Start the Khaki Campbell check down at bill height
A Khaki Campbell escapes low, so crouch to her eye level and walk the full perimeter of the run slowly. This slim laying breed is noticeably lighter and narrower than a heavy table duck, and a gap that looks harmless from standing height can be wide enough for a Campbell to push her head through, wriggle her shoulders after it, and pop out the other side. Any panel that bows outward under light pressure will bow much further under a determined duck working the same spot repeatedly through the day.
Pay special attention to the bottom six inches of the fence line. Khaki Campbells forage constantly, dabbling and probing along edges, and that daily bill work loosens staples, lifts mesh skirts, and worries small openings into duck-sized ones. If the edge lifts enough to fit your fingers underneath, a Campbell can get her bill under it and lever the rest open over time.
Corners, joins and the spots a flighty layer tests most
Corners are where a Khaki Campbell run most often fails, because two fence runs meeting at an angle rarely sit as tight as a straight stretch. Check that corner posts have mesh wrapped around them rather than two ends simply butted together, leaving a vertical slot. A nervous, flighty Campbell startled by a dog, a hawk shadow, or a loud noise will run for a corner and push hard into exactly that slot, and her narrow body needs very little room.
Outside the run, clear brush piled against the fence, since a heap of branches gives a light Campbell a ramp. Khaki Campbells cannot sustain real flight, but they can flutter and scramble several feet upward when panicked, and a low fence beside a launch pad is an escape route even if the same fence elsewhere is safe.
Gates and latches a Khaki Campbell owner should test twice
Test the Khaki Campbell gate as a duck experiences it, not as a person does. Close it, then push and pull at its bottom corner, because Campbells gather at the gate at feeding time and mill against it. The gap underneath is the classic failure: ground that was level when the gate was hung settles, is scratched away by foraging bills, or washes out in rain, opening a slot a slim duck slips under while you are carrying feed buckets and not looking down.
Work the latch with one wet, muddy hand, the way you will actually use it in winter. If it can bounce open when the gate is bumped, or if it only catches when lifted into place, replace it with a two-action latch that needs a deliberate lift and pull. Add a simple self-closing spring if the gate is ever left swinging by children or visitors, and hang a carabiner through the latch as a backup on windy days when a light gate rattles in its frame.
A weekly routine that catches gaps before a Campbell does
Build the Khaki Campbell fence check into a weekly circuit, and add an extra pass after storms, after any digging work near the run, and after moving feeders or pools, since shifted equipment often reveals or creates a gap.
Finish each check from outside the run, looking back in. From that side you will spot daylight through holes, sagging mesh, and gate gaps that the inside view hides. If a Campbell does get out despite careful checking, she will usually stay near cover and water rather than travelling far, so search hedges, ditches, and pond edges first and call as you go. For that first urgent hour, KinsLe's Lost Pet Alert System lets you send a free alert to nearby Circle of Love members, and anyone who finds your Campbell can message you directly through KinsLe.