first duck--which breed?

[lisamarie]

so are khaki campbells know for being skittish?
lisa

 

[Sweetfolly]

Khaki's are nice (although I think my Dark Campbells are even prettier), but have you considered Indian Runners or Dutch Hookbills?

I have all three breeds. My Hookbills are the friendliest and calmest, followed by the Runners, with the Campbells being the most skittish, even though they were all raised together with equal handling - I would even go lie out in the grass with them when they were 4 weeks old, and they'd come snuggle up against me to nap! The Hookbills and Runners will run right up to me and eat out of my hands, while the Campbells are very cautious and, while they will come up and eat out of my hands, they'd much rather eat treats out of the water or off the ground if I give them the option. Also, my Campbells can be LOUD.

Runners can lay nearly as well as the Campbell, and their eggs can be off-white, pinkish, bluish, or greenish. My White Runner lays greenish eggs. Runners come in more colors than Campbells, with the commonest colors being White, Fawn & White, Black, Blue, and Chocolate (but there are many, many more!) They're very popular - I've had a waiting list for my mediocre, pet-quality Runner ducklings for nearly a month now. Here's my White Runner hen - I always tell people, when describing my Indian Runners, "They're just like Ferdinand from the movie Babe!":

If you do decided to go with Khaki Campbells, I think they're a very good choice too - just not as mellow or quiet as some other breeds. I love my two Khaki hens, Juniper & Holly - in fact, Holly's been such a prolific layer that I've been considering getting a Khaki Drake to breed her to: