Last Spring I ordered some Khaki Campbell ducklings. I got 6 hens and a drake. Later in the summer I bought another pair from a friend. So I now have 7 hens and 2 drakes. I waited impatiently for eggs. I am not sure when they started laying exactly because I had to keep the LGD in with them because of the severe fox problem we were having and bottom line he is an egg sucking thief. However, I decided it was a small price to pay for keeping my poultry alive. Occasionally I would beat him to an egg or two that I found laying on the ground.
One day they got smart and started laying in the hen house! Oh my goodness and lay they have. Even on the darkest, coldest days when no chicken would even consider laying, I would get at least 2 eggs a day. Most days it was 5 or so. Now all the ladies are laying and the eggs are piling up fast.
Duck eggs are bigger than chicken eggs but taste the same as far as we can tell. I plan to hatch some this spring and add to the flock. I also plan to do a trail run allowing them in the garden and see how they do on bug control. (keep you posted on that one!)
Recently I read a book called Secret Livestock of Survival by Rick Austin. He prefers ducks to chickens and says the Khaki Campbell will lay around 320 eggs a year! I am very happy we decided to add them to the homestead.
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