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

[1muttsfan]

Not looking. Nope.

 

[speckledhen]

Not looking. Nope.

C'mon, you know you wanna.

 

[getaclue]

Not looking. Nope.

X2

 

[1muttsfan]

I was so tempted to get some bantam eggs again this year, but I already have Delawares (related to your old birds I believe), Welsummers, Cream Legbars, Arkansas Blues, and Buckeyes (those are for my sister though) coming in 3 weeks. As shipped eggs are such poor hatche

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rs hopefully that will not leave me flooded with chicks, or I will also be playing the Craigslist game.

 

[speckledhen]

Next batch of Atlas babies! Maretta has three BRs and one from Deacon and Sammie Jo (the solid black one). Six days old today.

 

[1muttsfan]

So the solid black is a pullet? Do I see two small head spots and one big uneven one?

 

[speckledhen]

So the solid black is a pullet? Do I see two small head spots and one big uneven one?

Don't let those head spots fool you. The biggest head spot is large, but not very uneven, fairly regular, actually, and it has a good bit of dark on the leg fronts. The one with a tiny head spot has zero dark on the leg fronts and a smidge of "frosting" on one side that is almost imperceptible. Could be a cockerel or could go the other way. You just can't sex these by head spot, not the Stukel Rocks. I could see four pullets or a male could pop in or they could all be cockerels except for the black one. These don't really follow good BR sexing rules like the hatchery stock does. Makes me nuts. Atlas had a tiny head spot, but you could barely see some frosting on either side; I actually missed it for about a couple of weeks, then BOOM! There is was, along with the pink comb.

See the circle around the little smudge on the side of the head? The main spot is tiny but then, there's that smudge plus clean legs, no dark.

 

[1muttsfan]

Yep. A new mystery.

 

[speckledhen]

Yep. A new mystery.

My least favorite thing about this line is you can't sex them easily at hatch like the more common ones I was used to, but it's a small price to pay, to have to wait a couple or three weeks to see to have these awesome birds.

Atlas's biggest son is such a lovebug. You scoop him up and hug him close to your face and he just settles in. If the group is nervous and runs back inside, he stands guard in the doorway. If one of his siblings is slow to get back inside, he gives a resounding head thunk when the latecomer arrives. He's just a natural leader even at 8 weeks old.

 

[Peep-Chicken]

Love the chicks!