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

[h2oratt]

Thanks on both counts. It's weird, counting just 7 hens in that pen rather than 8 now. I kept looking for #8 after I put them back inside after letting them out yesterday, then remembered I was missing a very important chicken-person.

 

[holm25]

Cyn I really liked the video! You should keep making them!

 

[speckledhen]

Cyn I really liked the video! You should keep making them!

Hmm, not sure if I will or not, we'll see. The fact that the camera adds 10 lbs was almost a deal breaker, LOL.

 

[speckledhen]

Ack, HECTOR! He bit Tom's hand when he was shaking scratch from the jar into their pan in their pen. I don't do that. I pour it into my hand and toss it in or I just toss it through the fencing into the pan and have spread the welded wire near the feeder so I can do that. I guess Hector was impatient this morning, but he can't do that. He was sweet earlier, standing on top of the file cabinet nest box and letting DH pet him. Sheesh, young chicken males are a royal pain sometimes.

 

[speckledhen]

I took new pictures today of Hector and his girls, now 23 weeks old, and Apollo, 32 weeks old. Hector is making me crazy with the tail thing. @uphilljill and @1muttsfan














This pullet is Thea. Her barring is so beautiful and she's caught up in size almost, though. So super sweet, too.







Apollo




He was turning so he dropped his shoulder just as I snapped the picture, darn it. Wanted to show how long and straight his back is. Seems I have something on the camera lens, too.




Hector told the cat today that he did not appreciate being watched so closely. He flared up and chased Finn away after keeping himself between his girls and the poor, innocent kitty, who loves to watch the chickens free range nearby.



ETA: Adding off-topic stuff, as usual. Will be quilting this 52" square lap/baby/couch quilt today. This is the front:



And the back is this:

 

[GingersHuman]

I wonder if Hector is capable of growing a tail?

 

[speckledhen]

I wonder if Hector is capable of growing a tail?

That makes a few of us.


ETA: No quilting will be accomplished today. My machine is acting up. Need to have it serviced, I suppose. Darn it. Dead in the water.

 

[1muttsfan]

Methinks those "tail feathers" look slightly longer.

 

[speckledhen]

Methinks those "tail feathers" look slightly longer.

The sides are longer, but there's a gap in the center. As long as I can deal with the teen boy antics of all these young whippersnappers, he'll get to stay and grow out further. But this chaos with Hector, Apollo, Bruno and Bash and Xander trying to control them all at once, is making me nuts. I was about to throw up my hands earlier today, having to jump out of the way of chasing males in the barn.

Atlas is having issues with his left hock joint. Usually, that happens in cold weather and the last two days have not been cold even at night. I'd hate for a rooster less than three years old to become crippled with arthritis. I will have to shorten his spurs, though, to make sure he doesn't trip himself up too badly, maybe just 1/4" on each.

as far as my sewing machine, my machine is fine. It's my brain that is "dead in the water". No further comment on that.


ETA: I made a 3 gallon tub of my own laundry soap yesterday. Takes 2 bars of Zote Soap, an entire box each of Super Washing Soda, 4 lb box of regular Baking Soda, and a box of 20 Mule Team Borax. Shred the Zote soap in a food processor (I did one by hand with a grater and one in the processor), add all the rest of the ingredients and mix well. You can add those Purex scent crystals if you want, I did not do that. You can also add OxiClean or replacement booster, but I didn't do that, either, trying to keep costs down. I figure there is enough scent in the fabric softener anyway.

The entire tub cost me $11.94 to make. I happened to have an OxiClean scoop (not sure why, never bought the stuff), which is the equivalent to 2 tablespoons. I used ONE scoop for one load. If the load was extra large or extra filthy, I could have used another half scoop or so. Imagine how long this tub will last for just two adults at one scoop per load of laundry. I'm guessing it may last us six months or more, rather than one big container of liquid laundry soap at about $5-7 each that will last a month or less. I could have grated it finer and maybe should have but will try it like this first and see how it does.

*** Zote Soap comes in a box of flakes that says it is equal to two bars, but it cannot be. Each bar is 400 grams. The box says it's 500 grams. My math skills are not great, but that is not equal to two bars. And it costs more than twice as much. Each bar of Zote Soap at our WalMart was 88 cents. The box of flakes was...gee, I forgot, but I think it was over $2 for one box of flakes.


The tub was free at Ingles Grocery. It held garlic spread in the bakery and they give those away for the asking.

 

[GingersHuman]

Nice! I had made my own laundry soap once, but it entailed cooking the ingredients, making a kind of cream. I didn't think it worked all that well, but we both have physical, dirty jobs that make for smelly laundry. Let us know how well it works for you.