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

[drumstick diva]

So sorry Cynthia and GJ- life seems to have more twists and turns - and it's harder to take when you're older. I know I don't bounce back fast - sometimes not at all.

 

[speckledhen]

Will have to think about what to do. I might offer the dwarf or at least his Dellie colored brother up for rehoming. Someone may be interested in the novelty of it, but they would have to understand that they may not even be fertile nor live that long.



ETA: On second thought, I may just keep the dwarf. I can't imagine anyone would want to take on something so adorable and fall in love with it, knowing it will probably not live six months. So, on that note, I have named him something fitting a plucky little fighter. His name is Rocky. I never did the cliche of naming a BR Rocky but it fits this super sweet little guy. He follows me around like a puppy, completely unafraid. He definitely has the eye of the tiger, in miniature! If he doesn't really mature sexually, he may be able to live out his life with the older hens. We'll see.

 

[MistyMountain]

Hi all. I've been lurking there in the corner for a while. Life got busy over here. One son managed to give himself a severe concussion and a few weeks later the other fractured his arm. All is good now, just no T-ball this year. In the chicken world, I had a hen in the "recovery ward" after a rooster tore her side open. I'm proud of her. She may be bald in that spot forever, but she survived. I cleaned the wound, clipped feathers, and coated with antibiotic ointment. That was… wow, a month ago? Anyhow, she is almost ready to integrate back into the flock along with her buddy, MJ, who I was hoping would decide to go broody again while keeping Brownie company. No such luck.

I also went to WI to visit my little sister and her new little boy. It was a super nice visit, but there is nothing like coming home. DH did a great job with the chickens, and although he threatened, Willie Roo is still in the coop and not the freezer, though we have come to an agreement that his aggressive tendencies are no longer acceptable and he needs a career change. Whiiiiiich, speckled hen, has me drooling over your beautiful kind roosters!! I have got to find a way down there and beg you for an egg or two from Atlas and his girls!! Of course, I would need a broody… and it looks like no one is taking the bait right now.

Whew. Now that I have rambled on and on, let me compliment you on the lovely chick pics! Wow, dwarfism in chickens, I never heard about that.

I hope you all are having a wonderful day!!

ETA: Crazyhen, I am so sorry to hear about your jubilee's. I must have missed it some how. Sending hugs your way!

 

[speckledhen]

This may be of interest. This describes the two main types of dwarfism in poultry. The first one was the one we encountered in the Delaware line. When you start crossing lines, you do not know for sure which genes will surface, which are lurking and will be triggered. This is what happened in Isaac's line of Delawares. Which part of his lineage it came from, the breeder does not know. She never saw it until it happened to me (yes, she is reliable, not one of "those" types).
From a Wiki article, because this describes perfectly what happened to those chicks. It is NOT what Rocky seems to have at all.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dwarfism_in_chickens


Quote: The thyrogenous type show a remarkable resemblance in some ways, IMO, to a Down Syndrome child, especially around the face and eyes.

The following seems to be what Rocky is, but I'm no expert. I know he does not have crooked toes as all the ones we saw years ago did, except for a couple of the pullets.


Quote: There are other types in the article. It's an interesting read. It's not very likely that Atlas would carry a dwarf gene, however, I must remove the black hens as well as Rowena from that group before I'll know for sure I will never see any. Those three hens are all Rex's daughters, half sisters to Atlas, though one of them could actually be a full sibling, it's impossible to say for sure since I cannot really tell the BR eggs apart unless I see them laid. So far every chick out of Atlas and his hens has been completely normal so there most likely isn't a dwarf gene in play there, at least not with Atlas himself. Those three hens, I don't know, not worth finding out. So, my plan is to somehow get them out of there.

 

[crazyhen]

I am a learner. I love learning new things no matter what it is. So yes this is interesting to me too. Genetics are confounding me right now. I see it in the way people are and animals too. No two the very same. Even twins will have a different personality. Shush( the people next door) Wow! I see the damage drugs and alcohol make in developemnt of a child. Esp when the children are children of the afore mentioned. So very Sad.

 

[speckledhen]

I am a learner. I love learning new things no matter what it is. So yes this is interesting to me too. Genetics are confounding me right now. I see it in the way people are and animals too. No two the very same. Even twins will have a different personality. Shush( the people next door) Wow! I see the damage drugs and alcohol make in developemnt of a child. Esp when the children are children of the afore mentioned. So very Sad.

Agreed. But, I swear, I never gave those chicks any drugs or alcohol, nor their parents.

 

[1muttsfan]

I somehow now have around 100 eggs in 2 incubators how did that happen! The Delawares are from Bargain, she says some of her stock came from you, Cyn. Maybe I will be doing a little research too! But I am planning on keeping only a few hens, a whole coop of Delawares is too much.

 

[speckledhen]

I somehow now have around 100 eggs in 2 incubators

how did that happen! The Delawares are from Bargain, she says some of her stock came from you, Cyn. Maybe I will be doing a little research too! But I am planning on keeping only a few hens, a whole coop of Delawares is too much.

Nancy did hatch some Dels from me years back when Isaac had six hens, but she crossed them with some others from elsewhere, don't know whose. I know someone who got Delawares from her, which would be my stock plus others, and crossed them with chicks bought directly from me and never saw one dwarf from them, not in many hatches. Like I said, this gene has not popped up in ages and ages. I did it to myself I guess by hatching from Deacon and his niece, who both have Isaac and Rex in common.

Genes are funny. Tiny is one example. Came from a BBS Ameraucana flock, I saw photos, blue rooster over BBS hens. The eggs were a lovely blue. Tiny has body type, temperament, head shape and spurs of a Sumatra hen, no beard and lays a brown egg in spite of her pea comb. Many generations back, the breeder that this lady got her Ameraucana rooster from raised blue Sumatras and Tiny is a throwback to those, I guess from some fence-jumper.

 

[1muttsfan]

I know there is some Sand Hill in them, I usually get my Delawares from them and have always gotten really good birds. This year I just did not get around placing my order early enough.

 

[speckledhen]

I know there is some Sand Hill in them, I usually get my Delawares from them and have always gotten really good birds. This year I just did not get around placing my order early enough.

Part of Isaac's lineage has Sandhill Preservation, but also Meier and McDaniel and not sure what else Janet worked in there.