The Evolution of Atlas: A Breeding (and Chat) Thread

[speckledhen]

I know incubators in general, but I just recently went from a 25 year old Hovabator to an almost new Dickey. But I did not panic, and things turned out better than I expected considering the outage. My son is excited. I had lunch with him yesterday, and told him about the activity to that point. He will get to see them this weekend.

Oh, that's right, the new (to you) Dickey! You should have some beautiful birds out of those. These are just gorgeous. Hate that they can't get outside at this age, though, with our horrible weather.

 

[gojira]

I can't wait to see them develop. Yes, this weather does not look like it will be good for a while. Maybe it will warm up soon.

 

[speckledhen]

DH opened the double doors, then opened the broody pen they're in to let them into the front larger area since they're getting so big. Little man marched out onto the ramp right into the snow, not at all spooked by that white stuff he'd never seen and started eating it. Brave one.

 

[1muttsfan]

Bold little Rascal.

I had an egg-bound hen this morning, ended up taking her to work with me. Had to squirt some lube in to loosen the egg, which she passed followed by a shell-less egg. The first egg was quite big with a cap on one end of some cheesy, mushy stuff. After water, yogurt, a lower body bath and blow dry and a few saltines she looked much better, but still exhausted, and her crop had liquid in it so she is in a cage inside for the night. It got up into the low 20s today but supposed to get very cold again tonight with highs below 10 for the next few days. Weather that changes from cold to warmer and back is very hard on the weak.

 

[speckledhen]

Bold little Rascal.

I had an egg-bound hen this morning, ended up taking her to work with me. Had to squirt some lube in to loosen the egg, which she passed followed by a shell-less egg. The first egg was quite big with a cap on one end of some cheesy, mushy stuff. After water, yogurt, a lower body bath and blow dry and a few saltines she looked much better, but still exhausted, and her crop had liquid in it so she is in a cage inside for the night. It got up into the low 20s today but supposed to get very cold again tonight with highs below 10 for the next few days. Weather that changes from cold to warmer and back is very hard on the weak.

Happy you got her to pass the egg that was blocking the other. Good job!

 

[speckledhen]

This is why my chickens have been stuck inside for longer than ever. Even though this is certainly not the largest snowfall we've had since living here (that was about 10" in one round-this came in two), this winter has been wet, wet, wet and more single digit nights than we've seen any other winter since buying this place almost thirteen years ago. We are not perplexed by snow, after having lived in Ohio, Utah and Colorado, but we didn't have livestock to care for then; makes it much harder.

Click to enlarge and make your experience chillier, lol. Actually, it's much warmer than it has been. The total for these two rounds may be all of 8", but the first 3" had started to melt down before last night's hit.

 

[holm25]

We usually get lots of snow. But it has been a very little snow Minnesota winter!!

 

[crazyhen]

That looks like my place Cyn. We had 5 inches last night. I could hear the kids down the road whopping and laughing at 11pm last night. I bet there were snow balls flying. Such fun when you are young. I have to admit I was on my deck often to check it out. This morning the birds blakened my deck area around the feeders. Mostly pine siskins and every kind of sparrow. Red birds are beautiful on the snow as are the bluejays.
On the down side the road out is impassable right now. Even the paved road in front of our property. Our road slopes enough to be a trial too. What are you up to today. Quilting? It seems like a good time for it.

 

[speckledhen]

That looks like my place Cyn. We had 5 inches last night. I could hear the kids down the road whopping and laughing at 11pm last night. I bet there were snow balls flying. Such fun when you are young. I have to admit I was on my deck often to check it out. This morning the birds blakened my deck area around the feeders. Mostly pine siskins and every kind of sparrow. Red birds are beautiful on the snow as are the bluejays.
On the down side the road out is impassable right now. Even the paved road in front of our property. Our road slopes enough to be a trial too. What are you up to today. Quilting? It seems like a good time for it.

Yes, I'm quilting. I have a very special task, actually. I sold my old Kenmore sewing machine, the one I never learned to use, to a very nice woman off one of the local Murphy NC FB online yard sale sites. Coincidentally, she found out I was a hand quilter and her 90-something year old grandmother had been desperately trying to finish a beautiful almost king sized quilt and could no longer see to do it. She was very excited that I would consider looking at the quilt to see if I would take it on. Thankfully, it is all from cotton fabrics, beautifully done-you can tell when her eyesight was getting the better of her, and probably her poor old hands, too (though we know age isn't always a factor with hands). It is about half done, maybe less if you consider the borders.

I quoted her a very good price (probably a lowball estimate of hours to complete as well)-there will be things I find that I have to shore up that have come loose, etc, like every quilter finds as she's quilting her own work, and that will add to the time. She was so happy to find someone who had the expertise to do it, she said no rush, if it took longer and cost more, that's fine as well. I'm sure she's watched her grandma quilt and realizes how much it entails. So, I have taken the lofty task of completing another quilter's creation, something I've never done, but I know in my heart that her grandmother wants to see her granddaughter's quilt finished before she leaves this earth. I'm sentimental about stuff like that. Though there is no rush, anyone in her mid-90's is living on borrowed time and I want her to see it before the family loses her.

So, here is the lovely Dresden Plate quilt I am working on for her. I hope I do it justice. Haven't photographed any work I've done on it yet and I've almost completed one of the 15" blocks. I think there were 10 or so not finished, plus some sashings and the borders. What is interesting is that one of the fabrics used, maybe two, I know I've had myself in the past. Of all the millions of fabrics produced over the years, that would be nigh to impossible.

 

[crazyhen]

Thats beautiful. Think of the hours that goes into piecing such a quilt. All the love if its intended for your family. My grandmother and Mom quilted. My thumbs will not allow hand quilting. My Moms family would set up a quilt and work it on certain days together to finish it quickly for use. They were quilts of tiny pieces put together in the old way. They would turn out beautiful. When I was a child we got chicken feed in cotton sacks. They were different print fabrics. sometimes I got to choose the bag. I had many a tiny dress from them and saw many a quilt from them too. Every scrap was used. Back then they used the rough cotton batting on the inside. They sure were heavy. Lots of times the inside was a tough sack material of a beige or off white color.
My Mom quit making them when most of her sisters had passed away and her eyesight became very impaired. I know she enjoyed it a lot. Can you imagine the gossip that was passed at those quilting bees.