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

[uphilljill]

Hector looks embarrassed for his bad behavior earlier. Hope he learns his lesson.

 

[Wyatt0224]

Poor Atlas either molted out all his sickles except one very ratty one or he's pulled them out over those crazy wenches. Poor guy.

Tessa's behavior has changed and not for the better. DH came in this morning and said, "I almost killed a hen just now." When DH was petting the teenagers on their roosts this morning, he said Tessa was on a nest below and came off and just started attacking him. I know she had been semi-broody and then, during that time, I tossed her into another group several times to give Apollo and the girls a break from her incessant harassment, and ever since, she's been different. She might end up with her neck wrung if she continues this. He puts up with Tiny being aggressive, but he has zero patience for another hen going psycho on him. I am concentrating on picking her up and soothing her more to see if I can get the old Tessa back. She was never like this before; she was a sweet girl.

Could her being in a half broody state really cause her to act this way?

 

[speckledhen]

Hector looks embarrassed for his bad behavior earlier. Hope he learns his lesson.

Me, too, Jill.

Could her being in a half broody state really cause her to act this way?

Well, not exactly, but she was already in a mood when I started making her leave her group to be harassed by another. I'm just trying to figure out what would cause such a personality change. I've never had a hen, other than Tiny (and we know why she is like she is, always has been), to act this way. Tessa was at the bottom of the pecking order when she had the three teens thrown into the mix so her attacking them back then was pretty normal. She was making a point that they were now at the bottom, of course. But it's continued to a point where I've thought of selling her as a layer to someone else, with full disclosure and the hope that an entirely new place would change her back. Naturally, it could just make her worse.

But, DH has no patience for that stuff, and frankly, after having scars on my arms from her biting myself, neither am I. If he snaps her neck next time, it won't be a surprise. She isn't acting broody anymore, thankfully, but when I went in the pen this morning and just said hello to her and bent down to talk to her, her neck hackles came up. I picked her up twice yesterday, talked to her and held and petted her and she was fine, just wary that she was in trouble. So, I dunno. We'll see. I want the old Tessa back.

I won't put her in with another group again. The teens are really no longer teens. Athena is 22 weeks old today and Apollo and Zara 20 weeks so they need to find their place in the group once and for all, even if they suffer some hassling from Tessa. The others are more normal in their shunning of the kids, but Tess is over the top and I was afraid they'd be hurt, especially Apollo, who is like a huge baby still. If he breaks a leg, I'll have to put him down and I really, really don't want to be in that position.

 

[speckledhen]

Tried again. Not much luck but you can see how broad Mary and Jill are, anyway. They are either right in the camera or turn so fast, my shutter speed is too slow to catch them.

11 weeks old.

What a cocky little prince he is!


Maybe it's my imagination or just the lighting, but I think Jill is darker than Mary.

 

[1muttsfan]

Maye Tessa would be happier in a flock where the birds are not regularly handled pets, where she can just be a chicken.

 

[speckledhen]

Maye Tessa would be happier in a flock where the birds are not regularly handled pets, where she can just be a chicken.

Tessa and Lizzie are rarely handled, though, much less than the older birds. The only "handling" she's had lately, really, is me grabbing her to stop her from killing Apollo. I guess she's a tad resentful of that since she was very sweet prior to the newbies moving into the group.

 

[speckledhen]

O. M. G.

The name is Hector.... KING Hector! That's what my husband dubbed him today after what happened. Keep in mind, he's just 11 wks old.

I let him out with Jill, Mary and Thea and also, Apollo with his two girls, thinking it was time for them to learn to deal with harassment by older birds. Eventually, Hector found Apollo's group. Athena, who is 22 weeks old, remember, decided to flare up and peck at Hector. Big mistake, HUGE! He grabbed her by the back of the neck and jumped on her. She screamed and ran, dragging Hector with her. Apollo ran over to "rescue" Athena. DH says, oh, no, am I going to have to rescue Hector?



Apollo and Hector were face to face, all flared up when Hector jumped up and flogged Apollo in the face. Baby Huey screamed and ran off with Hector on his tail. DH was thinking he'd have to rescue Apollo from Hector! Good grief! Give that 20 week old rooster a diaper, will you, someone? Ack! He avoided Hector, even hiding behind trees and once, the entire barn, leaving his two girls to deal with whatever happened on their own.

I've never seen a more dominant 11 week old cockerel than Hector. Eventually, when he again met up with Athena and Zara, he dropped that wing and danced for them. They, again, screamed and ran from the little tyrant!

Before he was shuttled back into his pen, I found a piece of green something for him to eat and held it out to him, but the little snot-rag danced at me and bit me, yet again! He was flipped onto his back and held until he calmed down. This does concern me a tad since the usual admonishments are not really working very well, or he can't seem to remember what not to do. This can't be hormones at his age so what happens when those are in play? My husband is still laughing and shaking his head at young King Hector. That's why he was facing off with Atlas the other day-he's either fearless or just plain stupid, I'm not sure which yet.

To reiterate, Apollo:
And Hector:

 

[Wyatt0224]

That is quite amazing! Do you think Hector would have the same attitude against Atlas? And how would Atlas respond?

 

[speckledhen]

That is quite amazing! Do you think Hector would have the same attitude against Atlas? And how would Atlas respond?

Yes, I do think he would do exactly the same thing with Atlas. Atlas, however, would not be intimidated and I'm afraid he might deliver a brain-damaging head thunk to the little tyrant. The other day, when Hector accidentally met up with Atlas outside, he lowered that head, bobbed it a little, and did the sideways-casual-sidle-up to Atlas and was standing up when I grabbed both Atlas and Tessa up so he wouldn't get hurt.

The only thing I've seen remotely like this was when Atlas's dad, Rex, at just TWO WEEKS OLD, flogged Isaac repeatedly in the face as Ike was bending down to flirt with Rita, the broody raising him; that is, until my friend, Ladyhawk, snatched him up before daddy Isaac could lower a giant foot on the boy. He was defending his mama from the giant white beast. But, when he grew up, he was a great lot smarter than that silly chickster he was at 2 weeks old and was pretty normal at Hector's age. We started calling Rex The DelaRex after that incident, as in, Beware the DelaRex! LOL.

 

[eleaserek]

good grief, you've got your hands full with him!!