Waterfowl feed for a duck that lays like a hen
The Khaki Campbell was bred to out-lay almost every other duck, and a laying Campbell works her diet as hard as a good laying hen does. Her main everyday food should be a complete waterfowl feed — a maintenance ration outside the laying season and a layer or breeder formulation while she is in lay — offered free choice from a weatherproof feeder. Ducks have a specific need that catches out keepers who simply share the chickens' pellets: niacin. Ducklings and growing ducks on feed formulated only for chickens can develop weak, bowed legs for lack of it, and adult layers also do best on a ration built for waterfowl rather than borrowed across species. If waterfowl feed is genuinely unavailable, a poultry ration supplemented for ducks is the fallback, but the formulated duck feed is the straightforward everyday answer.
Feed and water are served together
A duck eats by shovelling feed and rinsing it down, dabbling mouthfuls in water to swallow comfortably and to keep her nostrils and eyes clean. Never present a Campbell with dry feed and no water: the drinking vessel beside the feeder needs to be deep enough for her to dip her whole bill and head, refreshed often because she will turn it into soup within the hour, and that is normal duck behaviour rather than a fault to design out. Position feed and water close but on a surface that drains — a slab or mesh platform over gravel keeps the feeding area from becoming the churned mud bath Campbells will otherwise enthusiastically manufacture, which matters because feed scattered and soaked into mud is feed wasted and a hygiene problem in the making.
Calcium for a heavy laying season
A Campbell in full lay is producing an egg most days, and shell-making draws calcium at a rate her base ration should cover — a duck layer feed is formulated for it — but offering crushed oyster shell in a separate small dish gives laying females a top-up they can take at need, exactly as hens do, and drakes will largely leave it alone. Soft or thin shells in a young, otherwise thriving Campbell are your cue to check that she is on the laying ration rather than a maintenance or growers' feed, that the shell dish is present and dry, and that treats have not quietly become a large share of her day. Drakes and non-laying females do not need the layer formulation year-round; a mixed flock can be fed a waterfowl maintenance ration with shell on the side during mixed periods.
Grazing, greens, and the slug patrol
Campbells are keen, active foragers that patrol grass for slugs, snails, and insects and will graze short turf and fallen greens with real enthusiasm. That foraging is a genuine dietary contribution and excellent enrichment for a busy breed, but it varies with the season and the garden, so it tops up the formulated feed rather than replacing it — a duck that has filled up on bread and lettuce from well-meaning neighbours is a duck short of niacin, protein, and calcium despite a full crop. Keep treats leafy and duck-appropriate, scatter them on water or grass so the flock works for them, and keep the feeder as the one constant she can rely on in a bare winter run.
Legs, shells, and the signs to act on
In growing Campbells, leg weakness, reluctance to walk, or bowed legs are a niacin warning to take seriously and promptly — review the feed first and involve an avian or poultry vet, because early cases respond far better than established deformity. In adults, sudden appetite loss, a dropped tail posture, straining, or a laying collapse can signal an egg problem or illness and merits prompt veterinary advice rather than diet experiments. Store duck feed dry and fresh, since this flock eats at the water's edge and damp, musty feed compounds quickly. Daily duck jobs divide cleanly between keepers, and KinsLe's Care Teams can assign Campbell feeding, head-dipping water changes, and shell checks by name, each finished task carrying its timestamp.