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

[speckledhen]

Good video! Thank you for sharing it.

I could have said more, but I was hurrying to make it around 10 minutes, no more. Each minute takes an hour to upload.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I could have said more, but I was hurrying to make it around 10 minutes, no more. Each minute takes an hour to upload.

I though it was just me that it took so long to upload videos. I almost always give up. You have more patience than me.

 

[speckledhen]

I though it was just me that it took so long to upload videos. I almost always give up. You have more patience than me.

No, I don't. I set it and leave it and tell DH he can't download or watch stuff at the same time. No bandwidth.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I now will admire your spunk for every video you share, computers can make me so angry.

Problem is what do I do while it's loading???? Thanks for sharing all those videos of your very pretty birds, I sure do enjoy them.

 

[speckledhen]

I now will admire your spunk for every video you share, computers can make me so angry.

Problem is what do I do while it's loading???? Thanks for sharing all those videos of your very pretty birds, I sure do enjoy them.

Glad you enjoy them! Maybe one day REAL internet will get down to my end of the road, but until then, it's slooooow going.

 

[holm25]

FINALLY! Takes about an hour per minute of video. And the expected low tonight is 17*, but tomorrow? it's 7*. SEVEN, ack. Am I still in Dayton, Ohio? Good grief!

I LOVED this video Cyn! Ppl could learn a lot by taking your advice! I totally agree with you on breeding birds for docility! I have never bred a mean rooster and never will. And guess what? I have never hatched out a mean rooster! They all have been as calm and gentle as their greats grandpa!

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Excuse my senior moment if you mentioned it, and I think you did, who's the little blue splash hen amongst the barred girls. She's adorable.

 

[speckledhen]

Excuse my senior moment if you mentioned it, and I think you did, who's the little blue splash hen amongst the barred girls. She's adorable.

Oh, that is Gloria Jean, my only Splash Rock. She is almost 6 years old, was hatched at the same time as the Stukel hens and has been with them ever since. Maretta, my Ameraucana x EE hen, was also hatched at the same time and used to be with them, too, but she moved to an old ladies' pen, can't remember exactly why, but now, she's with the bantam Cochin rooster. So, Wynette and Ida, Gloria Jean and Maretta were all together at the beginning. I think maybe because Maretta was broody several times, she got moved into other groups, though I do believe she was with Isaac along with the Stukel hens while Rex and then later, Atlas, was growing up.
Gloria Jean has had bloating issues, but her body resolved it on its own and she laid again. I think she's laying now, too, if I'm not mistaken.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I didn't know that rocks came in blue. How pretty he is. It sounds like a soap opera in your chicken shed. Such fun.

I also wanted to ask why your rooster keeps shaking his head? My hatchery barred rock rooster does the same thing, I was thinking it was from his massive comb and wattles and potentially a bit of frostbite forming, but I see yours doing it too.

 

[speckledhen]

I LOVED this video Cyn! Ppl could learn a lot by taking your advice! I totally agree with you on breeding birds for docility! I have never bred a mean rooster and never will. And guess what? I have never hatched out a mean rooster! They all have been as calm and gentle as their greats grandpa!

Thank you, Isaiah. So you see the truth of it. As I said, no one can 100% guarantee every male's temperament because they are animals and genes of all types can pop up from way back in the lineage, but I can with decent certainty say that folks hatching eggs from Atlas's group will get pleasant males. If Hector is any indication, he really ought to be the same, but he hasn't produced anything yet and I don't know his sire and grandsire.

I wish I had a better place to film but every time I tried from the barn aisle, the camera had trouble focusing, maybe because of the fencing it tried to focus on and blurred out the birds, not sure. It is going down to 7* tonight and 10* tomorrow night, 2" of snow on the ground today so nobody was outside. I'd rather film outside, really, better light. I hope no one gets frostbite. The Brahmas are best suited for this weather, that's for sure. They have furry pajamas and close-to-the-head combs, very fluffy boys.