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

[1muttsfan]

Yes, it is hard to let them go, but my how nice to have a little less to do, and a few less mouths to feed

 

[kitkat5505]

It's funny because before we got them I told my husband I just wanted 3-4 chickens. He brought home 8, then 2 more (but one died), then 2 more, and then I went and got 2 more (couldn't let him have all the fun). Dang chicken math! We were expecting a few would be cockerels to rehome since his friend who got 6 chicks from the same feed store got 2 cockerels, but lucky us managed to get all pullets. And when I designed our coop they were still so small that the coop seemed huge. Now they are 3 months old and the coop seems much smaller lol.

 

[h2oratt]

Since I don't mail out hatching eggs anymore and there is not a huge interest in what I'm doing around my locale, I have to ask myself why I'm doing this. Yes, I love quality birds, love the eye candy, but is it worth the stress and the agonizing and the extra work? I'm having to ask myself that, especially as my husband seems less and less enchanted with it all and has more mobility issues.

I will have Atlas until he passes away and he can look out for the layers, never a question of him leaving. He's just too good of a rooster and he's already past 3 years old. And Bash is the sweetest thing ever, even easier to handle than Atlas, which is amazing, but if I lost him for some reason, I'd hesitate to replace him, though I would certainly keep those hens. Hector is pushing his luck, the way we both feel right now. He has been a great boy for such a long time, no idea why he lost his head and decided to bite that way.

Don't stop what you are doing. I have been trying to find quality barred rock for some time. Not a lot around.

 

[speckledhen]

Don't stop what you are doing. I have been trying to find quality barred rock for some time. Not a lot around.

But, for what? Just for me to have them and no one else? The locals have no general knowledge that there is anything other than a hatchery "Dominecker", which is what they call anything with stripes. I have the breeding pair up on the FB chicken swap and all I get is "will you sell the pullet by herself?". They want her for a layer when any old hatchery bird will do for that. They don't get it. Of course, I tell folks I never sell pullets alone unless I have a huge excess of them, a very rare occurrence, that these are for breeding purposes. I have nightmares of someone buying the pair then dumping the little male on the side of the road on the way home. People can be that way, though most likely, they'd eat him eventually or sell him to someone else.

Right now, Hector is on his best behavior, almost like he knows he messed up big-time.

 

[h2oratt]

Yes I see your point

 

[kitkat5505]

It is very unfortunate that there isn't anyone close by that appreciates the effort you've put into breeding high quality chickens. It's hard to keep pouring yourself into something that nobody there cares for. I honestly had a dream last night that you (I was reading here right before bed lol) announced you were selling off all your roosters except one for protection and going back to just a layer flock because breeding was getting to be too much.

 

[h2oratt]

I wish I was close enough.

 

[speckledhen]

It is very unfortunate that there isn't anyone close by that appreciates the effort you've put into breeding high quality chickens. It's hard to keep pouring yourself into something that nobody there cares for. I honestly had a dream last night that you (I was reading here right before bed lol) announced you were selling off all your roosters except one for protection and going back to just a layer flock because breeding was getting to be too much.

Yes, I can see me doing that eventually, or as I lose them, just not replacing them. I'd miss having at least one, though. I really miss my little Munchkin Dictator, Xander. A bantam rooster like him would be great with all the big girls.

I wish I was close enough.

Me, too. You'd have your BRs, then. My friend, Kate, in Indiana, cannot find a quality BR rooster. She got one offered to her, then found out it was a mix (sent me photos), then she decided to get another one, but he's still substandard. She said the same, wished she was closer so she could get one of mine. I'd love to help you both out with that.

 

[h2oratt]

I am not too impressed with my order from sandhill. They sent me a bunch of polish. I had asked for a few red polish which they didn't have. I guess they thought I would interested in buff laced and white polish, not. Oh well they arrived alve but one had bad legs. The mottled Java. I am sure they should have known that. Why would you ship a chick with bad legs? I only got two so now I just have one. I admire the fact they are trying to preserve breeds but I will never order again unless it's something I can get no where else. I don't like how you never know when they are coming. Of course the call you after they ship them. It usually the worse possible timing. Oh well hopefully the blue Orpingtons will turn out nice.

 

[speckledhen]

I'm not thrilled with the way they do business, either. I'd rather have a refund than get stuff I don't want. Hatcheries always ship chicks with deformities because they just grab, stuff and close the box, so a lot of issues are missed.
As far as the Blue Orps, my own Suede had some Sandhill blood. Watch for any yellow legs in their progeny, even if they have proper slate legs. Many, many generations back, I'm told, they used Blue Rocks to offset breeding depression or something like that. Suede carried a barring gene that was not readily apparent except in his sickle feathers and on rare occasion, even though he had proper leg coloring and so did his hens (unrelated to him), a yellow skinned chick would hatch. It was doing research into why that was happening that I found out the information. And once, Meg, my RIR/Buff Orp hen produced, with Suede, a completely barred chick. I knew it was hers because there was only one of her eggs in with a bunch of blue eggs. Crazy stuff, those sneaky genes.