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

[uphilljill]

He seems to have a nice breast. Something I have been working to get on my males.

 

[speckledhen]

He seems to have a nice breast. Something I have been working to get on my males.

I wish he was larger, less fluff on the flanks, but he is part Delaware and his sire has some flaws as well, being 1/4 Delaware. I had no choice when Atlas was hatched because he was the only cockerel at the time with four pullets. I chose to forge ahead and not wait, work with what I had. Atlas has produced some spectacular progeny, surpassing himself in most ways, but it's odd that he and Ida, a humongous Stukel BR hen, produce birds who are not always as large as chicks from other hens. It's happened several times, in fact. I'd expect huge birds from wide Atlas, Ida's son, and Ida, who is a tank and a half, but not necessarily so. It's one of those things that don't work the way you think they will.

That pullet in the photo with him is two weeks older.

 

[1muttsfan]

I think they are genetically too close to improve each other

 

[speckledhen]

I think they are genetically too close to improve each other

Which ones? Atlas and his sons or Atlas and Ida? Some do come out superior to him, probably due to mothers giving more traits to the sons, and the Stukel hens are really superior hens. The rooster that lockedhearts got from me is closer to the original Rex than Atlas or any that I've hatched out of him so far, but the problem is that I have a much better chance of producing a superior bird by going outside of Atlas, I think. He has limitations for the Standard, as wonderful a rooster as he is.

But, who am I kidding? I do not have the room, the energy or the $$ to really cull and breed like should be done. I can only do it in a limited way. I just don't want to go down in quality so maybe I can provide some better birds for other folks. My husband flat doesn't care so he thinks I'm nuts. He just wants his eggs and for his hens not to die of internal laying one after the other.


ETA: The Dirty Dozen really don't need a heat lamp during the day, as soon as the morning chiil wears off, anyway. We're in the mountains so the nights can cool down considerably. It's 88* in the barn a few minutes ago, though it had dropped a degree within 30 minutes with the sun starting to go behind the ridge. That's with all windows and both doors open and the overhead fan plus a fan blowing into every pen. So, the little coop the chicks are in is probably just as hot. Ill put on a reptile bulb tonight for them but they spend a lot of time out in the covered pen just playing so they certainly don't need heat during a 90* day.

 

[1muttsfan]

I'm at my Mom's this weekend and it is 92 -not used to this, it was 44 at home 2 mornings ago

 

[speckledhen]

I'm at my Mom's this weekend and it is 92

-not used to this, it was 44 at home 2 mornings ago

We are still about 60* most mornings lately, sometimes high 50's. So today, we are up close to 90*, which is like the hottest part of summer for us at just under 2000 ft elevation, not June. We rarely get this hot even in July-August. The barn is holding at about 87.3* right now and I let Xander's group and the group that Deacon used to have out together for the last hour or so before we have to lock them up. I hate heat and summer. No A/C on in the house, just letting the wide porches and the ceiling fans work but if it hits 95* like it's threatening to in a couple days, the window A/C is going on for sure. We have a heatpump, but it's super expensive to run, being over 20 years old.

I'm afraid if the summer gets any hotter, I may lose some of the older hens.

 

[Wyatt0224]

How old are your oldest hens?

 

[speckledhen]

How old are your oldest hens?

They are 9 1/2 years old. Caroline is the oldest, then Becca and Amanda are 2 months younger than she is. After those is my black Ameraucana, Gypsy, who will be 9 years old in November. She's been laying this past week, three this week, just laid an egg today, in fact. And I have a few who are just over 8 yrs old, too. So, they're up there. -

 

[1muttsfan]

Mom has AC but is refusing to turn it on. Which is fine except her room is the coolest in the house, and the guest room (mine) is the hottest. She says if I just sit still I'll be fine

No AC at my house either, but usually it rarely reaches 80, and I have ceiling fans all over.

 

[holm25]

Cyn everything looks great! I havent been on much lately so had some reading to do! All the babies look great!