Khaki duck: breed description and characteristics, breeding rules and diet

The breed, bred at the beginning of the 19th century, is still popular, valued for good productivity, non-capriciousness in maintenance and nutrition. Khaki duck is kept for the sake of obtaining eggs and dietary meat containing little fat. Birds reared for slaughter are considered medium heavy, slaughter weight reaches 3 kg. To obtain such carcasses, it is necessary to provide livestock with room for walking, a high-calorie and balanced diet.

The history of the breed

Created the khaki breed at the end of the 19th century by the English farmer Adele Campbell. The duck, originally bred not for exhibitions and sales, but for the sake of obtaining products for its own consumption, received a double name - khaki campbell.The second word is the owner's last name. The first reflects the unusual color of the feathers - brown with a greenish tint. This color was the English military uniform of those times.

Miss Campbell wanted to create a breed more productive in the meat and egg direction. The farmer crossed an Indian runner, which is distinguished by its high egg production, with a Rouen meat duck. The resulting hybrid offspring were crossed with the mulard duck, a meat breed characterized by good muscle mass with a minimum fat content.

The result was the appearance of birds with greenish-brown plumage. The hostess did not like the khaki color very much. She recrossed her offspring with an Indian runner to get individuals with a different plumage color.

Appearance and characteristics of khaki Campbell duck

Today Campbell drakes come in 4 colors:

• white;
• colorful;
• dark brown;
• khaki (greenish brown).

The color of females is dark or light sandy. In khaki drakes, the brown color of the head is darker than the rest of the body. The iris is dark brown, the beak is light gray.

Description of the Khaki breed is given in the table: on a thin and long neck, stretched out while running chest narrow

Limbspaws not widely spaced, wings undeveloped, not adapted for flightBird weightdrakes - up to 3 kg, females - up to 2.5 kgEgg production250-350 eggs per yearEgg weight

70-80g

The khaki breed belongs to the meat and egg direction. Despite the average size, the duck is productive, because it has a thin skeleton, up to 90% of the slaughter weight falls on muscle tissue.Young individuals reach slaughter weight by 4 months of age, with good care they weigh up to 2.5 kg. A duck starts laying at the age of 6 months.

From an Indian runner, the khaki duck got the ability to stand upright for fast running.

The character of the birds is determined by the quality of the content. With crowding, crowding, lack of food, the khaki duck shows aggression and anxiety. Space and plenty of food make the bird calm and conflict-free.

Pros and cons

Pros and consdietary juicy meat with a delicate taste and a low percentage of fathigh egg productionactivity, mobilitynon-aggressive, non-confrontational behaviorinability to flygrazing opportunitiesquick adaptation to the climate and any environmental conditionsthe need for a reservoir for a comfortable life of birdsweak manifestation of maternal instinct in femalesrearing ducklings only by the incubator method

Features of maintenance and care

According to poultry farmers, the khaki duck breed is not capricious in content. Suitable for cultivation in both southern and northern regions. The main thing to do to make the birds feel comfortable is to build spacious aviaries for walking, make an artificial reservoir if there is no natural one near the dwelling.

Spacious paddock

Duck Campbell cannot live in cramped conditions, withers, becomes nervous. The best way to keep livestock is pasture. The aviary is built closed, but spacious. No more than 3 individuals should live on 1 m^{2. Moreover, the khaki duck gets along without problems with other poultry, provided there is enough space.}

It is unacceptable to keep khaki birds in dampness, in a draft, sharp temperature fluctuations should not be allowed. To prevent bird diseases, it is important to properly prepare and cover the floor in the aviary.

Slaked lime is used to disinfect the floor. Then lined with any of the following materials:

• sawdust;
• dried cornstalks;
• straw;
• sunflower husk.

The thickness of the litter should be 20-30 cm. Change the cover every 2 weeks.

Pond

For birds it is necessary to equip a pond. The pool and basin are not suitable options for the Khaki breed. The pond should be spacious, allowing the duck to swim freely. Well, if the reservoir is natural. In it, the khaki duck not only wets its feathers, but feeds: it nibbles on algae and coastal vegetation, and it catches small fish, molluscs, and plankton.

Self-aquatic feeding of Campbell birds reduces the cost of feeding by 30%.

Feeding

To maintain maximum egg and meat productivity of the Campbell breed, it is necessary to make a balanced and high-calorie duck diet. It should include:

• fresh grass;
• boiled root crops (potatoes, carrots, Jerusalem artichoke, beets);
• vegetable leaves;
• whole and crushed grains (oatmeal, barley, wheat);
• broad beans;
• compound feed;
• whey;
• bone meal, fish and meat waste;
• sources of minerals (chalk, eggshell, shell rock).

Food should be a wet homogeneous mash seasoned with whey or meat brew. Large pieces need to be crushed so that the duck does not choke.

Poultry

The completed poultry house should be:

• well ventilated;
• spacious;
• draught-proof;
• heated during colder months;
• clean.

The duck dwelling is either connected to central heating, or they make a separate stove or boiler system that runs on wood, coal, electricity.

Feeders

Campbell duck eats casually, scattering food, so it is advisable to install a wide feeder. To put wet mixers, metal containers are required (at least 15 cm long per individual). And for dry food, wooden feeders are installed (from 6 cm per individual).

Drinkers

Water should be available around the clock. The drinker is placed near the feeder, the water is regularly topped up. An individual should account for at least 2 cm of the length of the drinker.

Nests

Nests are made as many as individuals rush. The floor is insulated, bedding made of hay or sawdust is used. There should be partitions between the nests so that the duck does not accidentally crush the neighbor's eggs. It is advisable to equip the nest cell with an opening lid so that the khaki laying duck feels calm.

Poultry breeding rules

The khaki duck becomes sexually mature at 6 months of age. Due to the underdevelopment of the maternal instinct, a mother turns out to be bad from her. The duck rarely stays in the nest for the allotted time. Therefore, the use of an incubator is indispensable.

Eggs laid by duck khaki are in the incubator for 28 days. Eggs are taken for growing:

• issued up to 5 days ago;
• pre-incubated at about 12°C;
• standard size;
• no dents, cracks, dirty spots.

Eggs are disinfected with a manganese solution. During the incubation process, the following temperature conditions are observed:

• 1st week - temperature 38.1-38.3°C, humidity 70%;
• 2nd week - 37.8°C, 60%;
• 15-25th day - similar indicators, eggs are opened daily for 10 minutes;
• from day 26 until hatching - temperature 37.5 °C, humidity 90%.

In the first 3 stages, the eggs are turned over 3 times a day so that they warm up evenly.

The room in which the khaki ducks are located should be warm and well lit. In the first week, lighting should be around the clock, then the duration of daylight hours is gradually reduced. For 3-week-old chicks, 9 hours of light is sufficient.

The temperature regime for khaki ducklings should be:

• first 5 days - 30 °C;
• 6-10 days - 26 °C;
• 11-15th - 24°C;
• 16th-21st - 22°C.

Feed newborn ducklings khaki boiled egg. Further, the diet includes cottage cheese, fresh grass, corn and millet porridge.

Frequent diseases

With proper care, the khaki duck is not prone to getting sick, has a strong immune system. Under unfavorable conditions, livestock may be affected by infectious and non-infectious pathologies, of which the most common are:

1. Prolapse of the oviduct in young individuals. The problem arises from the formation of irregularly shaped eggs, which is associated with lack of care and feeding.
2. Cloacite - inflammation of the mucous membranes and lower intestinal tract due to lack of vitamins.
3. Avitaminosis is a serious deficiency of vitamins, in which the duck lags behind in growth and development.
4. Helminthiasis due to poor cleanliness in the house or poor quality feed.
5. Pasteurellosis, hepatitis - infectious diseases that carry a mortal danger to birds that occur when using low-quality feed.

For the prevention of these diseases, it is necessary to provide the birds with high-quality, balanced nutrition, regularly change the water in the drinking bowl and clean the house. Crowding of birds and temperature changes should not be allowed.

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