Prepare a Pen She Cannot Slip Out of or Be Taken From
A Khaki Campbell duck arriving at a new home needs a pen that is secure at ground level, because ducks push under loose edges rather than over fences. Before she arrives, pin the mesh skirt down, check the shelter door latches, and set a drinker she can dip her whole bill into, since ducks rinse their nostrils in water as they drink. Add a shallow bathing dish only once she is calm; a stressed duck that panics in deep water can exhaust herself. Carry her in with both hands supporting her body, set her down inside the shelter doorway, and step away so her first memory of the pen is quiet.
Let Her Watch Resident Ducks Through Mesh First
A Khaki Campbell should meet existing ducks through mesh for the first few days, not in open ground. She is a light, quick, alert breed, and a resident flock will chase a stranger that appears suddenly in their run, driving her into corners and off her feed. Side-by-side pens let everyone study each other while eating in parallel, which for ducks is a strong peace signal. When you do mix them, do it in the morning in the largest space you have, scatter feed widely so nobody guards a single dish, and stay nearby until the chasing settles into ordinary flock movement.
Feed a Layer's Diet From the First Evening
Khaki Campbells are bred as prolific layers, so a settling hen needs her laying diet available from the first evening rather than treats and scraps. Scatter some feed on the ground near the shelter so she finds it while exploring, keep the main feeder in one fixed spot she can learn, and provide a separate small dish of crushed shell so she can take extra calcium when she wants it. Watch that she actually eats; a nervous duck may drink plenty but pick at feed for a day. Fresh greens are fine as a small extra once she is feeding confidently, floated on her bathing water where she can dabble for them.
Keep Handling Slow, Low, and Brief
Handle a new Khaki Campbell as little as her welfare allows in the first week. Approach her from the side at her own height rather than reaching down from above, which reads to a duck as a swooping predator and sends the whole pen scattering. If you must catch her for a check, herd her gently into the shelter corner, lift her with a hand under the breast and one over the wings, and keep it under a minute. Look her over for mites around the vent, check her feet for sores from hard ground, and note her weight in your hands so you have a baseline if she ever feels light later.
Watch Appetite, Droppings, and Egg Laying
A settling Khaki Campbell should be busy, bright, and foraging within a day or two, even if laying pauses during the move. Note her droppings, which vary with diet but should not be bloody or persistently watery with her looking hunched and fluffed. Call a veterinarian with poultry experience if she stops eating, breathes with her bill open at rest, limps on a swollen foot, or stays hidden and still while the others feed, because ducks hide illness until it is advanced. An early relationship with a vet who sees birds is worth building before an emergency forces the search.
Teach Her the Evening Routine Everyone Follows
Ducks settle into a home by learning one evening routine: called in, fed, counted, and shut safely into the shelter. Keep the call, the route, and the shutting-in time the same each night, and she will soon walk herself in ahead of you. Because several household members often share duck chores, the details that matter, like which pen she sleeps in and whether she laid that morning, need to live in one shared record rather than in memory. KinsLe Family Sharing puts this Khaki Campbell's profile and daily notes where every helper can see them, so her routine holds steady whoever locks up.