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

[uphilljill]

Haha. I sit in the floor of the grow out pen (horse stall) with them and within minutes I'm covered in chicks perched everywhere on me. Usually males at first, but within a week the females are joining in.

 

[speckledhen]

Haha. I sit in the floor of the grow out pen (horse stall) with them and within minutes I'm covered in chicks perched everywhere on me. Usually males at first, but within a week the females are joining in.

As I was about to respond, they started up again. My DH says, "Boy, they're pitching a fit!" I just said, "Your turn, Dad.".

 

[speckledhen]

Garden is coming along. The white powder is DE on the cauliflower and Brussels sprouts, probably of limited use, but maybe it will keep some of the gnawing insects from eating the leaves badly for awhile.








Peaches, more than this tree has ever had. It likes it out there near the pasture.



Anyone know what this flowering plant is? Shallow rooted, spreads all over.

 

[1muttsfan]

I think that is a Venus' Looking Glass

 

[speckledhen]

I think that is a Venus' Looking Glass

Might just be that. Sure looks like it. It's all over, very pretty purple flowers.

 

[1muttsfan]

I've seen them before but not up this far north.

 

[speckledhen]

I've seen them before but not up this far north.

There is another plant with a yellow flower and those intertwined are so pretty on the green background. Some say weeds, I say wildflowers.

 

[speckledhen]

Tomorrow, the hoodlums, er, um, chicks move to the little coop. It's only about 3 1/2' x 7 3/4' inside measurements, with full length and full end width vents at the top of the walls front and on one side and a vent in the door itself. All vents have covers that can be closed to any opening size or left up for full open. So, no drafts down low at their level. I have one red heat lamp and one fixture with just a 40W bulb. The red one will be used at night but with highs in the mid 80's and the afternoon sun hitting the back of that little building on one 8' length, it should be plenty warm for them during the day maybe with just the heat from the 40W bulb which hangs at the same level as the red heatlamp. The pen attached is covered. We'll see how hot it is. I put a thermometer on the floor under the lamps so I can check the temps before they go out there tomorrow. For the first week, they may have to have the heat lamp all day except in the late afternoon.

They are so rotten. I was out near the barn and I heard them all screaming for attention from way down there. They just want someone to sit by the brooder and watch them try to jump out of the open cage door. No one has made it yet, but a couple have been close.

 

[Peanutsmomma]

Lord help me from falling in love with all the little boys! Ladyhawk says that's her sexing method, the Rooster Magnet Method. If the chick runs straight to her, it's a male. If it screams when you pick it up "Don't touch me! Ack!", it's a pullet. She also says if she could find a rooster who'd lay an egg, she'd have only roosters. We have it bad! LOL.

Count me in on that Rooster who lays eggs business too!

I just love that your chicks are being so friendly and sweet. It sounds like you are going to have a hard time parting with them.

The garden is looking great by the way! Did y'all get any of that rain that came ashore today? Gosh, we sure need some rain it is ridiculously hot and dry here.

Let me ask y'all a question about bumble foot. We have 2x2s as roosts in our coop. A local chicken farmer told use to use those when we built but since then I have noticed that a lot of people use 1x4s with the flat side up as their roosts. I noticed that you and Tom do this Cyn. Anyway, all of the sudden I have 4 chickens with mild cases of bumble foot. No redness, swelling or limping yet just black spots. I have been using Tricide Neo to treat them and I feel like it is working but it makes me wonder why all of a sudden this is happening? The roost bar is clean and they only have a foot to jump to get up and down off of the roost so I am stumped. The hens being effected are all the same age, 1 year this month, so I was wondering if a year of roosting on a 2x2 could contribute to the bumble foot? All four girls have spots on both feet in approximately the same area on each foot. Sorry to highjack your thread Cyn.

 

[speckledhen]

Count me in on that Rooster who lays eggs business too!

I just love that your chicks are being so friendly and sweet. It sounds like you are going to have a hard time parting with them.

The garden is looking great by the way! Did y'all get any of that rain that came ashore today? Gosh, we sure need some rain it is ridiculously hot and dry here.

Let me ask y'all a question about bumble foot. We have 2x2s as roosts in our coop. A local chicken farmer told use to use those when we built but since then I have noticed that a lot of people use 1x4s with the flat side up as their roosts. I noticed that you and Tom do this Cyn. Anyway, all of the sudden I have 4 chickens with mild cases of bumble foot. No redness, swelling or limping yet just black spots. I have been using Tricide Neo to treat them and I feel like it is working but it makes me wonder why all of a sudden this is happening? The roost bar is clean and they only have a foot to jump to get up and down off of the roost so I am stumped. The hens being effected are all the same age, 1 year this month, so I was wondering if a year of roosting on a 2x2 could contribute to the bumble foot? All four girls have spots on both feet in approximately the same area on each foot. Sorry to highjack your thread Cyn.

May have nothing to do with the roosts, Angela. ANY scrape on the bottom of the foot can case it. A rock, a thorn, a wire poking out, etc. BUT, 2x2's are way too small for Orps. You need a 4" surface, so 2x4's would be better on their wide side. I have mostly larger than that. And if you recall, Suede's hens had a shelf so they didn't actually have to roost, per se, just lay/sit on the plastic fencing "hammock" on a frame. The only 1x4 I have is on top of part of the framework for Xander's shelf roost to cover where plastic fencing goes over the frame, making it hard to clean poop out. Dusty likes to sit on the 1x4 part of it. Suede liked the front edge or the actual hammock part.

I may change up mine and just sand and oil them. I'm not that crazy about the painted ones since I did not use actual gloss paint. When their own nails gouge roosts, you sand and oil them (poop cleans easier when oil is soaked into the wood) and all better, especially for the feet and prevention of bumblefoot. That said, I could have any roosts at all, velvet lined, but they'd still get bumblefoot here. Rocks, roots, thorny vines all make for bumblefoot central.