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

[holm25]

Hey Holm25, I saw your post on the Buff Orp thread. We have a "crazy miss daisy" Buff Orp too! Didn't you say she is only 8 months old? Ours is 10 months and starting to hang out way too long in the nesting boxes. Hopefully Miss Daisy will be a good turkey momma.

Thanks the way I see it if you have buff orps you need a crazy miss daisy!!

 

[1muttsfan]

While the little fuzzy butts are darling, it's their mama's big wide fluffy fanny that I keep looking at.

 

[lularat]

While the little fuzzy butts are darling, it's their mama's big wide fluffy fanny that I keep looking at.

I love fluffy butts....so cute. Two of my girls have just finished moulting and haven't gotten their fluff back....they're bare butts. Doesn't help that the other girls like to peck the bare bottoms.

 

[speckledhen]

Okay, I may be getting somewhere on the sexing of these chicks. Rachel took them out and down the hill toward the main coop so she could get a better dustbath. I had a chance to really observe them and though they still have conflicting traits, I see one trait that is showing up that may tell the tale. Two of the ones who are feathering out like pullets also have a hint of a line of feathers coming in straight down the middle of their backs. The other three have nothing. To me, that says I probably have three cockerels and two pullets. So, unfortunately, I won't have an extra pullet, if that is the case. I will have to rehome each male with a pullet and the third male, I will either keep, or I have someone who may be interested in a cockerel from this line.

Hey, Andrew, let me know when you candle these eggs for the first time.

 

[gojira]

I candled the first time on Sunday night (I had set the previous Monday night). Of the 16 eggs set, I saw development in 12 eggs, two eggs I could not tell (difficult to see through the shell, but I think I saw veins), and two eggs had faint blood rings. One egg with the faint blood ring was the one you mentioned might be from the Splash Rock, and the other egg was very similar to it (maybe from the same hen). I am excited.

As far as females growing feathers down the back before males, that is how I tend to determine gender in the BBS LF Cochins we have. They mature painfully slow, and comb size is not a good indicator until after 6 weeks (more like week 8 and later). I can sometimes go by which chicks start to feather on the shoulders first.

 

[speckledhen]

I candled the first time on Sunday night (I had set the previous Monday night). Of the 16 eggs set, I saw development in 12 eggs, two eggs I could not tell (difficult to see through the shell, but I think I saw veins), and two eggs had faint blood rings. One egg with the faint blood ring was the one you mentioned might be from the Splash Rock, and the other egg was very similar to it (maybe from the same hen). I am excited.

As far as females growing feathers down the back before males, that is how I tend to determine gender in the BBS LF Cochins we have. They mature painfully slow, and comb size is not a good indicator until after 6 weeks (more like week 8 and later). I can sometimes go by which chicks start to feather on the shoulders first.

Oh, that's excellent fertility! I'm happy to hear it. I know Atlas is certainly doing his part. And I'm positive that Ida and Wynette and Ro are all laying. Not really sure about Dottie or Dru since I haven't caught them on nests. I see that Dottie is molting a little so maybe she isn't laying but can't be sure.

I use the shoulder feathers, too, Andrew, but that isn't working very well this time. Going by the less precise barring and the vague line of back feathers, I'm calling three cockerels and two pullets. And the person who contacted me recently about hatching eggs is interested in one of the cockerels if I have an extra so I may have a home for the odd man out, if there truly is one.

 

[speckledhen]

Update with pictures today. I had a long day yesterday, but baby pictures perk me up. Have a tooth that after, over the years, it having been crowned as well as a root canal, it will have to come completely out because it has a bad infection down deep and I'm on meds that make me a loopy mess. My son is coming in from South Korea today for a week and DH has to drive to Knoxville area to pick him up at the airport after driving an hour and a half each way to my dentist yesterday. So, what better than a slew of chick pics to make it all better, right?

Andrew, suddenly overnight, a three of them have shoulder feathers, two pullets and one I'm sure is a cockerel, but the one with the most developed shoulder feathers is one of the pullets. I have them labeled in a couple of the pics so you can see which one I think is which.


This first one is a pullet-barring and darker leg fronts are what I'm going on. I see this type of barring on their first wing feathers with pullets quite often, though it gets better later on as they get in more juvenile feathers.





Pullet here, too. See the line of back feathers peeking through?











Two cockerels with pullet in center in this last photo.

 

[getaclue]

Something that has not really been mentioned, but with my BA's is very helpful, is their legs. Compare their legs. Males tend to have thicker, sturdier legs while the females have more slender legs.

 

[speckledhen]

Something that has not really been mentioned, but with my BA's is very helpful, is their legs. Compare their legs. Males tend to have thicker, sturdier legs while the females have more slender legs.

I try that, but they are not easy on that count, either. Some of the pullets have thicker legs on this line. Sigh.

 

[1muttsfan]

I agree with your assessment of barring especially. My they are cute little dinosaurs!

So sorry about the dental issues - just forked over 900 to my dentist last week, second crown in 3 months (700 the first time) ugh. Have fun with your son!