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

[1muttsfan]

Well maybe a little frazzled too after a pounding by 2 big hens - not making excuses, just sounds like she had a few bad minutes.

 

[speckledhen]

They're almost 10 weeks old and Atlas's son is shaping up to be a nice specimen so far, I think. He's very skittish, thanks mostly to Maretta being too cautious and staying between me and the group of them. Cora and Rocky didn't care, they knew where the treats were coming from, but the smaller pullet and the cockerel are scared of me. Karen will have some work to do to calm them down when she gets those two but I'm sending Cora as a consolation prize, LOL.

 

[holm25]

Oh they r so cute!!

 

[drumstick diva]

I think Tiny needs pinless peepers, so her aim is off or else an iron mask.

 

[speckledhen]

I think Tiny needs pinless peepers, so her aim is off or else an iron mask.

She already is mostly blind. She just throws herself at the human shaped thing in a jealous rage.

 

[drumstick diva]

My goodness she needs anger management classes. You aren't kidding when you call her Tiny the terror. How did she escape the soup pot all this time??

 

[speckledhen]

My goodness she needs anger management classes. You aren't kidding when you call her Tiny the terror. How did she escape the soup pot all this time??

She was supposed to be Ameraucana. And she did come out of a good quality (visually) BBS Ameraucana flock, from a lovely blue egg. Realized later on as she shaped up that she had some Sumatra in her lineage. We saw when she was two or three days old that she was not eating. She'd run across the feeder like she was interested in what the others were doing but she obviously could not see the feed (tan feed, aluminum holder). When we mashed up some cooked egg yolk in a blue bowl and tapped it, she started eating and literally singing. The color contrast helped her see. So, I changed the feeder to a red one and did the finger tapping thing and from then on, she ate the starter. So, she almost died because of her bad eyesight. She cannot pick up a grain of anything, can't catch a bug because she can't see it, must see a pile to aim for, and I think her eyes are getting worse at her age.

So, saving her and feeling sorry for her is why she is still here. She shows extreme frustration when she doesn't get what she wants so she's just plain spoiled now. And she did go broody once, stayed that way for 3 months. Oh, my, that was a scary time! I was not going to give her eggs because I didn't know if she could raise babies with her eyes so bad, not being able to show them things she couldn't see. And who wants to deal with a double psycho broody?

 

[speckledhen]

Sad and infuriating news about Ladyhawk's missing Brahma pullet, Lacey. Today, she let her rooster, Ragnar, and his hens into a fenced area behind the coop and went to do waterer filling and she heard him suddenly start screaming and making a god-awful sound she said she'd never heard. Thinking some predator had grabbed one of the hens, she picked up a big stick and ran to find him staring at a partial roll of fencing that was inside the area he was in with his girls. She saw what she thought was Lacey with her head and shoulders inside that fence roll and after a few seconds, she saw that she was dead, having obviously been placed inside the 4 ft fenced pen behind the coop overnight sometime with no predator protection and poor Lacey tried to hide in the fence roll. Being much larger than she was weeks ago when she was stolen, she couldn't get her entire body inside and something, probably a raccoon, killed her. Poor Ragnar was inconsolable. She got him away as fast as she could and will be removing the body but she took photos and will be notifying the authorities.

That lowlife sick son of a an inbred biscuit eater dumped poor Lacy in an open topped pen during the night, knowing that no one would know she was out there and with no protection from the myriad of night predators. We are beyond sick and angry tonight. I want my LGD and I want my barn built so I can put a combination lock on the door. That idiot as much as admitted he took her by bringing her back-no one else would have done that-, which we both already knew but had no proof of. This is only circumstantial proof since no one saw him dump her back in there but she's been gone for weeks. She didn't just survive in that predator rich environment for weeks and weeks and jump over a 4' fence during the dead of night. How can people be so cruel?????

ETA: Nugget refuses food and even water unless we syringe it into her mouth. She can't last much longer this way. So sad that such a healthy looking Orpington hen is dying and I can do nothing. I realize she's old now and it's just her time but it's still awful.

 

[Peanutsmomma]

There are no words to describe the anger and disgust I feel right now. I literally feel sick to my stomach. I cannot imagine the horror Ladyhawke must have felt when she realized what happened to sweet Lacey. There is special place in hell for that inbred piece of human refuse!!! GRRRRRR.......


My heart just aches for you and your beautiful Nugget.

 

[drumstick diva]

How Horrible about Lacey. That person is a true psychopath.

Sorry about Nugget - I hate that feeling when you want to help but, there is nothing you can do but, accept.

I must have forgotten all that about Tiny, she has reasons for her issues. I'm sure I would have kept her also. I've never been able to walk away from something in need.*


* sometimes I take that to silly levels. I was at a museum once with a display of two small robots. When they cycled on, they went through many exercise routines - there was
quite a crowd around them. Then one of the robots fell over and was struggling to rise. People drifted away. It was eating at me ,I could not leave. I didn't want to get hollered at from museum personnel BUT, I moved close to the display and stood the robot on his feet. As I was walking away I saw another person who came back to help also.
Two people who couldn't even walk away from a troubled mechanical device. At least I wasn't the only crazy one. We both shared a smile - and felt better.