Duck Friends
Duck breeds/Khaki Campbell
Domestic breed

Khaki Campbell

Anas platyrhynchos domesticus

The classic laying duck, a lightweight English breed in one plain khaki colour, with sky-high egg counts, a lot of energy and a nervous streak.

Yomangani, Wikimedia Commons · Public domain
Khaki Campbell drake with a bronze-green head and a curled tail feather, standing on paving

Khaki Campbell drake with a bronze-green head and a curled tail feather, standing on paving (1 of 1) — Yomangani, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain

Facts at a glance

Ranges, not exact numbers. sources differ means our sources disagree; typical means consistent keeper and hatchery reports rather than a measured standard. A dash means we have no sourced value yet.

Basics
Origin
Where it was developed

The country or region where the breed was first developed. Some breeds are named after a place that is not where they actually came from.

England[1][2]
Introduced in 1901 by Mrs Adele Campbell in Gloucestershire.
Purpose
What it was bred for

The job the breed was developed for: eggs, meat, both, or looks. Any duck can be a pet, but this tells you what its body and habits are built around, such as how many eggs to expect or how big it grows.

Eggs[1][3]
Kentucky Extension calls Campbells excellent layers and 'the closest thing to a dual purpose breed'.
APA class
Size class in the show standard

The American Poultry Association sorts the breeds it recognises into heavy, medium, light and bantam (miniature) classes by body size. It is a quick size shorthand, and matters most if you want to show ducks.

Light[2]
Livestock Conservancy status
How rare it is in the US

The Livestock Conservancy tracks heritage breeds that are becoming rare. Critical, Threatened and Watch mean progressively more birds. Recovering means it used to be listed and is doing better. "Not listed" only means it is not on their list, not that anything is wrong with it.

Watch[4]
Listed as 'Campbell (W)'.
Size
Weight, hen
Adult female weight

Typical weight of a grown hen. Hens are the females, the ones that lay eggs. Hatchery birds can be heavier or lighter than the show standard, so treat this as a guide.

3.5–4 lb (1.59–1.81 kg)[3]
3.5-4 lb. Metzer lists 3.5-4.5 lb for its breeders across both sexes.
Weight, drake
Adult male weight

Typical weight of a grown drake. Drakes are the males; in most breeds they have a curled feather on the tail. They are usually heavier than hens.

4–4.5 lb (1.81–2.04 kg)[3]
4-4.5 lb.
Appearance
Varieties / colours
Colour forms

Many breeds come in several colours, called varieties. They can differ in looks and sometimes in temperament or egg colour.

Khaki[3]
Kentucky Extension says there is only one variety.
Temperament
Temperament
Calm or jumpy

Whether the breed tends to be calm and friendly or skittish and quick to startle. Individual ducks vary a lot and how they are raised matters, so this is a tendency, not a promise.

Skittish[2][3]typical
Kentucky Extension says Runners and Campbells both tend to be nervous and flighty and will stampede when startled; Metzer's scale (1 calm, 9 nervous) scores Khaki Campbells 9.0, the highest on its chart.
Flight
Can it fly away?

Whether the breed can get off the ground. Flightless breeds stay in behind an ordinary fence. Strong fliers may need a covered run or wing clipping.

Short hops[2]typical
Metzer lists 'Maybe'. We could not find a clearer statement.
Broodiness
Likes to sit on eggs

A broody duck sits on her eggs to hatch them, then raises the ducklings. Highly broody breeds will hatch eggs for you. Breeds that rarely go broody lay more, but you need an incubator or another duck to hatch their eggs.

Rarely[2][3]sources differ
Kentucky Extension says they seldom go broody because that was sacrificed for laying; Metzer rates mothering Good.
Foraging
Finds its own food

How actively the breed hunts bugs, slugs and greens on its own. Good foragers can cut garden pests but still need proper feed.

High[2][3]typical
Kentucky Extension lists Campbells among the best foragers; Metzer rates them Very Good.
Eggs
Eggs per year
Eggs per hen per year

Typical yearly laying for a hen. Numbers vary widely by strain (show lines lay far fewer than farm lines), by season, and by whether lights are used in winter.

165–300[1][2][3]sources differ
Kentucky Extension's table says 200-300; Metzer's table says 165-240 for its breeders (the top assumes artificial light). Metzer's page quotes 335-340 eggs in a year from a 1950s Dutch flock and a single bird that laid 346, which are records, not what to expect.
Egg colour
Shell colour

Duck eggs are most often white, but some breeds lay pale blue-green, grey or even dark-tinted shells.

Off-white[3]
Metzer reports under 5% bluish eggs.

Quick answers

How big do Khaki Campbell ducks get?
Hens weigh about 3.5–4 lb (1.59–1.81 kg); drakes about 4–4.5 lb (1.81–2.04 kg).
How many eggs do Khaki Campbell ducks lay?
165–300 eggs a hen per year. Our sources disagree; see the notes in the facts table.
Can Khaki Campbell ducks fly?
Short hops.
Our take · our opinion, not sourced

Often a good fit for: egg production, active foraging in a garden, keepers who are patient with a jumpy duck.

A duck built for eggs

Mrs Adele Campbell introduced the breed in 1901 in Gloucestershire, England [1]. Kentucky Extension says she crossed a Runner with a Rouen, and then crossed the offspring with Mallards to add hardiness, with the aim of a duck that laid well but had a bigger body than a Runner [3]. Metzer says she was adamant that her birds were for production, and that the breed has since been developed into an exhibition type as well [1]. The Livestock Conservancy lists it on its Watch list [4].

Looks

There is one variety: khaki [3]. Metzer adds that the breed was initially a fairly mixed-colour duck and that breeders later settled on the khaki colour [1]. It is a light-class duck, small compared with the Pekin or Rouen: hens are about 3½ to 4 pounds and drakes 4 to 4½ [3].

Eggs

Egg production is the reason to keep them, and the figures are the most variable of any breed we have covered. Kentucky Extension's table says 200 to 300 eggs a year [3]. Metzer's table says 165 to 240 for its breeders, with the upper figure assuming artificial light [2]. Metzer's own page quotes far higher numbers, 335 to 340 eggs in 365 days from a 1950s flock and 346 from a single bird, citing the Jansen flock standards [1]. Those are historic figures from one selected flock and one individual bird, so we treat them as a ceiling for what the breed has done, not a promise. Kentucky Extension says Campbells can lay an egg a day for ten months [3], that the egg is off-white [3], and that using lights lets them lay through the winter [3].

Temperament

Both our sources describe an edgy duck. Kentucky Extension says Campbells and Runners tend to be nervous and flighty and will stampede when startled [3], and Metzer scores Khaki Campbells 9.0, the top of its scale of 1 to 9 [2]. That does not mean every individual is jumpy, and a duck raised by hand usually settles, but if you want a placid lap duck this is not the breed to start with. Kentucky Extension also notes that they seldom go broody, because broodiness was sacrificed for egg production [3], though Metzer rates their mothering as good [2].

Foraging and flight

Kentucky Extension lists Campbells among the best foragers, along with Magpies, Runners and bantam breeds [3], and Metzer rates their foraging as very good [2]. On flight we have only Metzer's "Maybe" [2], so check your fencing rather than assuming.

What we have not pinned down yet

We have no source we trust for how loud Khaki Campbells are, how long they live, or how they cope with heat and cold. Customer reviews on Metzer's page describe their quacking as excited and mention frozen water problems, but individual reviews are not evidence, so those rows are blank.

Compare with:CallCayugaCrestedIndian Runner

Other breed guides: Call, Cayuga, Crested, Indian Runner, Muscovy, Pekin, Rouen.

Still choosing? See our roundup of the best duck breeds for a pet, and line up an avian or exotic vet before your ducks arrive.

References

  1. [1]Metzer Farms (hatchery), Khaki Campbell Ducks. Accessed 2026-10-20.
    A sales page with customer reviews; we cite only Metzer's own text. Its 335-346 eggs a year are historic and single-bird records, not typical flocks. Silent on weight, flight and lifespan.
  2. [2]Metzer Farms (hatchery), Compare Duck Breeds. Accessed 2026-10-20.
    A hatchery's own table. Weights are Metzer's breeders during lay. Temperament scale: 1.0 very calm to 9.0 more nervous. Pekin appears only as Grimaud Hybrid and Jumbo; Runners are listed by colour, not as one row. Egg numbers: lower figure assumes no artificial light, upper assumes 17 hours of light. Its 'conservation status' column is Metzer's own, not the Livestock Conservancy's.
  3. [3]University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service (Jacquie Jacob and Tony Pescatore), Selecting Ducks (ASC-198). Accessed 2026-10-20.
    Undated. Its Table 1 covers 14 breeds and omits Ancona, Silver Appleyard, Welsh Harlequin and Saxony. Table and text disagree in places (Pekin eggs 100-180 vs 'approximately 200'; Muscovy hen 6-7 lb vs 5-6 lb). Written for meat and egg selection, not pets.
  4. [4]The Livestock Conservancy, 2026 Conservation Priority Poultry Breeds (2026). Accessed 2026-10-20.
    Lists breeds at risk. A breed that is absent (Pekin, Muscovy, Call, Crested) is simply not on the list, not rated.