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

[speckledhen]

Outside again. I did two videos, but youtube is being weird, or my internet connection is too slow today.

 

[1muttsfan]

 

[speckledhen]

Still cannot get anything to upload to Youtube for some reason. Bummer.


Tomorrow at around 1 p.m. is the exact time that Day 18 begins on the Brahma eggs. I'll remove them from the turner sometime after that. Hopefully, we'll get a dozen of those to hatch as well.

No takers on the breeding trio of BRs. The boy started crowing attempts today. If he's as good as his daddy, someone is going to have a buddy for life. Atlas is just a doll. He listens to me like he understands everything I say, insists on eating from my hand just like Grandpa Isaac did. I may have a better rooster per standard in the little guys, but Atlas is the best flock rooster anyone could ask for. I expect no less from this particular line of males.

 

[speckledhen]

The Brahmas are in home stretch. I've seen two rocking already, one is very active, both of the partridge persuasion.



Finally managed to get videos uploaded, yea! It's like watching ants in fast forward sometimes. I do think the sex ratio is pretty even.

 

[1muttsfan]

Just darling.

 

[speckledhen]

Just darling.

Aren't they? One of the pullets was such a hunter! She got a bug immediately and kept scanning the pen and sweeping up ants and other things while the rest were in a long, dust-bathing line at the back fence. She was relentless!

Meanwhile, the cockerel I'm trying to sell with his full-sister has fallen in love with Athena. If I remove her from their pen because she is picking on her smaller sister, he just chirps for her like he used to for his mother. And she can be really mean to him, too, but he just comes back for more. Guess he has good taste. She really has blossomed into a nice, broad-bodied pullet for 12 weeks old.

 

[uphilljill]

Zippy little chicks, aren't they?

 

[speckledhen]

Zippy little chicks, aren't they?

That they are.



ETA: The future playmates for the Dirty Dozen are on Day 18, going into 19 around 1 p.m. At least two or three of each variety have been rocking since I laid them down. The #6 egg of the Darks is off to the back corner mainly because I really think it's passed on and will not hatch, but I did not want to make a mistake and toss it since if it died, it was very recently and should not compromise the hatch. The shell is chalky, the egg rather small and there are no visible veins at the air cell, the chick have not moved and is just sort of laying at the bottom of the egg so my gut says it's gone.

I numbered the eggs and wrote either "PT" or "DK" for obvious variety indicators, but Tom had already written in pencil the variety and date collected. I did separate them by variety for the last leg, though we know that "chickie bowling" will move them all over the place.






ETA: Tonight we're into Day 19 with the Brahmas. One "PT" has been rocking a lot. Almost every time I look into the bator, it shakes. That is one active chickster!

 

[MistyMountain]

I am so excited to see more chick pics!! Any idea on the genders of the BR hatch?

Still waiting on that shipment from Sandhill. Tomorrow is our Anniversary and also a potential ship date. Maybe this one will be lucky.

I am so FRUSTRATED with my cochin broody. She did so well last year. I'm going to have to move her tonight. She is a big gal, and insists on jumping down INTO the nest box from a roost, when she can easily walk right to it on the ground. She has broken 3 eggs to date, this last one right in front of me and with a live 7 day fetus in it. Ugh. Maybe I need to ask for an incubator for my birthday and cut her poor setting skills out of the equation. If I recall, a few eggs did go "missing" last year, too.

 

[1muttsfan]

Or put a board across the top so she has to go in from the front.