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

[1muttsfan]

Put my first batch (from my hens) in lockdown yesterday

 

[speckledhen]

Put my first batch (from my hens) in lockdown yesterday

Mary, you'll get a chuckle out of this. Yesterday, we got some Chinese take out. The fortune cookie said, "You will receive an unexpected gift from an acquaintance". Ha, too late! I do not believe in superstition but I thought it was funny after receiving an unexpected box of hatching eggs from you!

I have my old Hova up and getting to temp. I don't think I've used it for 3-4 years. I know one bator was on the table when the fire happened and it was replaced with my new Genesis, but I thought it was the even older model, squarish Hova that DH bought at a yard sale and installed a fan into just afterward. The only one I could find is the original one that he bought me when he skipped lunch and saved his lunch money way, way back for my very first hatch. So, I guess it was the other one that was sitting on the coffee table during the fire. It does bug me, though, that I remembered wrong. I hope the wafers I have are good, but if not, the co-op carries them.

Been ages since I had TWO bators up and running simultaneously. Guess which one is newer?

And, though this isn't Finn's thread, I caught him snoozing on my recliner as I walked to the craft room to photograph the incubator set up. I did make him his very own quilt and put it there to save the poor seat from destruction, but that doesn't cover the arms of the chair, and he lurves those.



Someone is coming Saturday to see the two sons of Atlas I've been trying to sell. He may take both. If he asks about the #2, I may sell that guy as well, but I'll cross that bridge at the time. I've been letting Atlas run with Wynette and the four chicks. He goes right for poor Wynette and the babies scatter. They don't challenge dear old Dad like they did the hens, LOL. I guess he's kinda scary.

 

[1muttsfan]

 

Mary, you'll get a chuckle out of this. Yesterday, we got some Chinese take out. The fortune cookie said, "You will receive an unexpected gift from an acquaintance". Ha, too late! I do not believe in superstition but I thought it was funny after receiving an unexpected box of hatching eggs from you!
maybe you have another something coming! Or the seer is a little behind on the seeing

The only one I could find is the original one that he bought me when he skipped lunch and saved his lunch money way, way back for my very first hatch.


And, though this isn't Finn's thread, I caught him snoozing on my recliner as I walked to the craft room to photograph the incubator set up. I did make him his very own quilt and put it there to save the poor seat from destruction, but that doesn't cover the arms of the chair, and he lurves those.


Someone is coming Saturday to see the two sons of Atlas I've been trying to sell. He may take both. If he asks about the #2, I may sell that guy as well, but I'll cross that bridge at the time.
Nice to have options

I've been letting Atlas run with Wynette and the four chicks. He goes right for poor Wynette and the babies scatter. They don't challenge dear old Dad like they did the hens, LOL. I guess he's kinda scary.

 

[speckledhen]

I wasn't sure what Atlas would do to the youngsters, never having been around chicks at all. He comes up to one, drops his wing and dances. The horrified chick zips away as fast as he/she can, back to mama Wynette. Wyn is squatting for Atlas, not really defending the young ones now, so I think her time as a broody is about to come to an end. She may just go into the pen along with Athena (who is acting more like her Blue Orp hen she's named for than a normal BR, what a drama queen!) and the #2 guy, if I still have him after this Saturday's customer comes. Athena is making me roll my eyes so much, she may end up elsewhere herself, LOL.

 

[speckledhen]

My old Hova is up to temp, going between 98.5* and 101.1*, haven't had to do the "swing" in quite some time but the wafer seems to be good anyway. I hate when they go bad; they just keep the temp rising with no warning. It requires so much more checking than the presets and I'm obsessive about checking, even with my preset. On the Genesis, I have found that the hygrometer reads about 5-7% lower than the analog that I calibrated so as long as I keep it in the range where the readings are still okay, taking that into consideration, I can move the analog into the older bator for the hatch. I have a digital Fluker temp/hygro but the hygrometer seems to be WAY off so I can't rely on that. I've killed so many thermometers over the years hatching eggs. My Spot Check is the most accurate thermometer but then, it's made specifically for this job.

What I plan to do is put the new eggs in with the ones currently incubating in the turner, but in small batches during a couple hour period so it doesn't bring the bator temp way, way down suddenly, and I will hatch the BRs in the old one since that will be only 3 days of super-stress checking the manual temp control, LOL. There are 21 Brahma eggs arriving tomorrow (Blue Partridge rooster over Partridge hens, plus straight Dark Brahmas), very cool, didn't expect so many! Should make for a good hatch, having so many to start. Nice, nice guy, just like our Mary.

Hey, wonder if Atlas would like a gorgeous Brahma gal or two in his crew? My Brahma hens laid very large, very rounded eggs, super light brown and if these lay similarly, then I should be able to tell BR eggs from the Brahma eggs in a collection, but I'm ahead of myself. Not thinking about hatching a BR x Partridge Brahma but hmmm. What the heck would that yield? I know the single x pea comb would make for possible "wad of chewing gum" combs like my Panda has, or just pea combs. Panda is BR x Blue Ameraucana and has one of those tallish sort of straight-pea combo combs. Just not sure what barred x partridge would do. I've never had a partridge color pattern here that I recall.

 

[holm25]

Are u going to start breeding Brahmas to?! They will be beautiful! My Brahmas lay round eggs too. But so do my Cochins.

I am so excited to see all your new birds!

 

[speckledhen]

Are u going to start breeding Brahmas to?! They will be beautiful! My Brahmas lay round eggs too. But so do my Cochins.

I am so excited to see all your new birds!

Wasn't really my main plan but I think I'll have a hard time letting those big beauties go. The Blue Partridge birds are especially gorgeous, but not sure if I'd get that in a blue partridge x black partridge unless its just like breeding black to blue in what I'm used to, like the Orps and Ameraucanas and Rocks. I'd suspect it's the same but if not, somebody correct me.

 

[MistyMountain]

"wad of chewing gum"

Never heard that one! I have a lot that look like that in my flock!!

 

[speckledhen]

"wad of chewing gum"

Never heard that one! I have a lot that look like that in my flock!!

got that from an old, very crotchety breeder who is not here on BYC nowadays. I thought it was a perfect description.

 

[1muttsfan]

KA a "messy" pea comb

Sound like a good hatching plan. I love my Spot Check.

It's the regular Andalusian blue, so you get the blue-black-splash colors. Although BlackxBlue will yield all black (50%) and blue (50%)