Hector's World: Adventures and Mayhem at Mountain View Poultry (or Sequel to The Evolution of Atlas

[speckledhen]

I was hesitant to put Dru and Wynette's eggs under there with Jill's. I mean, it will be dicey trying to ID them from each other, but I have never had much opportunity to get anything from Wynette and almost never from Druscilla-she is the one I am most interested in at the moment, coming out of Dottie with Rex #1. I'll figure it out. Seemed too weird to put 5 eggs from just Jill under there. Ro's would be crushed by Bonnie, I'm sure. Hers need an incubator.

 

[speckledhen]

Time for new Hector pics. First of all, Zara and Athena still go back to their own pen, but they roam with Hector, Thea and Rowena. They pick on semi-broody Thea quite a bit. Again today, I tried to let them stay out when I put Hector back and let Atlas's group out. Atlas tried to kill Athena. He really hates those two hens! I think he associates them with Apollo, or maybe he just plain hates them for no reason I can understand. But, nope, not happening.

So, Hector! @1muttsfan Mary, here's your boy!

 

[speckledhen]

Hey, Hector fans! @1muttsfan
@GingersHuman @Wyatt0224

Thinking ahead and, as Mary would say, counting my chickens before they hatch, but I'm thinking what to do with the five BRs, if they do hatch. Three are Jill's, one is Druscilla's, one is Wynette's. I don't think I will keep a male of either line, certainly not from Atlas's two hens, but if I have pullets, one from Jill and one from either Wynette or Dru, I ought to keep those with an eye toward Hector's future girls. What do you think? Rowena herself could be a carrier of the dwarf gene, no idea if she is or not, but of course, her eggs are not strong enough to put under a big bottom broody like my Brahmas anyway. Hector needs another hen or two for the future.

 

[Wyatt0224]

In my opinion, you should keep at least one for Hector so you can explore breeding options in the future.

 

[speckledhen]

In my opinion, you should keep at least one for Hector so you can explore breeding options in the future.

I agree. I know I still have Zara and Athena, however, I now know for a fact that one or both of them carries a dwarf gene so I'm hesitant to even hatch from them even with Hector. They run with him just so he has more girls to keep the pressure off the three that live with him all the time, which is another reason that Rowena is in there.

And though I don't like to think about it, a fox has been lurking lately. If I lose someone, best to have more girls for him. If I lose Atlas, of course, he could move in with the pure Stukel hens.

 

[GingersHuman]

Yes, more girls for Hector! In the future, you could put a couple of Rowena's eggs in the incubator at the same time you set some under a hen, then if they hatch, sneak them under the hen at night with her new hatchlings

 

[Wyatt0224]

That is a shame about the fox. At least you know your barn is secure and you have faithful roosters. If you were to cross Hector with Zara and Athena, would Hectors new blood eliminate the dwarf gene?

 

[speckledhen]

Yes, more girls for Hector! In the future, you could put a couple of Rowena's eggs in the incubator at the same time you set some under a hen, then if they hatch, sneak them under the hen at night with her new hatchlings

Thought about it this time, too lazy to pull out the incubator.

That is a shame about the fox. At least you know your barn is secure and you have faithful roosters. If you were to cross Hector with Zara and Athena, would Hectors new blood eliminate the dwarf gene?

No. If a hen has the gene, assuming that Hector does not carry it, she would pass it to half of her chicks so any that got her gene would be carriers of it. Eventually, if her progeny was bred to other progeny that carried, I'd have another Apollo situation. So, it's not the best idea to breed any of Atlas's progeny to Hector, period. But, then my stunning Stukel hens could only be layers unless I took them from Atlas now. And I won't do that to him.

 

[1muttsfan]

I don't believe I would try to hatch from a hen with thin eggshells.

 

[speckledhen]

I don't believe I would try to hatch from a hen with thin eggshells.

Honestly, I'll probably never try to hatch Ro's eggs. They are not super thin, but too fragile to last under a Bigfoot hen stomping on them. I think hatching from Jill is enough anyway. Ro's eggs only got like this in the last year, but are consistently this way. Her sister, Wendy, has tough shells.