Khaki Campbell or Chocolate Runner?

[JosieR]

I am new (to ducks and to the forums, please be easy!). I bought 4 ducklings, the woman at the feed store said she *thought* it was 2 khaki campbells and 2 chocolate runners but my untrained eye sees no difference in the ducks. The other 3 black ones you see are Cayugas I went back to get after I read how they were the best for my area and very friendly. I have 3 kids, 2 fairly young so that’s important.

Does anyone know if there are differences between Chocolate Runners and Khaki campbells at this age? I’ve googled but am not finding much showing the differences. Sometimes one of the brown ones will stand up very straight like the runners seem to. I don’t know if it’s the same one all the time or if they all do it once in a while?

Is 7 too many to keep in my yard? The brown ones, whatever they are, are not as friendly as the Cayuga and run FAST when I'm trying to move them from one side of the box the other to clean. They are pecking at the walls and floor so I thought they might be instinctively looking for food. Since they will eventually (and soon based on how fast they seem to be growing) be outside I didn’t want them to lose that. I sprinkled some ripped up grass into the box and then let my daughter put some in her hand for them to eat. I thought this might make them more friendly with us. They loved it, is this OK?

Any help or advice you can share regarding the breeds or what I’m doing so far would be appreciated. I do not have ANY idea what I’m doing although I did read a little bulletin I bought at the feed store to get me started.








Thanks,

Josie

 

[Sweetfolly]

Maybe it's just the lighting, but two of the brown ones look slightly lighter than the other two in the pictures. Do you notice that?

If it really does look like that to the eye, and it's not just the camera, I'd say your two slightly lighter-colored ones are Khaki Campbells, and the two slightly darker ones are Chocolate Runners.

How big is your yard? Will the ducks have access to all of it, or will they be penned in a run? Seven ducks can make a big mess, and when I first started out with three ducks (two Khaki Campbells and a Pekin) they killed all the vegetation in a 15'x16' area in one summer.

What are you feeding them? Ducklings need more Niacin that chicks do, so if you're feeding them chick starter, you may want to supplement it.

Other than that, it looks like you're doing great so far! Congrats on the adorable ducks!

 

[tia]

I'm not sure - The top picture here is a khaki campbell duckling, and the second one are runner ducklings black and fawn/white - no chocolate... hope it helps. Your brown ones all look pretty similar, they look like runners, but I could be wrong. I'm sure others will have a better idea. I have hatched khakis and runners.

 

[JosieR]

They will have access to (I think, nothing is built yet LOL) a pond which is about 15x30. There is a path around the pond that is a couple of feet wide, I'm attaching a pic of my son mowing it today. We were thinking of fencing that in and putt a shed or dog house in there for them. My cleared portion of the back yard is about 40 x 200 or so. I have 6 acres but most of it is wooded. The cleared area in front is probably another 200 feet long. I'm not opposed to letting them have run of the property if they go in at night to keep them safe. I was also thinking of putting their house on one side of the pond and just having fencing run right up to the edge of the pond so they can come and go as they please. The thinking being if the only open side of the fence (other than a gate or back door to the shed so I can clean it) is to the water, HOPEFULLY that will keep them safe as any predator would have to go through the pond to get into their area but I'm not sure how good of an idea that is? I feel a little lost, even after reading and am afraid the person I bought them from might just be telling me things are a good idea even if they're stupid ideas LOL

They are having non medicated chick starter. I just gave them grass today since they seemed to want to peck at something. Do I need to give them something else? Also, the brown ones seem to by lying down a lot more than they were before? I'm hoping it means they're more relaxed and not that something is wrong. They will get up if I open the top of the brooder. They DO not like being handled although the Cayugas will stand still in the middle of the box for me to pet!

I didn't notice much of a color difference until you mentioned it but I'm a little blind. It seemed to me that the 2 lighter ones were standing up a little more? I looked at their feet and beaks since I thought that's where I would see differences more? Don't know if that's true or not but it seemed like their color might be more apt to change as they grow?

The woman at the feed store said 7 was good (6 females and 1 male) but I'm having second thoughts and was thinking of getting rid of the khakis since I've since read they tend to be a little more high strung and are big egg layers, neither of which I really want to deal with LOL

The pond is to the left, the rocks are at one end of it. My kids’ play house is to the right. The pond has a lot of weeds in it (that’s why we got the ducks, then I fell in love with them!)




The property line is to just beyond the evergreen tree on the right and to that line of trees all the way at the back of the photo.




My son mowing around the pond. We would fence on the outside of the path all the way around OR (my preference if you guys think it would work) place the duck house in a small clearing inside the trees on the left and have the fence run from behind it up to the edge of the pond so they could come and go as they please but still, hopefully (?) be protected from predators. The edge of the pond is right where the trees are but it has weeds and algae in it at the moment

Thank you so much for all of your advice and ideas, we love these guys so much already!

 

[JosieR]

Can anyone tell me if this is enough room for 7 ducks or should I give 2 away? Is there an area for housing where I would be able to get anwers re: enclosing the whole pond vs.. just running fencing up to the edge?

Thanks! We hand fed them grass again this morning and they LOVE it. The start peeping when they hear my girls come out to the garage

 

[nettie]

If they have lighter bills, they are more likely campbells. Choc runners will have black beaks and feet (though khaki's might have darker feet and bills)

 

[poultrypatch]

Love your duckie kids, your yard looks lovely. FIRST...they need to be fed gamebird feed. I raise mine on Blue Seal gamebird feed. They need more NIACIN then chicks do.
I also have Runners, 2 blk, 2 choc , 2 white with blk splashes, 6 KC, 4 Welch Harlequins, 4 Appleyards, 2 Bantam....Blk Silkies and 5 Bantam BLk East Indies. All raised on gamebird feed. I have just over 2 acres and they are fenced. I couldn't walk in the yard if they were free ! LOL Oh yeah, I dark blue 'Scovey drake and one choc 'Scovey hen.
Add about 50 chickens in various stages of growth at the moment. Some will be sold...chicks.
Ducks.....just another name for "filthy little piggies" ))) OMG ARE THEY MESSY OR WHAT !!! BUT...Sooooooooooo cute.
Liz
MA

 

[bettythegreat]

I have the same confusion over a couple ducklings I just got. I bought them from a feed store where no one knew what was what, they came in an assortment. I don't even know their sexes, these are my first ducks so I'm not expert enough to try venting, fingers crossed at least one is a female.





Here is a video of them, I've only had them a few days but they seemed super unhappy being inside all day long, and since it was sunny I just tried letting them out for a couple hours, they had so much fun I didn't bring them in until just before dusk. Did the same thing again today.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I have the same confusion over a couple ducklings I just got. I bought them from a feed store where no one knew what was what, they came in an assortment. I don't even know their sexes, these are my first ducks so I'm not expert enough to try venting, fingers crossed at least one is a female.





Here is a video of them, I've only had them a few days but they seemed super unhappy being inside all day long, and since it was sunny I just tried letting them out for a couple hours, they had so much fun I didn't bring them in until just before dusk. Did the same thing again today.

http://www.metzerfarms.com/KhakiCampbellDucks.cfm?Breed=Khaki Campbell&BirdType=Duck&ID=KC make me think of KC's, they are adorable, please watch them closely at such a small age they could be snatched up by just about anything, on the ground and flying. and

and this is good reading also https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/750869/raising-and-caring-for-ducklings#post_10611711

 

[bettythegreat]

http://www.metzerfarms.com/KhakiCampbellDucks.cfm?Breed=Khaki Campbell&BirdType=Duck&ID=KC make me think of KC's, they are adorable, please watch them closely at such a small age they could be snatched up by just about anything, on the ground and flying. and

and this is good reading also https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/750869/raising-and-caring-for-ducklings#post_10611711

Thanks, but we bought an "Eglu" from the omlet.us website. It is supposed to be a critter proof set up for them, which they'll be kept in when we can't supervise them outside, even when they're older; and there is a fence between where the Eglu is kept and the rest of the yard. Even so, I go out every hour or so to make sure they're not too hot or cold, or that there are no wild finches sneaking in to steal their crumble, there is one nesting in a bird house under our awning that tried but he couldn't fit throught the wire. We've had chickens off and on for years before we moved last year, and lost many to raccoons (before moving last year a raccoon tore a door of its hinges, I admit it was homemade and poorly built, didn't even eat the chickens though, just murdered them all), so I promised myself I wouldn't get any more outdoor critters until I had a good set up, which I finally do yay! I should take a picture of how they're kept inside at night, they are in a crate within a crate under a heat lamp, with their water bottle against the door where they can pop their heads out to drink when they need to. I have 7 great danes so you bet I have to have a good set up for when I'm not in the same room.