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

[1muttsfan]

You guys take it easy. Apart from everyone having food, water and shade, the rest can wait.

If you have some large,flat pans, you can make ice baths for the birds - freeze water in zip lock bags and toss them in with some water for the birds to drink and stand in if they want. Some people wet the dirt down in shady areas for cooler resting spots. (You probably know all this already!)

We have only had temps as high as the seventies 3 or 4 days so far this year :/

 

[speckledhen]

You guys take it easy. Apart from everyone having food, water and shade, the rest can wait.

If you have some large,flat pans, you can make ice baths for the birds - freeze water in zip lock bags and toss them in with some water for the birds to drink and stand in if they want. Some people wet the dirt down in shady areas for cooler resting spots. (You probably know all this already!)

We have only had temps as high as the seventies 3 or 4 days so far this year

We do freeze water in those big yogurt tubs I buy their plain yogurt in and put the big ice block inside the gallon waterers and in old handle-less skillets full of water in a couple of the pens. It's just that I have to haul them from the basement freezer up into the house, then down the steps and to the various coops every day and at the end of the day, refreeze the tubs full of water. DH forgot to freeze them last night, among other things he's forgotten in his painful daze so they're in there now, hopefully to partially freeze before afternoon. We also canned pickles yesterday again after picking 20 # of them, though we only canned 10# and put the rest in the fridge to cut in half to give to the birds, who seem to love them. We have 30 jars in the basement, 22 pints and 8 quarts, and they just keep on coming. I think we're set for a couple of years for pickles.

I don't wet down the dirt any longer after the one hot, dry summer when that caused them to develop fungal infections. We have super high humidity as it is so I don't wet pens, just give them cold water to drink, some pans to stand in, though only one of my birds ever does that, Aimee, one of the D'Anver hens. Smart gal, that one.

Carly is in a happy mama daze right now. Here are the first two chicks.







And pickles. Lots of pickles.

 

[speckledhen]

Finally, progress! Hubby and Finn are right at the fence line, but DH, as you may notice, is wearing a stretchy back brace. His back is out in a bad way so even though the fence line is now clear (Mark came about 5 p.m., as it got cooler, and worked until almost dark), we can't start putting the fence back up. Sigh.

Starting with video, complete with my bantams crowing.

View from inside Atlas's pen. Mark removed a huge overturned root ball from a 50 ft oak that fell during a tornado a few years ago and crushed the back corner of the pen. We'd cut the oak tree off of it but were using the hole it made as a burn pit. He pulled what was left of the laying oak to the back of the garden and left it for us, which I think you can see there. Now, Atlas can see into the roundish meadow area to see whatever's coming.














And Carly's last chickster. It's getting stronger by the day, but definitely these all belong to Aimee because they have varying degrees of feather stubs on the legs. One, the blondest one, has furry leggings, LOL. The feather stubs Aimee has come from using the D'Uccle to create Mille Fleur D'Anvers generations ago. She has only teensy stubs down the outside of her legs, but some of the chicks have full-blown feathers, especially her sons. Some don't have any at all.

 

[crazyhen]

You have really gotten a lot done since i was there. I know you will be glad to get it finished. This hot weather has really stopped almost everyone in their tracks. all but my stubburn broodies. I have two an Ameracuana and a Br. I gave the am. some black java eggs today. I have never had them but was assured they lay well and are good eatting. Also rather gentle. I will find out in 21 days I guess. I read up on them and find they were one of the few American breeds that started in the US, Right along with the Dominigue. I hope they hatch. I feel sorry for the hens. I do have them in a shadier area but still its been 92 here today on this western slope. Take care all.

 

[1muttsfan]

92!

We got up to 68 today and thought it wonderful! Pretty sure us UP'ers would melt in that heat.

THAT was a rooster crowing? Sounds a lot like one of my Bella's squeeky toys.

Nice pic of your guys inspecting the worksite

And cute chicks!

 

[speckledhen]

92!

We got up to 68 today and thought it wonderful! Pretty sure us UP'ers would melt in that heat.

THAT was a rooster crowing? Sounds a lot like one of my Bella's squeeky toys.

Nice pic of your guys inspecting the worksite

And cute chicks!

Saturday, a front comes through and we'll be down to mid-70's for highs and low 50's for lows. It will be HEAVENLY! I want a world where temps go no higher than 70* in the day and no lower than 50* at night.

Yep, that was one of my Belgian D'Anver roosters crowing, either Aubrey or Spike. My bantam Cochin rooster, Xander, has a deeper voice, less ear-splitting.

Finn caught a baby rabbit. Finn laid there near the steps, pleased with himself. Bunny laid there about 2 ft in front of him. We took the bunny, which cried and cried, but we couldn't find any actual wounds, probably a couple of punctures where he carried it home. Maybe it was in shock. DH gave me Finn, who I took inside and listened to yowl until DH came back inside from putting the bunny in a known area for heavy rabbit activity so maybe it would be safe until it could find a place to hide. Finn still may catch it again if it isn't smart.

 

[holm25]

92!  We got up to 68 today and thought it wonderful!  Pretty sure us UP'ers would melt in that heat.

THAT was a rooster crowing?  Sounds a lot like one of my Bella's squeeky toys.

Nice pic of your guys inspecting the worksite

And cute chicks!

U dont by any chamce have a room u could rent do u? its only getting to 80 here but it still so hot for us Minnesotans!!

 

[speckledhen]

First, update on Atlas's daughter, Lizzie, who is 15 weeks old now. Barring and tail set are great.





The jumbo sandwich tomatoes are beginning to turn, but just look at this jungle of Rio Grande tomatoes! We should have a ton of salsa this year!











And the Spicy Bread & Butter pickle spears? Oh, my, they are scrumptious! Here are the runaway cucumbers that will yield more of the same.

 

[Peanutsmomma]

"I want a world where temps go no higher than 70* in the day and no lower than 50* at night."

You and me both!!!!

Your pasture project is looking great. I too loved the pic of your hubby and Finn surveying their domain. How is Tom's back? I hope he is feeling better.

Your garden looks great too. I wish I could plant our tomato plants that close together. It is so humid here I have to plant about 3' apart to get proper circulation. I went all organic two years ago and I am still learning how to deal with issues that I used to handle with a chemical.

 

[speckledhen]

"I want a world where temps go no higher than 70* in the day and no lower than 50* at night."

You and me both!!!!

Your pasture project is looking great. I too loved the pic of your hubby and Finn surveying their domain. How is Tom's back? I hope he is feeling better.

Your garden looks great too. I wish I could plant our tomato plants that close together. It is so humid here I have to plant about 3' apart to get proper circulation. I went all organic two years ago and I am still learning how to deal with issues that I used to handle with a chemical.

Well, they really are too close together, but we didn't expect them to take off like this. Guess they love this soil, which was tilled from a many-years-running compost pile. No chemicals used here, either.

Tom's back is still bad, but he's wearing a brace and back on meds our new(er) idiot doctor took him off of. They're helping a little. Doc took him off the med after many years on it because he said it's habit forming. Yeah, sure. Neither of us are addicted to anything, not that type of personality, don't take stuff unless we need it and we'd had the old bottles still in the cabinet. DH just decided to forget the doctor and do what he felt might help the nerve pain and he was right.

I pulled my right oblique muscle somehow and my back and front both hurt, plus I'm wearing my Ankle Genie brace and have an appt with my orthopedic surgeon next week to see what's up and what may have changed with my "bionic implant".

Found the baby bunny dead where Tom left it last night. Finn didn't get it again, but I guess he hurt it or it was just in shock after being nabbed by the orange striped predator. I've seen several rabbits this morning, never run low on those in spite of the coyotes and foxes.

Took a few pictures from the power line easement road that is on one entire side of our acreage, starting at the house and walking down to the bottom of the lot Mark is cleaning up. I stopped before I got to the bottom lot but that's just a jungle of blackberry brambles right now. You can see there will be quite a few trees left especially on that side, plus a few "tree islands" for shady spots within the pasture. Sure would like to put one of those tiny houses on it, but no $$ for that.