Naturally Raised Ducklings: Khaki Campbells

We added ducks to our homestead last spring to bring another layer of biodiversity. They are another source for eggs, meat, soil fertilizer, pest control, and income.

When we first began our homestead (with just a handful of chickens), I really enjoye books by Lisa Steele. Fresh Eggs Daily and Duck Eggs Daily were some of the biggest inspirations for me on raising birds holistically.

During the initial fears Covid brought, finding poultry of any kind wasn’t easy. I was able to grab 5 unsexed ducklings from an unmarked bin. Two of which I knew were pekins (a meat variety) from there coloring and size alone. The last three weren’t quite as easy to determine breed. Now that they’re fully grown, I’m confident we have Khaki Campbells!

Unfortunately, we lost both of our pekins and one of the Campbells last summer.

What did work in our favor, the remaining two are a male and female pair! (I’ve been dreaming of ducklings for months!)

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Broody Duck

Similar to a broody chicken hen, when a female duck is ready to hatch her own eggs. She goes through hormone changes that cause her to sit on her chosen nest, become defensive of her eggs, and reduce her food/water intake significantly.

Our female started showing signs of going broody last month. She chose to make her nest in an old pot of Swiss Chard in the greenhouse leftover from our winter garden.

Ducks will lay eggs in their next for several days, gathering a hoard of eggs to hatch. Once they have laid their desired amount, she will sit on her next religiously for a solid 28 days. Her dedication is only interrupted once every day or two in order to find food, water, and relieve herself.

The entire incubation time, the father duck sits nearby. Quacking occasionally to each other, I can imagine he’s giving her the utmost praise for her dedication. He guards her and the nest fiercely, chasing off the cat repeatedly (and sometimes us as well!)

I began to worry for the expectant parents when the 28 day mark came and went with no signs of piping (when the baby begins to break through the eggshell). Day 29 and 30 showed no progress either.

But then, mid-day on day 31 several eggs had piped! By the morning of day 32 we had THIRTEEN adorable, fluffy little balls of feathers tucked safely under momma duck!

To say I was impressed would be an understatement. Every time we’ve attempted to allow a broody chicken to hatch eggs has resulted in about 10% success. Momma duck mastered an 88% hatch rate on her first nest! (14 out of 16 hatched, with one of the hatchlings passing shortly afterwards)

Why Campbells?

Khaki Campbells make a great dual purpose bird.

Bred for both egg and meat production, they can offer a great source of protein to a small farm. Hens will begin laying around 7 months, and can lay anywhere from 310-340 eggs per year!

If you’re looking for meat, expect to bucher around 8 weeks and get about 4-5lbs per bird.

Their bodies are heavier, so long distance flying is not well suited for them. They are able to fly fairly well in low, short distances which helps them avoid predators better than pekin ducks.

Confession

I haven’t fed our Khaki Campbell ducks since last summer.

(Don’t freak out!)

These birds have been amazing foragers! They comb through the yard, garden, and woods eating a myriad of things. Bugs, greens, and seeds don’t stand a chance when they’re out and about.

We did have issues last year with the ducks pulling up plant starts from the garden, but they seem to leave the established plants alone. As they’ve gotten older, they have gotten better about this as well.

Ducks do need a higher content of niacin in their diet or they can have issues as their legs develop. We are giving the babies a specific organic duck feed fortified with higher protein and niacin while allowing Momma and Daddy duck to teach the baby how to forage properly.

Don’t Ducks Need a Pond?

Yes and no. There different breeds that requre more time in the water than others. All ducks do need enough water to dip their entire bill in to eat and drink properly.

Campbells are a land breed, who do not need constant water access for optimum health. We keep rubber pans available for them to drink out of at all times, and they enjoy a quick bath when the swales fill with rain water but they don’t seek out large bodies of water like a mallard would.

There is also a swampy area in our woods that fills every spring or with heavy rains. The ducks found it this spring and would often be found swimming away back there.

We have noticed a significant drop in mosquito population this year! I don’t know for sure if that can be attributed to the free range ducks, but could definitely be a possibility.

Duck Eggs and Meat

Duck meat (when cooked properly) is by far superior to chicken and turkey. It’s high in fats, which means it’s extra tasty! Duck also is more nutritionally dense, and has a higher calorie index than chicken. Duck meat contains good amounts of vitamins B1, B2, vitamin A, D, E, and K while being high in iron and copper.

Duck eggs are just as safe to eat as chicken eggs. In some cases, safer – as some people who have chicken egg allergies do not have allergies associated with duck eggs. Duck eggs have larger yolks, and contain more calories and nutrition than chicken eggs.

Personally, I have not noticed a flavor difference between duck and chicken eggs, but there is a slightly different texture to a duck egg. I prefer to use them in baking.