Campbell

Origin:  English

Category:  Light Breed Duck

Egg Colour:  White

Sitter:  Yes

The Campbell Duck is a light laying breed with an excellent reputation for numbers and quality of eggs.

Mrs Campbell, the originator of the breed, wished to produce a useful, actively foraging, moderate-sized, good looking duck, capable of producing a large number of good sized pearly white eggs.

The Khaki Campbell duck was introduced by Mr Campbell, in the year 1901 as a purely utility egg duck. The goal was was to introduce a laying duck that would turn out many really good pure white eggs per year. It was to be a bird which would be hardy and capable of laying a large number of eggs during the worst month of the year, as well as in the glut season. The Khaki Campbell is now known the world over, and is held in high est com by all who keep them.

Campbells have become a regular at poultry shows and are also good sitters and rearers.

GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS

The main characteristic of the Khaki Campbell Duck is its wonderful power of egg production. Other characteristics are: The pearly white colour of the eggs, its extreme hardiness, the delicate flavour and quality of the meat and the serviceable and useful colour of the plumage which does not easily show discoloration through mud and rain.

The Campbell is a bird of medium size, with a nice cobby body - the carriage of the body is just normal; they are of a quiet temperament, and when handled and managed are not wild.

In type the Campbell is distinctive. Taking the general outline in both sexes, the head is carried high, with shoulders higher than saddle, and with the back showing a gentle slant from shoulders to saddle. The neck is of medium length and almost erect, yet gracefully moulded. The chest is well rounded and prominent and, with the underline from chest and stern being somewhat rounded, the whole body appears compact or slightly compressed, while retaining depth throughout, especially from shoulders to chest and from middle of back through to thighs. The legs are not too far back, so that good abdominal capacity is noted in the rear without excessive sagginess in the ducks.

While aiming at good body size emphasis must be placed upon quality or refinement in general. By this is meant neat bone, sleeky, silky feathers, smooth textured face, refined head points etc with absence of coarseness, sluggishness etc.

CARRIAGE: Alert, slightly upright and symmetrical; head and shoulders carried proudly; legs medium in length and well apart to allow of good abdominal development, not too far back.

HEAD: Bill proportionate, medium in length, depth and width, well set in a straight line with top of skull. Head refined in jaw and skull.

EYES: Full, bold and bright, showing alertness and expression, high up in skull and prominent.

BODY: Deep, wide and compact. Front broad and well rounded. Back wide, flat and medium in length, gently sloping with shoulders higher than saddle. Abdomen well developed at rear of legs but not sagging. Underline of Breast and stern well rounded to permit depth through body at shoulders and from back to thighs.

WINGS: Carried close and rather high.

TAIL: Short and small, rising slightly with usual curled feathers in drake's tail.

PLUMAGE: Tight and silky.

COLOUR

COLOUR OF KHAKI DRAKE

In colour the drake is a very striking bird when compared with the ducks.

HEAD: Head, neck, stern and wing-bar (speculum) green bronze.

BODY: Remainder of body an even shade of warm khaki that naturally becomes a lighter shade at the bottom of the breast. A clear difference between the green bronze of the head and neck and the khaki of the remainder of the body to be seen.

LEGS AND FEET: dark orange.

BILL: a dark greenish blue.

EYES: Brown

COLOUR OF KHAKI DUCK

The plumage of the duck should be a nice even shade of rich khaki, colour as even as possible.

HEAD: Plain khaki

BODY: Back and wings pencilled very finely with a darker shade of khaki (closer to brown). Breast so lightly pencilled that it can only be seen on close examination.

WINGS: Khaki slightly darker. Greyish brown underneath.

BILL: Dark slate (Appleyard describes it as greenish black)

LEGS AND FEET: As near body colour as possible

EYES: Brown

WHITE CAMPBELL

The White Campbell was a white sport from the Khaki variety. In the white variety both drake and duck have entirely white plumage.

PLUMAGE: Complete white throughout

BILL: Orange

LEGS & FEET: Orange

EYES: Grey-blue

Any coloured feathers in the plumage of a White Campbell is considered to be a fault. Any dark markings on the bill of a white is considered to be a fault. Excessive weight or coarseness is a serious defect

WEIGHTS

4.5 lb for birds in laying condition in their prime.

SCALE OF POINTS

Points given by Reginald Appleyard

• Type (shape and carriage - 25

• Colour - 25

• Quality or refinement - 15

• Head points - 10

• Size and symmetry - 10

• Condition - 10

• Legs and feet - 5

SERIOUS DEFECTS

• Yellow bill

• Presence of white bib or ring

• Light coloured or orange bill

• Dark legs and feet

• Presence of eye stripe or mallard marking

• Any deformity

See Disqualifications

SOURCES

• Australian Poultry Standards 2nd edition

• The Australasian (Melbourne, Vic. : Sat 18 Jun 1927) Page 20

THE KHAKI CAMPBELL DUCK. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article140735909

• Ducks by Reginald Appleyard