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

[Wyatt0224]

Have you weighed any of the cockerels yet to compare them?

 

[speckledhen]

Have you weighed any of the cockerels yet to compare them?

No, not yet. I need to get the food scale out there and do that soon.

 

[speckledhen]

Youtube, again, took hours to upload this video.

 

[1muttsfan]

I am here to announce that my husband is now officially free of lice and mites.

Very good. Now he can come in the house.

 

[MistyMountain]

Great article, Cynthia. I could not agree more. I worked at many horse farms in high school and college and coming from America's Dairyland, knew many other kids who worked on a farm, too. I agree, more kids need that experience. Work does not end when 5pm rolls around. You're done when everyone is fed, watered, and stalls are mucked. Better yet… your plans to go to the lake on a Saturday will have to wait because there are 7 wagons of hay waiting to be put up and it is going to storm soon. And no holidays off. Chores still need to be done, mouths need to be fed, on Christmas morning.

Around here, animals are fed first. I use myself when I explain the reason why to my boys. There were many meals that I sat out of or had to wait for when they were babies--- because they needed to be fed first. It is my job to take care of them, because they could not take care of themselves. It's just what you do when you have the responsibility of taking care of something, animal or child.

 

[speckledhen]

Very good. Now he can come in the house.

I let him in.

Great article, Cynthia. I could not agree more. I worked at many horse farms in high school and college and coming from America's Dairyland, knew many other kids who worked on a farm, too. I agree, more kids need that experience. Work does not end when 5pm rolls around. You're done when everyone is fed, watered, and stalls are mucked. Better yet… your plans to go to the lake on a Saturday will have to wait because there are 7 wagons of hay waiting to be put up and it is going to storm soon. And no holidays off. Chores still need to be done, mouths need to be fed, on Christmas morning.

Around here, animals are fed first. I use myself when I explain the reason why to my boys. There were many meals that I sat out of or had to wait for when they were babies--- because they needed to be fed first. It is my job to take care of them, because they could not take care of themselves. It's just what you do when you have the responsibility of taking care of something, animal or child.

Yup, they depend on us, can't feed themselves.


Zara is sitting a lot. Something is wrong. I think evil Tessa must have hurt her somehow. I hope she's okay. She's so sweet. I have nowhere else for them to go other than with the elderly hens and I cannot put Apollo in with them because he's just too close to mating and he'd hurt Amanda or Snow (remember, they are crippled and cannot get away from a rooster).

 

[1muttsfan]

Maybe Zara could go in with the youngsters for a while, they seem big enough to avoid her if she is pecky and would be unlikely to bother her.

 

[speckledhen]

Maybe Zara could go in with the youngsters for a while, they seem big enough to avoid her if she is pecky and would be unlikely to bother her.

I don't know, the size difference is pretty great. I could see how she does, but she might hurt one of them then I'd have more hurt. It's raining right now and the three teens are free in the barn aisle and not being hassled by anyone. They run with each group as I let them out into the pen, but they only get hassled by Tessa and Lizzie, mostly Tessa. Maybe I ought to just put Tessa in with some other group permanently. She's really too small anyway and she's the main problem. She hunts them, you ought to see her. Most leave them alone unless they get too close, but not Tessa. She goes looking for them.

 

[speckledhen]

The largest Dirty Dozen cockerel was crowing this morning; DH caught him doing it. Meanwhile, I reupped the ad for Apollo and Athena. Zara can live with the older hens since she's really a small gal. She runs with them on range and knows them all. They are not as dedicated to hurting the teens as Tessa and Lizzie are.

New pics of the teens. Apollo and Zara are 15 weeks and Athena is 17 weeks old now.

 

[1muttsfan]

He's getting some nice tail feathers! Wings are nice and tight too.