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

[getaclue]

It could be that the Genesis, and alcohol thermometers were correct, and when you raised the temps thinking the Spot Checks were more accurate, the eggs got too hot. Don't despair. You'll get more eggs, and don't forget you've got chicks coming too.

 

[speckledhen]

It could be that the Genesis, and alcohol thermometers were correct, and when you raised the temps thinking the Spot Checks were more accurate, the eggs got too hot. Don't despair. You'll get more eggs, and don't forget you've got chicks coming too.

That is what I am wondering. Someone suggested maybe Bash's illness in 2019 affected his fertility. I know I had no chicks in 2020, not that I recall, certainly no broodies, but I'm trying to remember if I had any after he recovered. I'd have to go back and see. If I did, then it had to be the temperature issues. I said I would not try again, but if I see I had chicks after he recovered, I may do that.

 

[speckledhen]

OMGosh this is SO funny! I got this comment on my Guinea Fowl video on my channel. I read it to Tom and we were both roaring with laughter. It is SO true!

If you want a bird that truly acts like it's late dinosaur cousins, by all means get guineas. I had 19 at one time, hand raised most of them and all but one were crazier than a box full of fruit loops. They police a yard like the Gestapo and dull out justice like a biker gang on crack. Once you decided on your little adventure with your new guineas make sure everything in your yard is where you want it to be....like forever....because if you move your bird bath, lawn chair, or even the scary little gnomes they will absolutely loose their tiny little minds. I used to sit and watch my birds and think oh, how cute the way my little guineas bounce around while running, how pretty the tiny little polka dot bodies are and the little clownish head they have (and yes I do think the little heads are cute). Yeah, I got over that pretty quick when I had to chase down four who literally jumped on my peacock and brought him down to the ground and I'm assuming were going to invoke guinea justice on him for being in the wrong part of the yard.

 

[getaclue]

That sums it up accurately, and nicely.

 

[getaclue]

Dh took the youngest grand to VPK this morning. They decided they're going to pull a prank on her teacher. Awhile back, the teacher gave each of her students a small stuffed dog. It's cute, and grand really loves it. She got a box, and made a dog house for it, got a couple little plastic bowls, cut up blue construction paper to fill one with water, and she cut up brown construction paper for the other bowl, as food. She got a smaller box, put in a washrag, to make a bed for it.

Yesterday, one of the kids took their stuffed dog to school. Grand was telling grandpa that she too wanted to take her stuffed dog to school. Grandpa told her that it hasn't grown much, and the teacher might think she's not taking care of it very well. When she gets home today, the pair of them are going to scour the internet, in search of a large stuffed dog, that resembles the one the teacher gave her. She'll take it in, and tell the teacher it eats a lot, and is growing up just fine.

 

[speckledhen]

Cute!

 

[speckledhen]

I removed all the eggs from the incubator, candling and then cracking them open as I went. There was zero development in any of them. I had tossed six, but didn't open them, so I did make a point to open every remaining egg after candling. There were several with tiny meat spots, but no embryos.
I know that Bash was fertile just after his illness in mid-2019, but I don't remember hatching any in 2020 at all. I had no broodies then. Maybe they knew something! I've watched him do half-hearted breeding attempts, but maybe his time is up for being Papa Bash. I can't believe that even with incubator temps too high, that there would be absolutely no signs of development. What do you smart folks think?

 

[getaclue]

The possible high temps happened early enough, it could have stopped all further development, however, there is a chance that Bash is no longer potent.

The easiest way to tell, would be to collect his hen's eggs, and crack them open, before breakfast for a few days. That way you can see if he's fertilizing them, and eat them for breakfast, so they don't go to waste.

 

[speckledhen]

The easiest way to tell, would be to collect his hen's eggs, and crack them open, before breakfast for a few days. That way you can see if he's fertilizing them, and eat them for breakfast, so they don't go to waste.

You know, I did do that a couple of times and most seemed infertile. A couple I thought were fertilized, but I may have been indulging in some wishful thinking. I guess I just could not believe he wasn't doing or couldn't do his job. Even Maddie's was not fertile, but Hector is so unsteady on his legs, I actually did not expect that it would be. So, here I have three large fowl roosters that can't reproduce for one reason or another. Atlas could, I bet, but of course, he carries the dwarf gene.

For about 5 seconds, I thought maybe for the first time, I'd check out Tractor Supply, but dang. They order from Hoover's Hatchery and those birds are awful-looking!

 

[speckledhen]

I looked at Bailey's egg, the only Brahma egg from yesterday. It seemed fertile. Also, Jill's may have been fertile, sort of hard to call, but she is Hector's only truly accepted hen and hovers over him and fusses over him constantly, sort of like my Meg used to do with Suede, grooming him to distraction. I'll check others as they come in and we use them and if most seem okay, I'll collect another set and see if I have any luck, maybe not incubate as many as I did the first time.