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

[speckledhen]

Good to hear - sometimes just some low-stress good nursing is all that is needed.

I hope, but she still is having issues, breathing is a bit labored, open mouthed, sort of "gasp-y" at times. She does sound better than she did yesterday and the first part of last night, though. I think people tend to forget that old chickens have issue like older people do, to some extent. Old is old, no matter what species you are. I'm still not sure the exact cause but she does not gurgle or anything like that. She's just a good old gal, one of the first hens to put the smack-down on Tiny when she attacked DH.

 

[speckledhen]

I am currently uploading a video that is in answer to a guy who told me that I could not have pets and/or hobbies, that I had to cull my chickens, eat all the roosters, that it was too expensive, that I must think of them as only food! I mean he used so many exclamation points, I was getting pretty irritated, but I didn't fuss him out. LOL. Well, gotta have something for the soul along with the serious stuff, right? So, I did a video of Bash and his girls dustbathing while I answered that notion.

And the BR babies. one has some dark on the leg fronts, but both have boyish head spots. One is smaller than the other, I noticed, too. Sort of holds back and hangs with the Brahma baby more than it's sibling.

 

[1muttsfan]

You are more restrained than I would be tempted to be.

What sweet pictures.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Chickens are merely for food? Don't tell mine about that, they would get quite upset by that news. What's next? My dogs have to sleep on the floor???

Love your mom and chicks.

 

[speckledhen]

You are more restrained than I would be tempted to be.

What sweet pictures.

Chickens are merely for food? Don't tell mine about that, they would get quite upset by that news. What's next? My dogs have to sleep on the floor???

Love your mom and chicks.

She got to go outside for the first time with the babies. So cute, but it got windy, though still warm, and I made her go back inside. They'll have to learn to negotiate the ramp and zoom back up on their own. DH calls it "ramp training" or "pole training" because he uses a length of PVC to guide them.

Yeah, why can't I have some avian pets? I mean folks have dogs and cats and, though they may do a couple of jobs like alert for intruders and kill mice, if they're good ones, they produce nothing except poop you cannot use for fertilizer. So, how is that better than having chickens as pets who produce food and usable fertilizer? And what's wrong with a hobby in general anyway? Quilting is my hobby and I do spend $$ on that, but I just sold two of them within the last week, which more than paid for all the fabric I've bought over the past year and keeps me busy and creative.

Folks cannot be serious and at the grindstone every second of their lives. And if I can afford to feed my birds and do whatever other "hobby" I like, what's it to that guy? I still have a garden and put away my food and supplies and just got two 55 gal barrels for water storage, clean, filled and stored. I'm doing the serious stuff right along with what he'd call the hobby stuff. It would truly mess up the enjoyment of my flocks if I felt I had to cull every hen for meat at a certain point. Plus, breeding to standard, selling hatching eggs, you just can't cull your breeding rooster for stew!

Homesteading is not a "one size fits all" proposition.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I wouldn't let him bother you. I spent tons of money on my hobbies and get nothing back but happiness. I figure if we all were doing everything the same in life as everyone else it would get a bit crowded in one area. To each their own, if you want to pet your chickens or eat them, either way is correct to me, just don't tell me how to do my own.

 

[speckledhen]

I wouldn't let him bother you. I spent tons of money on my hobbies and get nothing back but happiness. I figure if we all were doing everything the same in life as everyone else it would get a bit crowded in one area. To each their own, if you want to pet your chickens or eat them, either way is correct to me, just don't tell me how to do my own.

Oh, what bothered me was the arrogant attitude that I had to do it his way. I have nothing to answer for in how I manage my chickens. And because I see them as more than just food, I really see them, if you know what I mean. People who never really observe them other than for what they will taste like on a plate never get to witness the dignity and at times, utter selflessness, they can demonstrate. They probably would not even believe me, either.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Most animals are seen as something to use or serve a purpose to a human. I too prefer to see them as individuals capable of complex feeling and emotions. Hence the reason most of my birds like yours, remain in my care until their time is done. We do butcher extra males if necessary, but all are shown respect.

My favorite thing is just to stand out with my chickens and be in the moment. Such fascinating animals they are, and they bring a sense of simplicity and calm to me. Chickens find great joy in almost everything they do.

 

[speckledhen]

Most animals are seen as something to use or serve a purpose to a human. I too prefer to see them as individuals capable of complex feeling and emotions. Hence the reason most of my birds like yours, remain in my care until their time is done. We do butcher extra males if necessary, but all are shown respect.

My favorite thing is just to stand out with my chickens and be in the moment. Such fascinating animals they are, and they bring a sense of simplicity and calm to me. Chickens find great joy in almost everything they do.

YES, that last part, YES! Birds of a feather, you and I. Most people think they're dumb as rocks. I don't see that at all (well, maybe my porcelain Belgian D'Anver rooster might be, LOL). This morning, as I'm getting my coffee, my husband starts telling me crazy and frustrating stuff he's seen on the news and on Facebook and after a little while, I said, "Sun's up. I'm going out to my chickens. At least, they make sense!"

 

[chickenneighbor]

You can't listen to someone who doesn't understand what pets can mean to you. It's like they are missing a gene, or something. Some folks are especially numb about birds. Does this guy tell dog owners to eat them? They are food in some culture! Just checking into BYC brings me joy and peace; having a flock like yours must be heaven on earth!