Descriptions of the Breeds We Have

Developed by Adele Campbell in England in 1901, this small brown duck is credited with being the most productive egg layer of all birds (including chickens!). With good management Campbell Ducks will begin to lay at between 17-20 weeks of age and will produce from 300 to over 340 eggs per year for as much as three years. The eggs are pearly white or cream coloured and weigh 600-900 grams per dozen.

As with any other animal expected to produce, these ducks require good quality feed (unmedicated), but if given the opportunity they will forage for weeds and insects to supplement their diet. For continued top egg production they only need modest housing, such as a draft free shed with clean bedding.

Many people consider the Khaki Campbell to be the most practical bird for the home flock. As well as laying fine quality eggs in large numbers, authentic Campbells are very hardy, excellent foragers, provide good meat, and are even quite pretty. Birds not required for laying or breeding can be butchered as 9-10 or 16-20 weeks, and should yield high quality 3-4 lb. low fat roasters.

Canadian Notes: Our Campbells have grown to be among our oldest birds : We have one old drake who is now (2003) 15 years old. In the winter we get cold spells that dip to -40 and since our birds do not have additional heat, their production in terms of egg-laying is somewhat lower. Typically, we've found that the Campbells will stop laying when the temperatures drop below -20 C (0 Fahrenheit) for more than a day or two.

Appearance: Campbells are a medium small duck (5-6 pounds) with a streamlined appearance and an elevated carriage. They are alert and active, though not flighty.

Drakes normally have greenish-bronze head and rump, while the remainder of the animal is khaki brown colour with darker wind speculums. The bill is greenish-blue and the legs and feet are orange-brown.

Ducks should be a fairly even shade of khaki brown throughout, often with a slightly darker head. Their bills should be brownish-black, with brown legs and feet. Ducklings are varying shades of khaki green with almost black bills, legs, and feet. (They look like army-issue ducklings!) There should be NO white feathers anywhere on the bird.

Always be sure that you acquire purebred Campbells specifically selected for top egg production, because indiscriminate or inattentive breeding can cause production to deteriorate. Keep in mind that vigour and productivity should always take priority over colour.

More information at: http://www.albc-usa.org/waterfowl/campbell_duck.htm

More images in our photo album.

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A relative newcomer to the duck clan, this big, colourful duck was developed in England and is still relatively uncommon in North America, although it has gained considerably in popularity in the last dozen years. Silver Appleyards are a triple purpose breed that produces from 220 to 265 large white eggs per year, at 800-1200 grams per dozen; they should have a mature weight of 6-8 pounds; and they are also very picturesque. They have a calm disposition ad are active foragers. Some ducks have proven to be good setters.

Appearance: Silver Appleyards are often described as looking like glorified, or frosted mallards.

Drakes have greenish-black heads and rumps and a distinct white neck ring. The breast, sides, and flanks are a reddish chestnut colour highlighted by white frosting and lacing. The underbody is creamy or silvery white, while the wings and back are silver-grey edged and frosted with white. The bill is greenish orange and the legs and feet are orange. We have found that young drakes still in their juvenile colours almost always have only grey and white on their heads, while young females typically have noticeable amounts of brown or tan.

Ducks are predominantly white or cream coloured, with varying amounts of grey, silver and fawn flecking and penciling. They should have obvious eye-brow markings. The bill, legs, and feet should be orange. Both sexes should have brilliant blue wing speculums and dark toe-nails.

Ducklings are yellow to tan in colour with varying amounts of silver or grey frosting and shading. They often have a dark grey 'stripe' down their backs that looks like their hair's been dyed but dark roots are coming back in. Bills should be pinkish but may have some dark spots or patches. Very dark or green bills often indicates that they will have dark bills as adults.

More information at: http://www.albc-usa.org/waterfowl/silver_appleyard_ducks.htm

More images in our photo album.

The Chinook Ancona is not currently a recognized breed. [The photo to the left is of a flock of Purebred Anconas, which are the primary contributors.]

Mink Hollow Farm is in the process of developing this new variety, which is showing some promise as a northern hardy bird. Ancona ducks date back to the first third of the last century, and were developed in England. Several years ago, we raised some Ancona crosses, and discovered that these birds continued to lay eggs through the cold weather even when our other birds had stopped. We've introduced some Khaki Campbell, Silver Appleyard, and Saxony ducks into this strain, and are keeping the best of their offspring - all of which retain the “pinto” markings, upright carriage, and other desireable characteristics of their Ancona beginnings.

Ducks have proven to be very devoted mothers.

Appearance: Currently, the size varies quite dramatically from about 5-10 pounds with the larger sizes preferred. They lay extra large white, blue, or spotted eggs.

Both Drakes and Ducks look similar. The black variety should be inky or iridescent black. Iridescence does not necessarily indicate it's a male. Chocolates are brown, Blues are steel grey; Lavenders are light grey; and the Tricolors may carry either Black & chocolate; Blue and chocolate; or Lavender and light brown. Markings should be as evenly spaced as possible (but without the solid hood and saddle that is characteristic of Magpie Ducks), with markings on the head and breast desirable. They should carry no less than 25% colour, nor more than 75% colour. Some may display a moderate crest on the top of their head.

Ducklings are yellow with the markings and colours they will carry as adults already visible in their down. Their bills and feet should be spotted also.

More information at: http://www.albc-usa.org/waterfowl/ancona.htm

More images in our photo album.

Africans are believed to be the giant cousin of the China Goose, and indeed their colouring is almost identical. Both seem to originate from the Asiatic Swan goose, rather than the European Greylag, which is the ancestor of most other domestic geese. In Africans, both sexes should give the appearance of being massive and imposing. Mature Africans should have a well-developed forward inclining knob on top of their bills, and a smooth crescent shaped dewlap hanging from the lower jaw and upper neck. They are stately and typically non-aggressive, but do have a tendency to be more vociferous than other geese. Their unique voices are deep and melodious, and we have found their alert call to be rather comical - they don't quite honk like other geese, but rather call a very distinct “doink”.

Although the males tend to be quite aggressive with each other, we have found these dignified looking birds to be gentle with people, even when nesting.

Well bred goslings grow extremely quickly, with top quality stock reaching 16-20 pounds by 16-18 weeks. Raised primarily on grass, one of our Christmas geese weighed in at 23 pounds by 20 weeks of age and dressed out at an impressive 16 pounds! Mature males will range from 18-25 pounds, with females typically being somewhat smaller. Africans are known to be leaner than most other breeds and are considered to be among the finest roasting geese. They are moderate layers, with 30-35 eggs per season being the norm, but some have produced upwards of 60 eggs in a single season. They prefer to be outdoors in all weather and so should be provided with adequate wind shelter, as well as sufficient bedding to keep their feet from freezing in winter.

Appearance: Africans should be large and blocky in every respect, but with clean lines which include no keel and preferably no paunch. Both sexes have black bills and knobs, with a well-defined stripe running from the bill down the centre-back of the neck. The rest of the head, neck, and breast are a light fawn. The shoulders and flanks are medium-dark brown, and each feather should be edged with light fawn. The under tail is creamy white. Ganders should be noticeably larger, and have more prominent knobs and dewlaps than the geese, while the goose should be somewhat more refined without loosing her overall massive appearance. Goslings should have black bills from birth. They have greenish-yellow down with slate grey backs and some grey shading on the head.

More information at: http://www.albc-usa.org/waterfowl/africangoose.htm

More images in our photo album.

Although many believe this goose got it's name from the pilgrim settlers, it is actually named after a more personal “pigrimage” made by the developer (Oscar Grow) and his family during the depression, when they moved from Iowa to Missouri.

Pilgrims are the only recognized breed of goose that can be sexed at any age purely by colour. They typically weigh 12-14 pounds at maturity with only a slight difference between males and females. Young birds from good stock grow fast, often weighing 10-12 pounds at 10 weeks of age. Their temperament is usually quite docile, and they make very devoted parents. Young geese often reproduce well in their first year and when mature can be expected to lay between 35-45 white eggs annually.

The males are white (although they may have a few grey flecks and may have a grey back under their wings. Their bills, feet, and legs are orange, while their eyes are always blue. Females are a soft dove grey, also with orange bills, legs, and feet, but with brown eyes. Some white is allowed on the face and head - which often increases with age. Goslings should be easily sexed by colour alone - often before they are completely out of the egg! Baby ganders should have pink or orange bills, and be a pale silvery-yellow, while the females should have dark bills and be more olive-grey. It is extremely important to maintain this auto-sexing feature and so only clearly distinguishable goslings should be raised for breeding stock.

More information at: http://www.albc-usa.org/waterfowl/pilgrim_goose.htm

More images in our photo album.

For more about Guineas See “The Guinea Collective”

Guinea Fowl originated in Africa and remain virtually unchanged. They are a primitive bird that thrives in flocks of at least a dozen. Any less and we have found that they lack the survival skills they need in this country. They are said to taste like pheasant - and indeed the meat is very tasty without being overly gamey. Guineas are very social birds with an extremely strong sense of “order” - anything out of the ordinary will cause them to start their alarm call. Guineas can make noise all out of proportion to their size! We find them to be quite amusing, but they are noisy, and they grow quite slowly. They tend to be late season layers, often not starting to lay until early summer. Hiding their eggs seems to be one of their great talents, so if you want to collect them, be sure to confine your birds. Their eggs are small, tan to white, and spotted.

They fly very well and prefer to roost off the ground at night. Although they are good broodies, they tend to be forgetful mothers, and rarely manage to raise their own babies (at least not around here!) They are available in many colour varieties but we only have Pearl (which are the black ones) and Lavender. All varieties have intricately spotted feathers.

As they are such late season birds, we unfortunately rarely have guinea hatching eggs for schools.

More images in our photo album.