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

[speckledhen]

The Dirty Dozen are 3 weeks old today. I thought I had them all at the feeder in a couple of the pics but one seemed to be a rebel and was always elsewhere. And some pics with Apollo, Athena and Zara, too.

 

[1muttsfan]

My eyes are all mixed up from all those test patterns! And just how did you get those little boys to line up like that? Mine are like herding cats

 

[speckledhen]

My eyes are all mixed up from all those test patterns! And just how did you get those little boys to line up like that? Mine are like herding cats

You mean around the feeder or just to stand still? They had a long, rectangular feeder in the little coop and when they saw this hanging one, they were all over it. They seem to love the pen they're in now. That might change when the Brahma Brigade moves in, LOL.


Here are the Brahmas and the feeder that the BRs had previously.

 

[holm25]

They all look so good Cyn!!!

 

[speckledhen]

They all look so good Cyn!!!

Thanks! I can't wait until they feather so they look like "real" chickens. The BRs at 3 weeks don't have a heat lamp, only a 40W bulb hung low so they can feel the heat off it. It's hot enough for them in the barn overnight, especially with a full dozen of them.

The Brahmas have a 75W reptile bulb in one low-hanging fixture plus a 25W incandescent for light and a little extra spot of warmth, though no much comes off that small wattage. Hopefully, they weathered their first night in the coop, haven't been out. We had a sudden pounding rainstorm last night. It was one of those that just dumps with little warning. Poor DH got caught out in it closing down the BR's window so they didn't get soaked. We heard thunder in the distance, then WHOOSH! He was soaked since he went out in shorts and t-shirt with no umbrella.


ETA: just let out Atlas and his hens and the three kids. Apollo and the girls are shadowing dad and the hens way out behind the compost pile and garden where the grass is really tall (and seriously needs cutting, if it will ever dry out). That is progress. Rather than them going their own way, they're following the group where Apollo can learn from his dad. Yea! Atlas has paid them no attention whatsoever, other than in the a.m., he'll flirt with Athena some.

 

[1muttsfan]

I saw that storm on Accu Weather, happened to be checking Florida and saw you were getting a good wetting.

 

[speckledhen]

It was definitely a toad-strangler! In fact, this a.m., Tessa found herself a huge toad in the concrete gutter of the barn. It was a standoff, lol.

Took some pics this morning. Some involve my LGC (livestock guardian cat).

This is the solution to hassling by the Big Evil Hens of Atlas, escape roosts!



















The garden, planted too closely (again, trying to cram it all into available space), but thriving anyway.

 

[MistyMountain]

Well, I was stuck in lurkdom for a while. I think I started about 10 different replies, 10 different times or something, and then got sidetracked. The boys home from school are keeping me busy.

I think some of the replies went like this:

Such pretty birds. You're right, someone is missing out on those three. I'd scoop 'em up in a heartbeat!! Too bad DH's Aunt was on her way back down to GA when she visited this week and not on the way up!

Chickies are growing fast!! Super cute!! I hope your keepers are easy to pick!! I'm a bit of a failure at that. I always worry about where they end up, as I know you do as well.

Beautiful garden! All this rain has ours really taking off as well. I kept some volunteer tomato plants that popped up in the garden, bringing my total up to 19 plants. It will be interesting to see what they are. I have a yellow squash almost ready for picking, my first harvest of the year from the garden, except for basil. I made some cages from old 2" x 4" fencing that was on the way to the dump. My youngest spent the day under the maple tree with me pulling old dry vines off of it all. He earned a dollar

. I did not make the cages soon enough. The rain caused the plants to grow about overnight. I caged what I could and we went back and cut some bamboo from the little stand at the corner of the property to stake the rest. Worked well.

Figs are showing some little tiny fruit here and there, pretty exciting for their second year on the bank. The paw paws are getting snacked on by zebra swallowtail caterpillars. I may pick up some parsley and move them over to that so we can watch them grow (and my baby paw paws can grow).

My broody is set to start hatching out her barnyard mix eggs tomorrow. It will be exciting to have little peepers around here again. My Sandhill order is still on hold. One more ship date of next Tuesday, which happens to be when we are expecting my sister, brother-in-law and 1 yo nephew are set to visit. I've already warned her that we are a farm here, and the wheel that squeaks the loudest… Imagine 25 chicks in the house then as well. There will be more than just squeaking, lol!

I have a second broody, One Spur Wendy. She hatched guineas last summer. If this Sandhill order falls through, I may get some Mottled Java eggs for her. She's a good Mom, as long as she remembers to get off the nest to relieve herself.

Fin is growing into a fine young cat. He used to look so slender and young. He's looking so grown up these days!

 

[speckledhen]

Well, I was stuck in lurkdom for a while. I think I started about 10 different replies, 10 different times or something, and then got sidetracked. The boys home from school are keeping me busy.

I think some of the replies went like this:

Such pretty birds. You're right, someone is missing out on those three. I'd scoop 'em up in a heartbeat!! Too bad DH's Aunt was on her way back down to GA when she visited this week and not on the way up!

Chickies are growing fast!! Super cute!! I hope your keepers are easy to pick!! I'm a bit of a failure at that. I always worry about where they end up, as I know you do as well.

Beautiful garden! All this rain has ours really taking off as well. I kept some volunteer tomato plants that popped up in the garden, bringing my total up to 19 plants. It will be interesting to see what they are. I have a yellow squash almost ready for picking, my first harvest of the year from the garden, except for basil. I made some cages from old 2" x 4" fencing that was on the way to the dump. My youngest spent the day under the maple tree with me pulling old dry vines off of it all. He earned a dollar

. I did not make the cages soon enough. The rain caused the plants to grow about overnight. I caged what I could and we went back and cut some bamboo from the little stand at the corner of the property to stake the rest. Worked well.

Figs are showing some little tiny fruit here and there, pretty exciting for their second year on the bank. The paw paws are getting snacked on by zebra swallowtail caterpillars. I may pick up some parsley and move them over to that so we can watch them grow (and my baby paw paws can grow).

My broody is set to start hatching out her barnyard mix eggs tomorrow. It will be exciting to have little peepers around here again. My Sandhill order is still on hold. One more ship date of next Tuesday, which happens to be when we are expecting my sister, brother-in-law and 1 yo nephew are set to visit. I've already warned her that we are a farm here, and the wheel that squeaks the loudest… Imagine 25 chicks in the house then as well. There will be more than just squeaking, lol!

I have a second broody, One Spur Wendy. She hatched guineas last summer. If this Sandhill order falls through, I may get some Mottled Java eggs for her. She's a good Mom, as long as she remembers to get off the nest to relieve herself.

Fin is growing into a fine young cat. He used to look so slender and young. He's looking so grown up these days!

One Spur Wendy, LOL. I used to call my rooster, Deacon, the One Spur Wonder. He never had a spur on one leg. I miss that silly goober.

Finn is a pretty cool cat. Coyotes were in the yard early this a.m. and LOUD. He was safe in his condo.

 

[MistyMountain]

One Spur Wendy, LOL. I used to call my rooster, Deacon, the One Spur Wonder. He never had a spur on one leg. I miss that silly goober.

Finn is a pretty cool cat. Coyotes were in the yard early this a.m. and LOUD. He was safe in his condo.

Hah! I've probably let that slip a time or two as well, when talking to her. She's a more aggressive broody, so Wendy the One Spur Wacko might be more appropriate. She'll get eggs if the shipment on Tuesday falls through. I figure I can try to introduce half of the chicks to her at night and see if it takes. Then I will only have to raise 15 of them!

Ick, coyotes. Stay safe, Fin! We have not seen any here, and recently talked to the grounds manager at the golf course that our property backs up to about it. He has not seen any, but the geese are losing babies each day. He did say there is a family of foxes and two momma bears with cubs, though.

We had a skunk in the coop last Friday, a first for us. We got home just after dark to some noisy chickens and half of them up the hill toward the house. I thought we had a bigger problem. It was a white skunk eating eggs. How do you get a skunk out of a coop with one door and half your flock flipping out inside? Made me miss Willie Roo. He would have been off the roost and confronting the intruder before it could even set foot in the coop. Blackbeard is an OK Roo, nice, not mean to us, but he gets too comfy on that roost with the girls. I need to find another Willie.

I went around the back of the coop and kicked the wall while shouting for it to get out of there. It eventually went out the door, but decided to squeeze through the 2" x 4" welded wire run fence. Early bedtime for the flock for a while now. I need to get new batteries for the game cam and get it up a running again. The big fix will be when they move into the new coop. It was educational for DH though, realizing why I do a head count each night when I lock them up, instead of just closing the door. Can't tuck a skunk in with the chickens at night!

I need to give DH credit, though. Blackbeard was able to round up 5 hens from the hill back to the coop after the skunk departed. We were still missing two, Curly Sue and Penny. Curly Sue was at the house, no surprise there. She's my white lab…er leghorn. Seriously like a puppy dog, that one. We could not find Penny anywhere. I had called it quits after 45 minutes and had wished her luck for the night with plans to head out a first light to round her up. DH did not stop looking and found her above our little road to the back pasture and in a brush pile. Love that guy. Another 20 minutes to get her to the coop (wild hen) and we were set for the night.