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

[speckledhen]

Thank you everyone for responding to my question. As of tonight before I put them up, she seemed to be acting fine. If anything it looked like some of the stuff coming out of her nostril had gone down just a bit and no more bubbles. However on her beak it looked like there was this greenish-brown gunk had come out of her right nostril and collected on her beak. I'm not sure though if was just something that she picked up while scratching around though. As of tonight no one else seems to have that problem as well. Is there anyway what she has isn't contagious because where I got her from she was in a big barn stall with at least 50 other pullets. I got three more from the lady and all of them are perfectly fine. That's what is confusing me about this being infectious because even the ones she lived with don'tt havie any of these symptoms. Also I'm not sure if I mentioned before I could hear her breathe from her nostrils but now I do t hear that.

Poor Xander, if he's going to pass I hope it's peaceful. I did enjoy reading all the stories you posted about him.

Greenish brown snot is not good, but you're not sure that's what it was. I think your best bet right now is to keep her separated, don't medicate (you could put a teaspoon or two of ACV with the "mother" in her water; seems to help me when I have any congestion to make an ACV tea with raw honey so can't hurt), and just observe her. Check her for lice/mites since you have her separate already. Listen and observe. I always say the best thing in your first aid kit is your power of observation. Just being aware can be quite a help. Let her be there a few days. She may have been in a high ammonia situation where she came from or something that is not contagious but just bothered her sinus passages. No need to decide right now. Just be sure you don't carry germs from her to the others. They could have been exposed but not contract whatever she has--if you always caught what someone else had, you could never go in a doctor's office. Immune system strength is a blessing in your flock.

Thanks for the thoughts on Xander. Such a great little man he is. Dusty is missing him now. She had all the other hens with Suede, then Suede passed on and I put Xander in with them. One by one, he watched those old gals pass away and now, he has only Dusty from his original flock. He never thought Wendy and Ro were worthy of him--they were not big enough!

Oh no, that's horrible news. I wish I had some helpful advice. I can say it's always the good ones, but I think you are like me and all your birds are the good ones.

Yes, they are. Now, Tiny the Terrorist Attack Hen, we'll make an exception with her. My husband came thiiiiiiis close to killing her the other day. I had to save her from him. She attacked him when he bent over to clean the shavings out of Amanda's water bowl and he almost snapped her neck. He said the next time, he will. Yeah, right. He's been saying that for years. She's turning 7 years old. She is a babydoll with me, but attacks him. And he is the one who saved her stupid life.

 

[1muttsfan]

Birds that are carriers of infections, meaning they are infected without being visibly ill themselves, can relapse and show clinical illness when stressed, such as when moving to a new farm. That is why the appearance of health is not a substutute for a strict 3 week quarenteen.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Greenish brown snot is not good, but you're not sure that's what it was. I think your best bet right now is to keep her separated, don't medicate (you could put a teaspoon or two of ACV with the "mother" in her water; seems to help me when I have any congestion to make an ACV tea with raw honey so can't hurt), and just observe her. Check her for lice/mites since you have her separate already. Listen and observe. I always say the best thing in your first aid kit is your power of observation. Just being aware can be quite a help. Let her be there a few days. She may have been in a high ammonia situation where she came from or something that is not contagious but just bothered her sinus passages. No need to decide right now. Just be sure you don't carry germs from her to the others. They could have been exposed but not contract whatever she has--if you always caught what someone else had, you could never go in a doctor's office. Immune system strength is a blessing in your flock.

Thanks for the thoughts on Xander. Such a great little man he is. Dusty is missing him now. She had all the other hens with Suede, then Suede passed on and I put Xander in with them. One by one, he watched those old gals pass away and now, he has only Dusty from his original flock. He never thought Wendy and Ro were worthy of him--they were not big enough!


Yes, they are. Now, Tiny the Terrorist Attack Hen, we'll make an exception with her. My husband came thiiiiiiis close to killing her the other day. I had to save her from him. She attacked him when he bent over to clean the shavings out of Amanda's water bowl and he almost snapped her neck. He said the next time, he will. Yeah, right. He's been saying that for years. She's turning 7 years old. She is a babydoll with me, but attacks him. And he is the one who saved her stupid life.

She sounds like a feisty old woman with attitude. I like her.

 

[Wyatt0224]

She sounds like a feisty old woman with attitude. I like her.

I wonder why she acts like that.

 

[speckledhen]

I wonder why she acts like that.

She has bad eyesight, for one thing. It's mainly bad depth perception, but as she's aged, it seems to have become worse. She gets very frustrated. She got into that habit with my husband years ago, flogging and biting when he pushed her away rather than baby her. I made a point to go pick her up and hug her and baby-talk her, telling her she was a good girl, how hard life is for a half-blind tiny girl, LOL. She now adores me and still attacks him. She has Sumatra in her lineage, you can tell just from looking at her, though she hatched from a BBS Ameraucana flock from a gorgeous blue egg (she lays brown). I had it confirmed that the breeder that the lady who sent me the hatching eggs got her breeding Ameraucana rooster from used to breed blue Sumatras. BINGO! Someone jumped a fence generations ago and the gene popped out again. So, she's blind and confused!


A funny story thread about her from 2011. https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...-attack-hen-will-she-become-a-suicide-flogger

And Wyatt, Mary is exactly right about this when she said:

Quote: When I got my BR rooster that first year, I quarantined him for 5 weeks. When my friend gave me June at 8 weeks old (and trust me, I almost did not take her), she was in a separate coop for 8 weeks. Those are the ONLY two birds ever to come here that were not hatched here or from a feed store hatchery shipment as a chick.
Been a long day. I'm going to go to bed to read my Kindle. G'nite, all.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Boy, she has a don't mess with me look about her. I have read that about Sumatra, so I have avoided getting any. Though I had a rooster years ago that I rehomed before he was mature.

 

[speckledhen]

Boy, she has a don't mess with me look about her. I have read that about Sumatra, so I have avoided getting any. Though I had a rooster years ago that I rehomed before he was mature.

She's a hot mess, that's for sure. It was odd when at first, I only thought she was a beardless Ameraucana, certainly a fault. But, then, as she grew, her shape and tail and face were just not Ameraucana-like. She morphed into a Sumatra, minus the gypsy color face. She's always had spurs, grew them just like any rooster would do. DH put a little pile of scratch on the ground for her just a bit ago and tapped it. She will eat where you tap your finger, but if she looks away, she'll "lose" the pile and begin eating "at" it. So, she has extremely blurry vision, sort of like me, except I can see close up quite well. When he tried to push the grains back together in a larger pile again, she flared her hackles and bit at him. I said I'd do it. So, I go over there and push them together and her reaction is 100% different. She used to love for him to hold her, but for some reason, she attacked him one day and just got into a bad habit.


Hey, Mary, great Hector story! I thought I might put Wendy out and let Hector out with his girls at the same time, which now has Rowena, Wendy's sister, in the group, figuring Ro might be happier if Wendy was back with her. As soon as the girls went out the door and met up with Wendy, Thea attacked her. Feet began to fly, then swoops in Hector to break it up. He jumped into the middle and pushed Wendy back with both feet, breaking up the hen fight. Good boy! That's exactly what Isaac would have done, which is high praise for Hector.

Thea is a smaller hen, but she has HUGE attitude and is most definitely head hen in that group. But, if I say, "Thea" even in just talking to my husband while close to her, she is at my feet, ready to be picked up and snuggled.


RE: Xander: He is back in the coop with his hens and they are very happy to see him, even Georgie! He is drinking like a fish, as they say, so he certainly has plenty of fluid in the crop. It was a tiny bit looser, but wasn't going down quickly and he was becoming depressed in the pet carrier. If he's on his way out, better to go with his girls around him.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Maybe she doesn't like listening to a man. She's a feminist chicken.

Hooray for Xander. Hopefully he improves. I have a hen that has been sitting around that I though was a goner but now she is starting to eat again. This up and down weather can be stressful on them. Here we are have big swings in temperatures from below zero to 30's.

 

[getaclue]

Glad Hector is keeping peace, and order in his flock. That's actually what he's supposed to do, but some roosters are not as good at it as others.

Dh had bought a couple fans, and mounted them in the new coop. He was so pleased with the results he's back at the hardware store now to get enough to finish out the coop, since they are on sale, and he wants to take advantage of the savings. He will put in the water lines, and spigots next, then finish the landscaping, and finally the electric fence.

I got a call from Dd # 1 yesterday. All this time she's been helping me at the coop, cleaning, feeding, watering, collecting eggs, etc., but she's never seen a hen actually lay an egg. The rooster was standing guard by the nest box, and a hen was inside the nest box. She chased the rooster out, then thinking there was something wrong with the hen, gently lifted her out of the nest box, and checked her over. She couldn't find anything wrong, but put a little extra fresh hay in the nest box to make sure she was comfortable.

She continued with the coop chores, and the hen hopped out of the nest box, making a lot of noise. Dd then discovered the egg. I had to explain an "egg song" to her. Now she knows.

 

[speckledhen]

Maybe she doesn't like listening to a man. She's a feminist chicken.

Hooray for Xander. Hopefully he improves. I have a hen that has been sitting around that I though was a goner but now she is starting to eat again. This up and down weather can be stressful on them. Here we are have big swings in temperatures from below zero to 30's.

It's nuts, this winter weather. Raining and in the 60's today. Tessa is getting feathers very quickly, but she's lost weight and isn't fully covered so keeping her away from Atlas until she has protection from his toenails. Xander is a bit better, crop is much more pliable. He loves those girls of his and is much happier in the coop.

Glad Hector is keeping peace, and order in his flock. That's actually what he's supposed to do, but some roosters are not as good at it as others.

Dh had bought a couple fans, and mounted them in the new coop. He was so pleased with the results he's back at the hardware store now to get enough to finish out the coop, since they are on sale, and he wants to take advantage of the savings. He will put in the water lines, and spigots next, then finish the landscaping, and finally the electric fence.

I got a call from Dd # 1 yesterday. All this time she's been helping me at the coop, cleaning, feeding, watering, collecting eggs, etc., but she's never seen a hen actually lay an egg. The rooster was standing guard by the nest box, and a hen was inside the nest box. She chased the rooster out, then thinking there was something wrong with the hen, gently lifted her out of the nest box, and checked her over. She couldn't find anything wrong, but put a little extra fresh hay in the nest box to make sure she was comfortable.

She continued with the coop chores, and the hen hopped out of the nest box, making a lot of noise. Dd then discovered the egg. I had to explain an "egg song" to her. Now she knows.

LOL, your DD is getting an education now! Sounds like the coop is humming right along.

You know, Atlas has sort of a non-interference policy with his hens. Ida, who is head hen, will grab Liz or Tess and beat the snot out of either one and he won't raise a foot to help. A predator, on the other hand, gets his full attention.