Start with identity inside a flock
A Khaki Campbell is usually one bird among several, so the first record must separate this duck from its companions. Write down where the duck came from, its age as far as you know it, its sex, and the flock it is joining, with a clear photo of the khaki-brown plumage, bill colour and leg colour. Note any band or marking you use to tell this bird apart at feeding time, because notes are worthless attached to the wrong duck. Record the laying history the seller describes, whether the bird arrived in lay, in moult or still growing, and what feed it was eating before the move, so early notes can be read against that starting point.
Make the daily egg count the centrepiece
Egg logging is the record a Khaki Campbell is really kept for, and it works best started on the first morning rather than reconstructed later. Count eggs collected each day, note where they were laid, and mark soft, thin, dirty or misshapen shells when they appear, since shell quality often changes before laying stops altogether. Write down which nest areas this duck favours and whether eggs are being hidden in bedding or around the run, a common reason a count drops while the bird is actually still laying. Read the count alongside feed, daylight and disturbance notes. A Khaki Campbell whose tally falls after a flock move, a predator scare or a feed change tells a different story from one whose laying fades alongside weight loss, and your log is what separates those two situations.
Record feed, grit and water honestly
Feed records for a Khaki Campbell should cover more than the bag you bought. Note the main ration, how much is actually eaten, access to grit and crushed shell, greens and treats, and any feeder competition from bolder flock mates that leaves a quieter duck short. Water deserves its own line: ducks need water deep enough to clean their bills and eyes, so log refills, frozen or fouled drinkers, and how much time the flock gets at a larger water source. If this duck's eyes look dull, its bill stays dirty or it eats eagerly but loses condition, those small entries help a vet judge whether the problem sits in the ration, the water setup or the bird itself, so seek advice early when several signs appear together.
Follow moult, movement and flock behaviour
Moult notes explain many Khaki Campbell mysteries, because a bird replacing feathers usually lays less and may look scruffy while remaining perfectly well. Record when feathers start dropping, which areas look bare, and when laying resumes, so next season's moult is recognised quickly instead of worried over. Add behaviour entries: how this duck ranks in the flock, whether it is chased from feeders, how confidently it walks, and any limping, wet feather or reluctance to enter water. A Khaki Campbell who stops keeping up with the flock, sits hunched away from the others or goes off feed needs a vet promptly, and a written note of when that change began carries far more weight than a worried guess at the appointment.
Keep the duck file useful to someone else
Whoever collects eggs while you are away needs the same clarity you rely on yourself. Write which eggs to keep or discard, where feed and grit are stored, how water is refreshed, and which flock member needs watching at feeding time. Keep seller paperwork, vet visit notes and your own seasonal summaries in order behind the daily pages, so the whole Khaki Campbell story can be followed without shuffling loose sheets. Stored together in the KinsLe Pet Passport, those records travel as one packet from your kitchen table to a vet visit or a neighbour's egg-collecting round.