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

[seminolewind]

My daughter and I went to a nursery today and I got 3 pots of pricey ornamental grass. However, I can take a saw and make 4 out of 1. What fun!

When we got back , DD insisted on playing with the chicks, LOL, and can't get over the fact that this Polish follows her around and wants to be held. Then there's a few chicks that come to her and don't mind being held. It's getting harder to pull her away! Another chicken person in the making!

 

[seminolewind]

chicks

 

[h2oratt]

Those little bantam Cochin roosters really are good, and funny little roosters aren't they. I unfortunately I lost 4 over winter, mostly from feeding that dry rolled oatmeal I think. Never again will I feed oatmeal to my chickens no matter how much they seem to enjoy it.

I need to restock my bantam roosters.

Why does oatmeal kill them. Will cooked oatmeal kill them.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Why does oatmeal kill them. Will cooked oatmeal kill them.

I have fed moisten oatmeal without problems. I started to feed it straight dry. Apparently it can form a block of sludge in the gut in some that turns into enteritis. I have since discussed feeding oatmeal with a few people who agree that it can cause problems. I cannot prove that's exactly what was happening but it stopped when I stopped the dry oatmeal. I won't feed it anymore in any form. Regular oats are fine.

What made me think of the rolled oats was I was making dog biscuits with rolled oats. I got distracted and when I returned to my dough it had become a sludgy mess from the oats sucking all the liquid up. It occurred to me that's may be what was going on with my birds. The oatmeal had become like cement.

 

[h2oratt]

I have fed moisten oatmeal without problems. I started to feed it straight dry. Apparently it can form a block of sludge in the gut in some that turns into enteritis. I have since discussed feeding oatmeal with a few people who agree that it can cause problems. I cannot prove that's exactly what was happening but it stopped when I stopped the dry oatmeal. I won't feed it anymore in any form. Regular oats are fine.

What made me think of the rolled oats was I was making dog biscuits with rolled oats. I got distracted and when I returned to my dough it had become a sludgy mess from the oats sucking all the liquid up. It occurred to me that's may be what was going on with my birds. The oatmeal had become like cement.

I dint know with that. I do feed my birds cooked oatmeal when 8 have leftovers.

 

[seminolewind]

I finally did some work on the pen i'm building. But it takes me 3 hours to cut and screw in 3 rafters, where some handy person could do it In 30 minutes. So it goes so slow. I'm building a 16 ft x 24 ft pen..

One of my 4 silkie roo room mates got a bloody face from I don't know who so he was moved in with 2 big girls. I am thinking of moving him in with the blind girl and silkie hen. My polish blind girl was practically raised by silkies so it may be a good thing. Then move the 3 silkie roos in with the 2 big girls who have all been together at some time in the past. Which would eliminate one whole pen and I could get the youngsters in there. Gosh what we don't do to put the right chickens in the right pens.

Yesterday me and DD went to lunch and then went to a huge nursery/garden center. They had everything! Good thing my purse had a limit. I bought 3 maiden grass that can be divided into 2-3 plants- gotta get my money's worth.

The woman that lived here before me has a bunch of perinneals planted but they all bloom for maybe a week, not worth keeping. But , bless her, she planted gobs of daylilies! My favorite. They are all roadside daylilies (tall orange) but I love them. And I think what's coming up at my back door are...more daylilies! Daylilies aRe grate bUT need dresting up with other interesting things

My washer died , so we had to buy a new one. : (

So many projects- so little time!

 

[seminolewind]

Okay, Day 23 just started and I, against everything I have ever done, left the last egg under a broody because there was movement. It's not in the air cell and I know it was put in the same time as the original eggs. But, if it has not gotten into the air cell (again, I know it was there on Day 21, or I thought it was) by Day 23, it's not going to do so, something is wrong with the chick. Tell me to toss that egg, please. I just hated that I got nothing out of all those eggs, so I guess that's why I hate to toss an egg with a moving chick in it, even though I know it's probably never going to hatch and there is a problem.

So what happened?

 

[speckledhen]

Dead, shrink-wrapped chick. It quit moving and died.

 

[1muttsfan]

I am thinking of moving him in with the blind girl and silkie hen. My polish blind girl was practically raised by silkies so it may be a good thing. Then move the 3 silkie roos in with the 2 big girls who have all been together at some time in the past.

That may be a problem if the boys compete over breeding the girls. Having more than 1 roo in with the girls seems to stimulate competition, which can cause over breeding. If you do move your boys in with girls it might be safer for the girls if there is at least 2 per rooster. Otherwise for your hen's sake it may be better to leave the boys in a bachelor pen, or only move in 1 roo.

Sorry about the dryer!

 

[seminolewind]

1muttsfan, I see what you mean. But it seems like the big girls are not threatened by the silkie roos and the roos stay out of their way. They don't even attempt to romance the Polish hens. But I'll have to think about what you said about stimulating competition .