White Campbell...232 eggs in 235 days...and still going!

[Wokawidget]

Here's a picture of her tonight playing in the bath.
The one and only problem I can see with White Campbells is that they're white.
White and a mud loving duck really really don't mix...doesn't help that my entire back garden is more or less mud due to my landscaping efforts. Grass seed gets planted in a month.

This pic was taken on christmas day. She wasn't bothered about the hat at all. In fact she just kept wagging her tail. Picture isn't the best quality

Woka

 

[CityChicker]

Wow! She has been laying since she was 7 WEEKS old?!? I did not know that was even possible! Am I not adding right? If she is 8 months old and has been laying for 175 days, wouldn't that have made her about 7 wks old when she started? That is a lot of eggs no matter what the age of the bird.

She is a beauty. She actually looks like she has a little Aylesbury in her with the pinkish beak and her head shape. She is certainly a cutie!

 

[Wokawidget]

hmmm...I think your maths is out slightly...and maybe mine is too...i think she's 9 months old.
we got her start of June at 3 weeks old when she was tiny and yellow with no wings at all.
She started laying 2nd Sept.
June, July, August + 3 weeks = 113 days = 16 weeks.
Our closest chicken was the Marans and Cochin, same age as duck, and laid 4 weeks later. So they were 20 weeks when they laid.

Her beak was a brighter orange when we got her. It started to fade to a pinkie color after she started laying. I was under the impression that the diet can affect this...more garden critters on the menu = orangeier beak.


4 weeks:

20 weeks:

Woka

 

[Wokawidget]

Quote:
Campbells are a cross of Mallard, Runner and Rouen I believe.
If some Aylesbury snuck in there would that not affect egg laying/looks etc in a big way? unless it was a few generations down I suppose...

tbh I look at pekins and a few other ducks and I say "that's a white campbell" but the caption under the photo says otherwise. I am crap at identifying white ducks from fotos unless they are runners, muscovies or those short fat dumpey ones

She is a big ball of fluffy naughtiness. She can be a bit demanding though...when I let them out 1st thing in the morning if she doesn't get stroked for at least 2 mins straight she makes that really loud "WAAAAAK!" type of quack until i walk over and stroke her. All she wants in the morning is a stroke...not interested in food, just strokes. I think our Marans chicken is following suit...she follows me in the house until I pick her up, stroke her, then put her back outside. I think I have created monsters.

Woka

 

[CityChicker]

Oh yeah, so she would be almost 10 months old. I was thinking she was younger because you said 8 months in the first post. On the history of the Khaki Campbell, you are correct. There was most likely something else added to get the white though. I am guessing Aylesbury. The initial Whites were bred to be more dual purpose and weigh up to 6 pounds. In laying tests, they averaged roughly 185 eggs to the Khaki's 225 (Ashton). Based on that and the pink bills some of them apparently have, I would seriously guess Aylesbury (but, perhaps several generations ago).

I did research it more and Holderread suggests Aylesbury as well, although he claims some European breeders think they may have been sports. That seems doubtful to me given the increased size and reduced production (although some I'm sure, like yours, do have the genes for high production). He also knows of another line that was created by crossing a White Crested with a White Runner and then later adding in a pure white Magpie, but that is in the US, and really wouldn't to me be an authentic White Campbell.

Anyway, your girl is gorgeous. That is just priceless to have such a pretty (and rare) duck that is so productive. You should breed her and start your own line of White Campbells!

 

[Wokawidget]

Quote:
That's like saying you made a sponge cake out of cement, shampoo and 1/2 a turnip.

Surely that can't be classed as a Campbell can it?

Woka

 

[CountyGal]

Love the pictures! I wish someone would start raising and selling them here in the U.S.!!

 

[CityChicker]

Quote:
That's like saying you made a sponge cake out of cement, shampoo and 1/2 a turnip.

Surely that can't be classed as a Campbell can it?

Woka

LOL, that is exactly what I thought as well. It should have to have *some* Campbell blood. What is really funny is that he describes these as an "exhibition" line of White Campbells. I am all for outcrossing if it is necessary or improves the breed. I am also all for developing new lines of a breed using the original "formula", but developing a line of birds without any of the original blood AND without the same mix of breeds that developed the original is just too far in the opposite direction, IMHO.

 

[Wokawidget]

Well...she's still going, there's no stopping her.

Since starting this thread she's not missed a single day laying.

1 per day, everyday.

She's on for a 360+ / yr target!

She's well outlaying my RIR chicken.

Woka

 

[maralynn28]

OH MY! What a gorgeous, sweet and productive girl. Sounds like you have the perfect duck on your hands.