Khaki Campbell Ducks and Drake(?)

[Miss Lydia]

He killed the first two babies that hatched, before I had woken up. And the little one that you see after it hatched mom picked it up by the foot and threw it because it’s 8 days younger then her sister. When I let the babies out with the parents I keep an eye on them because the parents do bite at them from time to time.

That's sad. I have always kept my mama and babies separated from the rest of the flock but where they can see them until the ducklings or chicks are close to 3 weeks old then they are better able to get away from the adults.

 

[Hykiko]

If by six months old all drakes will be visibly different than the hens then yeah I have five hens. I'm thankful, honestly. I know that drakes can harm or kill chicken hens by mating with them - and since our ducks and chickens are combined together in one area and in one coop at night the last thing I need is more coop drama than we've had recently. We had to "dispatch" two of our remaining three roosters all within a few days because of them fighting each other. Thankfully all of that is settled, so we hope that the coop will be happy and healthy going forward. And without having a drake it should make our lives easier. Though I kind of do want to have a drake but I plan to get some Silver Appleyards that will be in a separate fenced in area and I'll have a drake with those hens.

Nibbler my drake, does try to mate with my hens. However I’ve noticed he protects and guards them better then my rooster, when they get out of the coop, nibbler stays with them or if he’s still in the coop he will stay by the fencing by the hens and quack to let me know right where my hens are outside of the coop.

 

[Hykiko]

That's sad. I have always kept my mama and babies separated from the rest of the flock but where they can see them until the ducklings or chicks are close to 3 weeks old then they are better able to get away from the adults.

It is, the eggs hatched before I expected. After he killed the two ducklings I moved mom and remaining eggs into a dog kennel into my bathroom, sadly out of the 9 eggs only 2 babies made it.

However I wasn’t expecting babies till spring since mama squeakers and daddy nibbler became adults in September, I had a chicken who became an adult in October laid 1 fertile egg sadly it didn’t make it as well. Being a quitter at 19 days of incubation.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Dad and mom like these 2 ducklings? they sure are precious.

 

[Hykiko]

Dad and mom like these 2 ducklings? they sure are precious.

Mom doesn’t mind fluffers the older duckling, but wants nothing to do with Kiko the younger one. Currently dad wants nothing to do with either duckling, I don’t know if it has anything to do with them both barely being adults. It’s only a speculation, I do know when I first put fluffers and Kiko together the older sister was attacking the younger one, but now if they aren’t together they squeak like crazy till United again. So im sure the parents will settle down once their a little older.

 

[NewJourney]

Well this answers my question. I have 5 duck hens!! Haha

 

[Luv Ducks]

Well this answers my question. I have 5 duck hens!! Haha

It's funny how Khaki's can all be so different. My male had the darker rump that I had heard meant it was a male but never got a green head or orange feet. He chased and mounted all of my girls and would not give them a moments rest though and I saw his male part when he got older so I knew then he was a male for sure. He came from our local Rural King Farm store. I had to rehome him because he was too rough on my girls. He also had the raspy voice. Yours are beautiful and my two Hens I have now have also gotten lighter from the sun or because they are now over a year old, I am not sure which. I think it must be the sun because now that it is winter they are darker again.

 

[Supercow]

We have a Khaki that has a dark head, orange feet, kinda-raspy voice and behaves protectively toward others - tries directing them, confronts me if I take a flock member away, etc. ... But has laid eggs in the summer. So that's our trans-drake. We're getting a biological drake in the spring most likely and hopefully there won't be a fight.

 

[NewJourney]

We have a Khaki that has a dark head, orange feet, kinda-raspy voice and behaves protectively toward others - tries directing them, confronts me if I take a flock member away, etc. ... But has laid eggs in the summer. So that's our trans-drake. We're getting a biological drake in the spring most likely and hopefully there won't be a fight.

That's so interesting! I love how amazing we all are (animals, too)! I kinda feel like one of my hens has a more drake-like attitude and behavior, though I'm brand new to duck behavior, so I have no reason to believe that. I do get 5 eggs every day, and have for MOST of the time they've been laying, so far. I'm impressed how consistent they are at laying eggs - it's wintertime!

I notice that they don't like to lay eggs until after they've had water and food. My mom goes out in the mornings around 7-7:30am to let them out of the coop and feed them, refresh waterers, etc. But if they ducks don't have food and water in the coop overnight they don't lay eggs until after they've been let out of the coop and drank water and eaten some food in the morning. Thankfully they have learned to go back into the coop to lay their eggs. I like that I don't have to go searching all around the chicken/duck run for eggs

 

[deer trail duck farms]

So I love my khakis they are some of the best egg layers. 300 eggs a year. Also there drakes don't always get a green head. Mine is brown. Depends on the hatcheries mating ducks. Enjoy them they are kiddish little ducks!