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

[1muttsfan]

to you and Ladyhawk

to HIM

 

[speckledhen]

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.

Exactly our thoughts. She was so beyond insanely hurt and furious and that dimwit better be careful. Knowing him, he'll have to say something about bringing the bird back, won't be able to help himself, and if he takes one step toward her, he may find himself looking at the sky flat on his back. She's little but she's lethal, especially when you hurt an animal. Personally, if he walked toward me, I'd feel threatened. One of that family's farms was confiscated because of the pot find the game warden made and the brother landed in jail, not her fault because she had no idea they were growing that crop, but in his puny mind, it's ALL her fault.

The thing is you and I and Ladyhawk have empathy for the birds, for what poor Lacey must have been going through. That lowlife barely seems to have a soul, much less care about a sweet little chicken.

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.

Diva, I'd probably do the same thing. I have to set things right if it's in my power. Since having chickens, not much seems to be.

 

[holm25]

I'm sorry about Nugget!! And I feel so bad for Ladyhawke. That sick twisted monkey needs jail time. A very long long jail time.

 

[speckledhen]

I'm sorry about Nugget!! And I feel so bad for Ladyhawke. That sick twisted monkey needs jail time. A very long long jail time.

Thank you. And I completely agree about jail time. The problem is that some of law enforcement doesn't take the theft of a chicken seriously, though the game warden was fairly serious about searching for her that particular couple of days. (Naturally, the discovery of a pot crop put the poor little pullet in the background, but still...) If it was any piece of property or a hunting dog, it would be a different attitude. By law, a chicken is property and deserves at least that much attention.

 

[holm25]

Thank you. And I completely agree about jail time. The problem is that some of law enforcement doesn't take the theft of a chicken seriously, though the game warden was fairly serious about searching for her that particular couple of days. (Naturally, the discovery of a pot crop put the poor little pullet in the background, but still...) If it was any piece of property or a hunting dog, it would be a different attitude. By law, a chicken is property and deserves at least that much attention.

People use to be hung for the theft of a chicken. Now its not really a big deal. Its sad she works so hard just to have her hard work stolen from her.

 

[speckledhen]

Quote: You are so right about that.

 

[holm25]

How is Nugget doing today?

 

[speckledhen]

How is Nugget doing today?

Thank you for asking. She hasn't eaten anything still. We worked more stuff through her crop that's been sitting in there, but it's been there so long, it's begun to sour. She has ACV in her water but she isn't drinking it. She walks around, picking at stuff, but not eating anything. So, I can't imagine she'll be with us a lot longer.


Okay, long dramatic story of the day:

Well, Atlas is in one dog crate and Deacon is in Zane's old cage, both bloodied up. I was out in the back area with Atlas and his hens while they were free ranging, way away from the coops so figured I'd get some quilting in. I kept hearing a thump through the open window and finally put down my project to see, thinking maybe Atlas was fighting with Xander at the fence. I found him in the front storage area of Deacon's coop, them going at each other through the chicken wire door into the actual coop, blood everywhere, mostly on Atlas's comb, down his chest with some on his slightly torn up feet. Deacon, on the other hand, fights more with his feet, which were torn to shreds.

So, I chased Atlas out, trying to herd him to his own coop. He skirted around and went the wrong direction, to a group of Leylands way on the other side of Isaac's part of the main coop. I got a rake to try to herd him out from behind there and I guess he realized I was mad. Nope, Mama is mad at me and I'm not going to her, nope, no way. So, he is running to the back perimeter fence and gets himself trapped in a corner where livestock fencing and the back of an old pen make a sort of narrow corner. He jumps up and gets stuck in the corner, mid-air. I am on my way to extract him when he panics and squeezes through the fencing! How on earth did he get that big body through a 4" opening???? He did, though, pulled a Houdini, and he was out of the perimeter fence behind all the pens on a very tangled mess of a sloped bank that goes to a dirt road that divides our property from a neighbor's place (one with a dog, though I don't think they're home today).

So, DH is not home, I am in shorts and I have to climb the livestock fencing, praying I don't fall or get ripped up on blackberry brambles to try to save that rooster from himself. It's crazy overgrown back there and he won't come to me, doesn't know where he is but he's following the fence line so I just say to myself, "Yes, keep going, follow the fence" because eventually, he'll come to the end of that side where we have taken down the back side of the perimeter for the land clearing guy to scrape the fence; Atlas could go around that corner and be inside the fence then. But does he? Nope.

He begins to try to go through the fencing near the bottom, but the openings are much more narrow on the bottom and he can't. He doesn't want Mama go get him, knowing she isn't happy with him, though I am trying to muster all the calm I can into my voice. Finally, I get close enough to grab him and pet him, trying to calm him down. When I start to trek to the end of the fencing to go around the corner, I realize I can't do that with him in my arms and have two hands to hold to the brush to keep from falling down the hill so I just dump him over the fence and I go to the end and around.

I finally get him into his coop and he goes out the pop door so I must go into the pen to get him. He's laying under the coop on his side, wing outstretched, panting, completely stressed and overheated, with a hen standing over him. So, I finally get him and put him in a cage and when DH comes home, we get both idiots doctored up and now, I have more work for myself, keeping them fed and watered in different locations. And DH had to repair the door they messed up. We will be putting a solid bottom on that door in the future to keep this from happening again.

And now I

I knew I couldn't quilt and do chickens at the same time. I'll wait till they are all on the roost. And I confess, when he wouldn't come to me and I realized I'd have to climb the fence and trek through a tangle of briers and weeds shoulder high, I almost just said to heck with it, if he makes it back, he does. If he doesn't, I won't have to deal with stupid roosters anymore. But, then, I couldn't let him go, bit the bullet and went into the jungle after my rooster. Geez. But, I'm telling you, if anything happens to Atlas right now, I am not going to replace him.


ETA: though he was stressed out, maybe even a little scared, Atlas never offered to bite me, not even a little nip. He really is a good boy, but dang it, he's such a rooster!

 

[Peanutsmomma]

Wow! What an afternoon you had! Super Cyn Chicken Momma Extraordinaire to the rescue!!!

I am hoping their injuries were not too bad.

 

[speckledhen]

Wow! What an afternoon you had! Super Cyn Chicken Momma Extraordinaire to the rescue!!!

I am hoping their injuries were not too bad.

Atlas's are mostly to the front of his comb, a few minor ones to the backs of his toes. Deacon has almost zero injuries to his face, comb or wattles but his feet have all the skin scraped off the backs of the toes from hitting the chicken wire screen door. He fights like the Sumatra in his lineage, that's for sure, more like the lightweight, agile rooster that he is. That is precisely why I feel that Rex suffered injuries that led to his death, Deacon's Feet of Death hitting him solidly in the chest. And Deacon wants to fight all the time now, will not back away from one, won't even stop when you shoot him direct hit with a water hose.

I'm super frustrated with my machine quilting. Can't get the border of the bed runner right, spent more time ripping out lines than putting them in today. May have to quit and start again tomorrow. The rooster dramas don't help much.


On a bright note, I saw Nugget take a drink from the waterer a few minutes ago on her own, first I've seen her voluntarily drink in a week. Maybe it's due to the heat today, the fact she felt she needed it more.