That's what I'm here for, your entertainmentIn fact, I believe that was part of my marriage vows: To have and to hold, in life and in death, etc, so long as I can laugh at him.
....its like that here too ..."so long as I can laugh at him "
We ordered ours from Ideal Hatchery out of Missouri...I believe it was around Joplin or Springfield.....the one thing about KCs is that they are naturally skittish....I really like bonding with my animals and always prefer to raise them from young to maturity, so they are use to me and a routine as they grow....cause ya never are quite sure how or what others have done with them previously.....if ya wish to handle them, I'd go with the hatchlings so they would grow use to that somewhat...especially with the children....just so they don't get freaked out having the jumping, running, and noises of them scaring the ducks....they do grow very quickly and ya will see changes in their size overnight....the best thing to do with older KCs is to go about your business, ignoring them....they will be very attentive to what ya are doing and before ya know it they will be right beside ya chattering away....they are not the extremely loud quakers most expect....if they get loud it usually signals something strange is around or they feel threatened.....they will start laying at 17-20wks and will avg between 300-320eggs per year....if ya wish to raise them, then ya need to have a drake for every 3-4 hens for assurance of fertilization....we found this out from experience as we only had 1 drake for 10hens....if ya get them now they would be okay to brood outside after the first couple of wks, to help with the mess and for easir cleanup line their brooding area with an old shower curtain liner under some hay substrate....we used the cabinet liner that looks like netting for their footing and to keep their sharp like nails from putting holes in the liner....I do have pics that I can post if ya wish to see what I'm talking about....just let me know....but, if ya get day olds, just try to get them from closeby so they are not so traumatized by the shipping....others may have better breed "genetics", but if they aren't being shown or bred for hi $ sales, then it really doesn't make much difference....especially on a "learning flock"....your kids will really get a kick out of watching them, for sure!!.....and ya will be laughing more at them....than at Mystang.....
... to you both.
