ducklings bought in April the tally is raccon food: 1, Male 3, Female 2. I just finished processing the two least desirable males (saving the best looking/largest for breeding stock. Plucking was rather a chore.... these things are about 50% feathers! The birds dressed out to roughly 2.5 pounds each. Rather pathetic weight at 4 months old considering all the food they ate and foraging they did in the stream. But if I didn't do it they'd be killing each other in 2 months fighting over the females anyway so 'circle of life'.

I've got them on ice now and will be visiting a friend tomorrow with a smoker/slow cooker. I shall report back on the results of painting with molasses and 3-4 hours at 225 in a oak and apple smoke. RIP drakes.

 

[ChocoboMamma]

Hey, does anyone know how a KC will do with just chickens as mates? We had two boys who were part of our "chicken" flock and a little less than a week ago a raccoon got into our run over night on a night that they all refused to go in the coop, and killed one of the ducks, and took one of our chickens. He seems a little needier than usual, but I don't know if that's cause he's lonely, or because he is still stressed out from the attack. Any information or advice would be super helpful.

 

[OldMissionChick]

Hey, does anyone know how a KC will do with just chickens as mates?  We had two boys who were part of our "chicken" flock and a little less than a week ago a raccoon got into our run over night on a night that they all refused to go in the coop, and killed one of the ducks, and took one of our chickens.   He seems a little needier than usual, but I don't know if that's cause he's lonely, or because he is still stressed out from the attack.  Any information or advice would be super helpful.

We have ours all together, but I am sure he would like a duck friend. Sorry about your loss.

 

[Carcajou]

I'm so sorry to hear about your ducks being hit by a driver, that's awful. Very glad to see that little Buffy is surviving, though, and how nice of you to put up the wild mallards during the winter. I have only just joined Backyard Chickens but have 3 little Khaki Campbells which are still settling in.


Thank you. Enjoy yours, KhakiKristi!

 

[Carcajou]

That's so cool about wild ducks coming to stay for awhile! Looks like they all got along fine with the pet ducks.

I have 3 khaki's as well! Ended up with 2 boys and one girl and she hasn't started laying yet--too soon I think. Right now they all are fine together but will probably have to separate at some point. Or we may get a couple more females--not sure yet.

There was a pecking order, my crew would keep the mallards away from the food until they had eaten. Even the mallards had a pecking order among themselves. Later in the spring my drake got to chasing the mallards off - guess he didn't want any competition.

Be careful with 2 drakes to one duck - it is probable they will overbreed her. One may become dominant and keep the other one away but one drake really needs 3-4 ducks to keep from hurting the girls from over attentiveness.

 

[laurita1510]

my 2 day old khaki's. Lou and dotty