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

[speckledhen]

That's a nice assortment of chickens, and they're all good looking.

Thanks.

Beautiful birds Cyn! I have still been reading! I love reading and looking at all the pictures!

I still am at the age where I stay up late and wake up early lol! I went to bed at 1:45am and woke up at 5:30am yesterday. I'm still running on caffeine...

Yeah, you're not old like us folks. You're keeping teen farmer's hours! I keep remembering the old Benjamin Franklin quote "Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise." Well, I'm healthy, wise is debatable, but wealthy? Well, old Ben was talking about folks who get paid, not us, apparently! I keep asking but my feathered bosses only pay me in butt nuggets and precious little of those these days since most of them, in chicken years, are older than I am!

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Xander is a hatchery boy, bought to keep another hatchling company. He has issues like side sprigs on the comb, but if you bred him with a D'Anver, you get a neat combination where that is a non-issue. The Coch'Anver is a very cool bird. I made some when I had a lavender bantam Cochin hen with the D'Anvers years ago. Wish I still had her, the little diva. We called Shadow the Purple Princess.

Off to bed. I can't stay up late like I used to. I usually keep more "farmer's hours". Isaiah knows what that means, don't you, buddy? I know you're reading!

Thanks.

Yeah, you're not old like us folks. You're keeping teen farmer's hours!  I keep remembering the old Benjamin Franklin quote "Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise." Well, I'm healthy, wise is debatable, but wealthy? Well, old Ben was talking about folks who get paid, not us, apparently! I keep asking but my feathered bosses only pay me in butt nuggets and precious little of those these days since most of them, in chicken years, are older than I am!

I currently have a passel of Cochin d'uccle mixes, mine are all Columbian. I think this year a produced some that could pass for a Columbian colored d'uccle.

I keep reverse farmers hours. I was a farmer for many years and was always late to the milking. My body is wired to stay up late and sleep in later. Thankfully these days anything farmer related is just a hobby.

 

[speckledhen]

Snapped a couple of pics today, just walking around the place.

 

[Wyatt0224]

Hector and his girls look amazing

 

[speckledhen]

Hector and his girls look amazing

Thanks. He takes a nice close-up, doesn't he?

 

[Wyatt0224]

I was thinking that myself. He almost seems to pose for you.

 

[crazyhen]

Does anyone know whether there is a shot or med to prevent ms/mg and some of the other resp. diseases, I bought some beautiful Part English ladies and gents. They ar 20 + weeks old and laying. My ladies are dying with a sneeze and the paralysis. They were beautifiul until the sudden spurt of dying, I am getting so discouraged. Help..

s






revent

 

[getaclue]

Great pics!

 

[speckledhen]

Does anyone know whether there is a shot or med to prevent ms/mg and some of the other resp. diseases, I bought some beautiful Part English ladies and gents. They ar 20 + weeks old and laying. My ladies are dying with a sneeze and the paralysis. They were beautifiul until the sudden spurt of dying, I am getting so discouraged. Help..

s






revent

Oh, Gloria Jean, not again! I'm so sorry! When did you get them, at what age?

There was a drug some folks, I think Kathy Bonham, was using as some sort of touted preventative for respiratory stuff, but honestly, I didn't believe it and would hesitate to administer meds constantly to birds who were not ill. I can't remember the name of it. I seem to recall it's very expensive but a preliminary search didn't turn up the name of it for me. There are actual vaccinations for MG, but I have no idea how they work or how expensive they are. Paralysis sounds like Marek's Disease, though, not respiratory, like there's more than one thing going on. The Marek's vaccination does not prevent the disease, only prevents tumors associated with it. If they have Marek's, it's in your soil and would be a bear to get rid of.

I think the only thing is to have birds with strong immune systems and keep them from being exposed in the first place. If they have super-strong immune systems, even if they are exposed, they may not contract whatever the disease is. You know me, I sell extra birds and on rare occasions, hatching eggs, but because of that, I never buy birds from anyone so that I don't cause someone else heartache. I have not had to deal with any contagions so far.



ETA: Story from a man who came to get something he was buying from us. Same guy who had killed 8 coyotes who were mauling a fawn in his yard. He lost a chihuahua recently. Said he told his wife not to let the dog out to potty at night w/o a gun and a flashlight, but she did, at 2 a.m. She heard a yelp and then, saw the coyote taking her little dog away. He said the pack has grown to mammoth proportions, he mentioned 40+ (never even heard of a pack that large!) and they look really, really bad.

 

[MistyMountain]

Wow, Cynthia. That is quite the problem. Will the county get involved? That poses a risk to not only livestock, but children and adults as well!! Not to mention the disease they most likely harbor and can now spread. We know we have a healthy bear population here as well as foxes, but have yet to see a coyote. Neighbors say they are around, though no pack like you speak of. None the less, our boys (8 and 6) are not allowed to go beyond the dog's wireless boundary unless we are outside with them. She adores the boys and on more than one occasion she has alerted us to stray dogs approaching and serves as a very good deterrent. She's become a good farm dog.

I absolutely do not mind sharing the land with the animals. I even understand the "mother nature tax" I sometimes pay for free ranging. But, wow, a pack--- that's just asking for so much trouble.