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

[speckledhen]

That proves rooster do have a heart! That is awesome to hear that Xander is loving life. How is Dusty feeling about it though?

She pretty much ignores Maretta unless she wants her to move, then she just growls at her.

 

[getaclue]

 

[speckledhen]

You guys remember the old lady across the street with her open air coop and two Golden Comet hens, one of which was taken by a fox early this year? Well, I saw that she had her hanging feeder up on some shelf or something in there, so I knew she was probably not buying feed for the remaining hen, letting her out to free range every day. Yesterday, she called and asked DH for a little help moving her heat lamp from the front roost (which is in drafts) into a back cubby hole/closet thing.

When he got back later, I held out the Virkon for his shoes. His face was all screwed up in disgust and he said," I'm going to have to wash my shoes", which he did, with a scrubber and bleach. I virkoned the entire deck and the steps he walked up as well. Apparently, she only feeds the poor hen out of small bags of cracked corn, nothing else, certainly no calcium supplement like oyster shell (probably never heard of it) and makes the hen get all her food on the wooded lot. With winter here, that won't yield much food. And DH said that the place was thick with chicken poop, that he didn't think she'd changed the shavings in a year, or maybe ever, that it was a foot high with caked on poop on the floors and literal 6" high poop piles on the roost. Plus, spilled water, etc. Someone who did work for her used those metal staples you secure Romex with to secure an extension cord to the wall for the heat lamp. OMG, how has it not caught fire! It was digging into the cord, too. DH moved all that and told her it was a terrible fire hazard. It's a wonder that hen is alive. She's probably 2 years old or close to it.

Remember, this is the woman who said that two hens were sooooo much work. Now, she has one, just one that roams all day and she can't be bothered to get her grandson (or great-grandson, not sure which he is) to clean out that little coop. She is in her late 70's or early 80's, has legs thick as umbrella stands and has to walk with a cane. She truly does not need to have any pets, but her family dropped that kid on her, plus a cat she didn't want, and she got that fat little Boston Terrier, which she said was a mistake-that dog is wide as an oak tree from whatever she's feeding it. I feel angry, frustrated and sorry for her all at the same time, but I feel for that poor, sweet little hen, living in squalor that way. If this winter is really bad, she'll end up dead or at minimum, with terrible frostbite.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I didn't read about your neighbors chickens. That sounds sad. I might offer to take it under the assumption that it is carrying anything my flock hasn't seen already. Sounds like maybe your neighbor might be relieved to rid of it. Though I don't think I would want to endanger your flock of birds. So sad.

 

[speckledhen]

I didn't read about your neighbors chickens. That sounds sad. I might offer to take it under the assumption that it is carrying anything my flock hasn't seen already. Sounds like maybe your neighbor might be relieved to rid of it. Though I don't think I would want to endanger your flock of birds. So sad.

My flock has had zero contagious stuff so I'm hesitant to take this bird, who is malnourished and I don't know what she might have. We told her the first time she complained about how much work they were and hinted she might just give them to us that we don't take started birds in order to keep disease out of our flocks. The hen is probably fine, as far as contagious disease goes, considering she has been only with her now deceased-by-predator sister and no others, but the woman already complained about soft shelled eggs (well, duh) and the hen is a hatchery sex link so she will just be another to drop dead from some reproductive malfunction, I bet.

I have no idea exactly where she got the hens, who were "teens" when she brought them home, but most likely from some local who also has no clue about disease or proper care. It is sad because they were just sweet little hens and deserved better. And I knew that when she got them, she'd regret it soon due to her own physical limitations.

 

[h2oratt]

My flock has had zero contagious stuff so I'm hesitant to take this bird, who is malnourished and I don't know what she might have. We told her the first time she complained about how much work they were and hinted she might just give them to us that we don't take started birds in order to keep disease out of our flocks. The hen is probably fine, as far as contagious disease goes, considering she has been only with her now deceased-by-predator sister and no others, but the woman already complained about soft shelled eggs (well, duh) and the hen is a hatchery sex link so she will just be another to drop dead from some reproductive malfunction, I bet.

I have no idea exactly where she got the hens, who were "teens" when she brought them home, but most likely from some local who also has no clue about disease or proper care. It is sad because they were just sweet little hens and deserved better. And I knew that when she got them, she'd regret it soon due to her own physical limitations.

Poor birds. I just got my quarantine coop set up. Excited that I can now quarantine if I get any chickens from anyone. My friend has some Bc maran cockerels she wants to place. She said she would give me a hen if I took a rooster. They are from a hatchery somewhere. Not sure what I want to do, but at least now I have my quarantine.

 

[speckledhen]

Just remember that quarantine cannot catch everything. Some diseases have longer incubation periods, like Marek's Disease. And if the birds are not stressed, say they are happier in your quarantine than they were where they came from, they could still be carriers and not show it. Quarantine is not perfect, but it's a minimum if you do take in birds from other places.


Today's Hector fix for you.




Here, they had started to run back to the barn because someone alarmed, which is why the odd posture.

Apollo, stretching up to see if Hector is lurking inside before he goes any further.



And the new happy couple, Xander and Maretta:

 

[itspebbl]

They are all looking great !! Apollo has just gotten more beauti...handsome, hasn't he!

 

[GingersHuman]

Poor Hector's funky tail... at least he's growing a tail now!

 

[Wyatt0224]

Apollo is really looking good.