Me, too, but I guess I am one, and this is giving me even more gray hair than I already have.
What an amazing story. I can only hope that.my flock reacts the same way if something like that happened to me.Good Lord I was still in my Jammie bottoms in those pictures. I tend to not worry about such things of the fashion police when it is let the birds out time. I just throw on my chicken shoes and begin spoiling them time.Atlas is such a handsome boy...as for his adorable black sister....you must name her Lucy and you must save her for me on my next visit....wrong way Lucy would be perfect around this Menagerie'.
The name Atlas I believe was my suggestion and Cyn liked it, it will give the boy something to grow into and measure up to for sure. The original Atlas was a beautiful black Orp cockerel that I picked up from Cynthia about 3 years ago I believe (I raid her coops every year so it is sometimes hard to remember who came home with me when hehehehehe). I went to her house to bring home what would come to be the last daughters of her blue orp hen, Smoky and two black orp cockerels (one I had named Atlas) for another BYCer that was here in Kentucky. The blue pullet was injured by the boys the day before I arrived to pick them up and she died suddenly after returning home so I decided to hang on to the cockerels for a few more weeks so Zena was not alone through quarantine and as time went on it looked like the two boys would be staying with me because I could not catch up with the other BYCer to give her the cockerels. so I had moved them into a doggie playpen in my main coop so the other birds could get to know them and give them more growing room and things were going well. The boys were turning into big beautiful boys worthy of being the sons of the late great Suede when all hello broke loose here.
Short abridged version....I had several pens in a 10 x 20 coop....one house a trio of Partridge Silkies, one housed d'uccles, the playpen had the three orp juveniles and one housed near adult Silkies....the main area housed my main flock of standards. The particular day was a weird one anyway...we had a couple sheriff's deputies here and were talking to them near our big barn which is on the other side of our farm from my coops with the house between them. I heard the chickens fussing which is not uncommon for that time of day because of the layers all announcing their wonderful feats of the day but it continued so I kept glancing towards the house and coop nervously and decided to move closer to the house with the officers speaking to my husband and I and moving with us. Suddenly you can see the chaos going on....and out runs a Rottweiler with Atlas in its mouth. I yelled one of the officers asked if it was my dog and I said "No shoot it". The officer shot the dog who was being followed by my head rooster Lancelot and several hens. Here is what makes Atlas so special and the point of the story really....Cynthia and I learned something very important that day....the birds will discard all hierarchy and personal dislike to fight together.
The dog went into my coop and began chasing he birds and was met by 7 roosters and cockerels and numerous hens that fought to the death in some cases defending the younger birds and the girls. My main boys were fighting with several of their hens....the partridge silkie rooster got into the fight, one of the juvenile silkie cockerels got out and into the fight, the d'uccles were fighting and young Atlas and his brother jumped out of their playpen and into the fray to fight and defend their sister Zena. It was chaos. The bantams being smaller and more agile were attacking this dog from above and from the sides...the hens were attacking it and young Atlas was attacking the dog's face while the big standard roosters were slamming the dog with powerful feet and spurs. When the dog was dead and the dust had settled...I had lost most of my boys and as I recall one pullet and one hen.
So Atlas and his brother who fell long before Atlas, were very brave. Even though they were very young and did not stand a chance against a dog that size, they jumped into the fray and fought to the death to protect the flock. Boys are very special to me and a brave boy that is human friendly and good to the girls is a prize....I had a coop full of them that day, many of whom sacrificed themselves for the girls.
So when Cynthia realized she had a young cockerel that had such promise for breeding, I suggested that he be named Atlas....a good strong name for a future big strong brave boy.
I wish I could find my original post of the incident because the minute detail elude me but suffice it to say....young Atlas has been honored with the name of very brave boy.
Thank you, we love him. He's an old guy now, lots of arthritis that gives him fits, but he's a Mama's boy (like most of them) and I'll miss him when he's no longer with us. Nothing more wonderful than a sweet rooster.
