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

[robhuncor]

It's a substantial tail, just a little weird in the angle. But definitely wattles to die for!

 

[speckledhen]

It's a substantial tail, just a little weird in the angle. But definitely wattles to die for!

He does excel in the wattles dept, but nobody beat the King of Wattles, Suede. Someone said she just wanted to play with them, LOL

 

[speckledhen]

The Apollo chicks. These are the 3 1/2 week olds. Definite pullet on the ramp, but also, I think a dwarf. So four BR chicks, half are dwarfs.






Hector, standing so you can get a better idea of his tail.





And Apollo, Athena and Zara. He has widened up a lot, seems like to me, though Hector is huge across his back, probably still wider than Apollo.






Adding the older two chicks:

 

[speckledhen]

Can someone define the term "lapdog rooster" for me? Someone showed interest in Apollo, asked how he was with hens and people. I told the truth, then he said he'd pass because he was looking for a "lapdog rooster". What I said about Apollo was that he didn't care for human attention/petting, but he'd get out of your way when you are doing chores, has never flogged or rushed anyone, ever, but when spring fever hit, he bit my husband, though he's never bitten me and eats out of my hand, does what I tell him, etc. Even little Xander, bantam Cochin rooster, a breed folks consider friendly, was not a lapdog at all. He hated to be picked up, but was fine once you caught him. Atlas is not a lapdog, per se, though he is very sweet and completely trustworthy. Rex was as well.

They have roosterly duties to perform- mating the hens, stopping fights, watching the skies, finding tidbits for their girls- so they don't crave attention from us all the time. I want to say that a rooster has a job to do, can't be basking in human attention when he is on duty, but maybe I'm not understanding the term. I have plenty of lapdog hens, certainly, always begging to be picked up. Never had a rooster do that, though Deacon came close. he loved to be hugged, but he would turn and flog you in the heat of the moment if you interrupted him fighting at the fence with another rooster. I think the closest to a lapdog rooster I ever had was Isaac. He begged to be picked up on occasion, loved to sit in your lap in the hammock, etc. But, he was a big boy and was first and foremost, the flock protector and breeding male. Ladyhawk called him a gigolo, LOL. Hector loves to be petted at times, but NEVER while outside on duty and he absolutely hates to be picked up any time. Most definitely not a lapdog, IMO.

I am getting the idea that a non-aggressive, easygoing rooster is not what they mean by 'lapdog'. He has to be left alone to do his job, right? Thoughts? @1muttsfan ? @robhuncor ? Anyone else?


Since someone suggested the name Piglet for the little BR dwarf cockerel, I've been calling the dwarf pullet Pooh-bear, LOL. Sounds awful, but they won't live long enough to have "big" names, I'm afraid. So, Piglet and Pooh-bear are doing very well. Piglet cracks me up, waddling so slowly. When he finds himself left behind, he jumps up and flaps his wings like he's going to fly to his destination, but he lands in almost the same spot he launched from, poor baby. So, it's "waddle-waddle, fly-bounce, waddle, fly-bounce" for Piglet!

 

[holm25]

Cyn they're looking good!

Lap rooster? LOL why do they need a lap rooster? Odd requests...

 

[speckledhen]

Cyn they're looking good!

Lap rooster? LOL why do they need a lap rooster? Odd requests...

Thanks, the chicks are doing really well. I can't wait until I can tell the straight partridge Brahmas from the blue Partridge ones. The BRs are easier!

Yeah, I don't know why they need more than a non-aggressive breeding rooster. I mean, by lap rooster, do they want him cuddly? I'd never expect that of any rooster. I figure if he doesn't attack any of his human keepers and he's good to his hens, he's a great one, right? Apollo doesn't attack us and his two hens still have all their back feathers, but their eggs are still fertile; to me, that's a great rooster! Cuddly, he isn't. Neither is Hector. Neither is Atlas nor was Xander. But, they are/were all good roosters. If he's hanging around the humans, asking for attention constantly, he's not doing his job properly, IMO.

 

[robhuncor]

Cyn, I think you are right. You shouldn't worry about what people think is a "lapdog rooster", that's not what you are raising. You have a perfect rooster if anyone wants a really good looking BR that behaves like a rooster should. I would think if someone wants a pet, he should be getting a baby chick he can raise to sit in his lap!

 

[speckledhen]

Cyn, I think you are right. You shouldn't worry about what people think is a "lapdog rooster", that's not what you are raising. You have a perfect rooster if anyone wants a really good looking BR that behaves like a rooster should. I would think if someone wants a pet, he should be getting a baby chick he can raise to sit in his lap!

Hey, I offered him one of Apollo's sons I have right now, two healthy boys. He could raise it up any way he wanted. Apollo is partly standoffish because of his time as a teenager in with Atlas, always being hassled and harassed, running for his life. This line is almost always completely non-human-aggressive so he could raise up one of the young males to suit him.

Even Xander, a bantam Cochin that folks think is pretty much a mush-ball, was not. He was a very serious and proper rooster, just smaller. He hated to be picked up.


The thing is that you can have a lapdog rooster at your place and a change of location could change his behavior. No one can guarantee what would happen when he left his home to go to a strange flock anyway.

 

[1muttsfan]

I though immediately of that video of Isaac schmoozing with that young lady - a true lapdog moment.

When I hatched Buckeyes for my sister a few years ago the last to hatch landed the name Bumble - fit him perfectly as a chick, and he grew into a lovely rooster.

 

[speckledhen]

I though immediately of that video of Isaac schmoozing with that young lady - a true lapdog moment.

When I hatched Buckeyes for my sister a few years ago the last to hatch landed the name Bumble - fit him perfectly as a chick, and he grew into a lovely rooster.

Me, too. I wanted to give him the link and say, "oh, you mean like Apollo's great grandpa? Sorry, there was only one".