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

[Peanutsmomma]

Oh my goodness! How is your wound?

How do you break a broody Cyn? I am sure that I would ask you this question this spring, so I might as well ask now. LOL!

 

[speckledhen]

Oh my goodness! How is your wound?

How do you break a broody Cyn? I am sure that I would ask you this question this spring, so I might as well ask now. LOL!

Oh, it's fine, just a little peck, albeit a nasty one. She was just faster than I was that time.

I rarely am able to break up a broody, Angela. The last D'Anver broke because I moved her to a new unfamiliar building. With Rachel, I just kept throwing her off the nest every time I went into the coop and she eventually gave up. I hope she will this time, but I think she's more determined than before, so I'm a bit skeptical about my ability to be successful with her a second time. May end up having to give her some eggs. She'd get Dottie's and maybe one of hers and Ro's.

So, Miss Angela, considering my broody situation, are you ready to come up and get some Atlas babies?

If any of these end up getting eggs, in a few weeks, there may be some Atlas progeny. I do not intend to let them have eggs from any other birds.

 

[Happy Chooks]

Broodies..........sometimes they make you

and sometimes they make you

 

[speckledhen]

Unproven broodies always scare me. I'd rather Dottie or Maretta (the EE) sit than Rachel. Both of those hens have raised several broods and I trust them. Rachel might go psycho and kill the alien invaders as they are hatching like some do.

 

[Happy Chooks]

Yeah, unproven Brodie's are stressful. I've had nitwit broodies that have been egg/chick squishers. This summer, I had 10 broodies - I'm still weeding through the cockerels for a couple keepers.

 

[1muttsfan]

Some of my least favorite are the ones who's eggs just disappear one at a time.

I have had some success putting then in a small open mesh cage right in the middle of the coop with only a little shavings as bedding. Doesn't work all the time, but doesn't hurt them either.

 

[speckledhen]

Some of my least favorite are the ones who's eggs just disappear one at a time.

I have had some success outing then in a small open mesh cage right in the middle of the coop with only a little shavings as bedding. Doesn't work all the time, but doesn't hurt them either.

I've never had the disappearing egg thing happen, but I've had them crush chicks as they zipped several times and I've had a hen slaughter a chick once so badly I barely recognized it as a chick, poor little thing. One hen, Nugget, if you can believe it, I know did it on purpose, knowing what she was doing because she'd raised numerous groups of chicks and I think she was just DONE with being a mother. Her hormones said sit, but when the chick was hatching, she said uh-uh, no way I'm doing this again. She never laid again, so naturally, never went broody again. She's two years into her "twilight years" now. I guess she'd just had enough of sacrifice.

I've tried the cage thing and it's never worked for me for some reason. They are just so determined. I'd rather let Rachel have two or three eggs and risk it than let her lose massive amounts of weight for nothing.

 

[Peanutsmomma]

Oh, it's fine, just a little peck, albeit a nasty one. She was just faster than I was that time.

I rarely am able to break up a broody, Angela. The last D'Anver broke because I moved her to a new unfamiliar building. With Rachel, I just kept throwing her off the nest every time I went into the coop and she eventually gave up. I hope she will this time, but I think she's more determined than before, so I'm a bit skeptical about my ability to be successful with her a second time. May end up having to give her some eggs. She'd get Dottie's and maybe one of hers and Ro's.

So, Miss Angela, considering my broody situation, are you ready to come up and get some Atlas babies?

If any of these end up getting eggs, in a few weeks, there may be some Atlas progeny. I do not intend to let them have eggs from any other birds.

Woo hoo!! Yes ma'am, I would love to make a road trip to get me some Atlas babies! How is Rachel doing today?

 

[speckledhen]

Woo hoo!! Yes ma'am, I would love to make a road trip to get me some Atlas babies! How is Rachel doing today?

Rachel is full-on psycho broody. I went into my egg stash in the basement where I had been collecting a few from that group in case someone local asked for them and pulled out 5 eggs, 3 from Dottie, 1 each from Rachel and Rowena. So, it's on! Atlas is going to be a papa!

She is in the bottom nest of the two drawer file cabinet nest box and I will leave her inside that coop until they hatch, then move her out. Their pen is not baby-proof and babies can wander into the adjoining coops or get out and underneath the coop and fall into rat holes or fall prey to our recently acquired cat-I'm sure the temptation of a chick would be too much for Finn. This will be interesting, to see how Finn does when a broody is out with her tiny chicks, as well as to see how Rachel does with the cat. Dottie or Nugget would be all over the cat, I know from experience, but who knows what Miss Rachel will do? We shall all see!


Day 21 is January 19, 2015.

 

[Happy Chooks]

muttsfan - I've had that happen too.

Cyn - I had a hen that had not laid an egg in a year and a half go broody this year. She is my 6 year old hatchery light brahma. She had never been broody before either. She did fine and was a great mother to her 3 chicks, though I was a bit shocked that a hen that is not laying would still go broody.