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

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MistyMountain said:
I am so so sorry to hear about all your losses! It has been a while since I have had time to check in, but I have been staying caught up. RIP Jet, Nugget, and Robin.

Sending hugs your way!
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Lizzie sure is a looker!
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Thank you. Unfortunately, it's not over yet. I think that poor Gloria Jean is next. This morning, I felt under her belly when she was sitting on a nest and it seemed less bloated, but I just went out and plucked her off the roost and it is just as bloated as it was, pre-penicillin, if not more so. I guess her position sitting was deceptive. She is four years old and I do hate to lose her. She and one of the older Ameraucana hens are my only two splash colored birds. Sammie Jo isn't laying still and she, like Serena, was a good layer. I'd have no explanation for her at all.
 
drumstick diva said:
Cyn Hope the 'Grim Reaper,' is finished at your place- enough is enough !!
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I hope so, however, when you have half of your large fowl hens at 6-9 years of age, you rather expect them to start falling one by one. Nugget was expected. Robin was not. Sammie is not. Raven, Delia and Serena were definitely not expected. Those were my layers in their prime.

Gloria Jean, my splash Rock, well, she is 4 years old, too young to go, certainly, not a hatchery hen, but she does appear to have egg yolk peritonitis or be laying internally or something along those lines. Could be something else entirely, like liver failure. She was hatched with Maretta, my 1/2 BW Ameraucana hen, and the Stukel Rock hens, Dottie, Ida and Wynette. Those are ones I really, really don't want to lose anytime soon. I love those big Barred Rock hens (and Maretta, too, such a great broody and a beautiful little hen).

And the 5 years olds are Tiny, the black Rock, Emily, the two blue Rocks Neela and Alice, and my sweet red hen, Rita, who raised Atlas's sire, Rex. Rita is currently laying, seems in great shape. Tiny is laying. The three Rocks aren't, though the blues were recently laying and began molting again. Emily hasn't laid in awhile, though she was a couple of months ago. That group of three BBS Rocks lay big beautiful shiny brown eggs. Would hate to lose their production entirely.

So, I have 24 Large Fowl hens left and of those, 14 are over 5 years old (I don't count Lizzie yet in the numbers since she's only 12 wks). Even Druscilla, Dottie's daughter with the original Rex, who we tend to think of as very young, is over 3 years old herself.


I could not break up my Belgian D'Anver hen, Carly. For her health, I decided to give her five D'Anver eggs. She's very tiny and can't sit on LF eggs well, not more than two at a time and even those, not comfortably. I'll just give away or sell the chicks when she's sick of them. I've never been able to discourage Carly from brooding and she wasn't eating right. Will be giving her special food and making sure she eats and drinks daily. At least she can raise them in the flock fairly well, not like the LF hens.
 

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