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

[seminolewind]

So sorry Cynthia. RIP, Atlas. Thanks to you he had a long happy life. Bless those roosters!

Yesterday the temp went from 43 degrees near 3pm and by 3 am it was -6 degrees!!!!!!! And a high of 4 today. The coop was 20 degrees with the heater. All my poor poofy heads, either with a bare spot on top or poof that dunks in the water when they drink. So 3 of them got their bangs cut. Ugly, but dry.

Yesterday my daughter says on her way home from work she watched the temp drop on the car thermometer, then hits a blizzard!!! Yea we got snow yesterday. Probably 3 inches but with 50 MPH gusts. I thought my screens would be ripped off the windows.

Well Merry Christmas/happy Holidays to you all! Stay warm. Even Florida is having a cold night tonight.

 

[speckledhen]

Our low in the mountains here was supposed to be 5*, but it was that before I went to bed. At 5 a.m., it was 1*. I am scared to look now since our lows usually bottom out about 7 to 8 a.m. My poor birds. At least my Atlas did not have to suffer through this unusually bone-chilling period. He probably looked at the forecast and said, "Welp, time to go!". I don't blame him a bit.

 

[getaclue]

I'm so sorry to hear about Atlas. He did live a long time, and had a very good life.
Dh took me to the doctor early yesterday morning. Later, when we got home, I put a big tarp down on the garage floor, then began setting up cages. I brought them all in.

We're experiencing abnormally cold weather. My chickens have not acclimated to any real cold. As if unusual cold is not enough, we're experiencing high winds to boot. While I have tarps all around my coop, and deep hay they can snuggle down in, I don't feel the coop is insulated enough to provide the comfort they need during this non-typical cold weather. If I did not have the means to bring them in, or if I had too many, that would be different. (Boxes on their sides, with hay in the bottom, will insulate really well, and work in a pinch) BUT I DO have the ability to provide better for their comfort, and so I have.

The weather channels had forecast last night's low to be about 32 degrees. It got down to 28 degrees. Originally, tonight's low was to go down to 23 degrees, but they've raised it to 29 degrees. Considering they were off the mark for last night, I don't expect the forecast for tonight to be more accurate. I suspect it will go down to the 23 degrees they predicted in the original forecast, or lower.

 

[speckledhen]

We have a windchill advisory still in place for 10 below zero (at least it isn't 25 below like it was), but here is what we're still dealing with over the next few days. Thankfully, but Tuesday, things are beginning to normalize. It's cold in my house, though, heatpump is still out of commission, using two small electric heaters, one in the livingroom,o ne in the bathroom, but even with the wood stove burning in our open livingroom, it's so darn cold in the house and the winds just won't stop.

 

[getaclue]

Tomorrow night should be the last of the cold snap here. Thurs. it will go back up to 78 in the daytime, 58 nighttime low. Dh went and got a fresh bale of hay earlier, so I took all the old hay out of the cages in the garage, and put all fresh in. It smells like fresh sweet hay in my garage now. That will hold them until first thing Wed. morning, when we put them back out into their coops.

When they go out, I'll remove and clean the cages, then while they're drying, I'll clean the tarp on the floor. By then, the cages will be dry enough to put away. By the time I get the cages collapsed and put away, the tarp should be ready to fold, and put away. A quick run through with the leaf blower, and you'll never know they were even in there.

 

[getaclue]

It's warmed up. The low for tonight is going to be 55. In a little bit, we'll put all the chickens back in their coops. Everyone, especially the chickens, will be much happier. We all survived the abnormal cold snap quite nicely.

 

[speckledhen]

I haven't posted here in awhile, been so busy, but I did a video on YouTube about a controversy that I really don't want to get into on BYC, but it's a call to avoid fads in chicken keeping and stick to sound "chicken doctrine". I just told someone that I won't do a video on sprouted grains, not that they are bad, but they complicate my life and my chickens, who get to free range frequently, don't need it. My management style is basic and uncomplicated and I won't change it and I don't jump on crazy bandwagons that have no basis in fact so I've been trying to pull my subscribers back to reality and think logically (not an easy task, LOL) and educate those new to chickens and those thinking about getting chickens. I'll risk posting the link here. Itching Ears of Fad Chicken Doctrine: Experience Matters, Facts Matter

By the way, Hector's girls are doing well with little bantan Cochin rooster, Mace. It's funny to see Zara squat walk down the hall with Mace clinging onto her back for dear life, LOL. She's his favorite, apparently.

 

[h2oratt]

Hope everyone is doing well.

 

[speckledhen]

Trying to juggle a lot of stuff, but still on my feet. How about you?

 

[h2oratt]

Trying to juggle a lot of stuff, but still on my feet. How about you?

I am the same. This universe is just wacky. And the way people are acting is crazy.