Key Characteristics

Campbells are lively and are good foragers, helping to make short work of slugs and snails in the garden. Like many of our breeds, there are a great many birds around which are called Campbells but few which would conform to the actual breed standard. 

• The Khaki is, as its name suggests, an even shade of warm khaki with pencilling on the breast. The drake should have a green-bronze head and the duck a slightly darker shade of khaki to the body. The drake should have a dark greenish-blue bill and orange legs and feet, the duck a dark slate bill.
• The white is pure white throughout, with orange bill and legs and grey-blue eyes. Unfortunately, many white ducks, if not called Aylesbury, are referred to as White Campbells, and this has rather spoiled the image of this colour form. Birds are seen with poor type or bill colour.
• The Dark Campbell drake will have a black head with green iridescence and a body which is grey-brown, the duck is brown overall with darker pencilling. 

History

• One of the first, and certainly the most successful, of the utility breeds designed in the 20th century from the Indian Runner, the Campbell largely took over as the top egg-laying duck. 
• The breed was created by Mrs Adele Campbell using a Rouen drake, a Fawn and White Runner duck and some Wild Duck blood. 
• Originally, they were intended as a utility breed but when a number of breeders wanted to show their birds, a breed standard was drawn up. 
• Later, the White and Dark varieties were developed. 

Uses

The Campbell is one of the top egg laying duck breeds with some utility strains producing as many as 300 eggs a year from one duck.

Did you know?

Mrs Campbell’s Original Campbell ducks were not khaki at all. They quite closely resembled Abacot Rangers. It was not until about 1901 when she tried to produce buff coloured birds, and failed, that the Khaki variety emerged.

Breed Societies

For more information visit the British Waterfowl Association.