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

[speckledhen]

Yeah, no more too-big-for-their-britches-Hector-like kids! Hector is calmer but he is so full of boundless energy, he can't slow down or shut up. If I raise my voice in the barn, he goes off, yelling and pacing.

 

[kitkat5505]

That looks like a very nice property, with that big barn and all.

I still stand firm on Drew being male. hopefully you'll get some girls from the upcoming hatch.

 

[speckledhen]

That looks like a very nice property, with that big barn and all.

I still stand firm on Drew being male. hopefully you'll get some girls from the upcoming hatch.

That is a strange cockerel. If you just look at the head and neck, you'd say pullet, but the body with those iridescent feathers coming in at the top, even without saddle feathers being very obvious, says male. BIG legs, too, but then, I've had some pullets with tree trunk legs and lighter barring, which is why I was not quick to call boy on this one. But, Zara has a bit of a crow head and Drew has a less wide head than the other one does. I remember Hector's head seemed almost too large for his body; it's the opposite with Drew. So, I amended my ads to put them both up for sale. MaryJo would be okay with the very old hens. They've been running around with Gypsy a lot anyway.

I really don't need anymore Rocks at the moment, but we'll see what Lizzie hatches. All are Jill & Hector's.

ETA: Gloria Jean is bloated again. Ro is slightly bloated still. Neither will be treated. GJ is 6 years old and has bloated and gotten better more than once without treatment, but can't see trying to treat that at her age. Ro is only just over 3 yrs old, but she was better and seemed to relapse, no more treatment for her. If they have some chronic condition, they need to just go on and pass, harsh though that may seem.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

You do more than I do. Generally sick birds improve or get culled, we don't do much treating of things past routine maintenance. I find repeat offenders often pass no matter what you try. I don't like watch my birds go downhill either, makes me feel so helpless and hopeless.

 

[speckledhen]

You do more than I do. Generally sick birds improve or get culled, we don't do much treating of things past routine maintenance. I find repeat offenders often pass no matter what you try. I don't like watch my birds go downhill either, makes me feel so helpless and hopeless.

I agree with that. In truth, if I try even once, it's usually to appease my husband. He feels he should at least try once to help. Rowena got a second round of penicillin, something I don't usually do, but he wanted to. I have no hope that she'll actually get better and lay again. Gloria Jean's body handled the bloat on its own more than once-I had her pegged for the boneyard, when she began to gain weight and even started laying again. But, she's back to going to the nest to sit without an egg, so I checked her, and sure enough, she's bloaty again.

I have enough old hens who've quit laying naturally and have been eating feed for years without producing that I don't think I ought to put much effort into an older bird who has some internal issue that will eventually kill her anyway. I need a few more to pass on naturally about now.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I'm waiting on a few old biddies, and a couple of old gents too. I think each year will be their last, but a few just keep going. As long as they are doing okay we leave them be.

One of my 9 year old Orpington hens has really bad arthritis in her feet, but she seems to manage. She is still top hen too.

I also have 2 of 3, 7 year old d'uccle roosters, that are mostly blind. I feel so bad for my little dudes, but they can find food and water, and I make sure they aren't picked on. Though I caught the one involved in a fight with a young Cochin rooster. He was holding his own despite not really hitting his target. They still are feisty.

 

[speckledhen]

You know who is not panting, even with the barn almost 90*? My 9 year old Blue Orpington hen, Dusty, is not open mouth breathing at all. It's so odd, but I remember that big old Suede rarely had any issues with heat, either. And the terrible afternoon that Ladyhawk lost 14 birds in one 114* heat index afternoon, the survivors were almost all Orpingtons, including big Lancelot.

 

[kitkat5505]

You know who is not panting, even with the barn almost 90*? My 9 year old Blue Orpington hen, Dusty, is not open mouth breathing at all. It's so odd, but I remember that big old Suede rarely had any issues with heat, either. And the terrible afternoon that Ladyhawk lost 14 birds in one 114* heat index afternoon, the survivors were almost all Orpingtons, including big Lancelot.

Interesting. My buff Orpington is having the hardest time in this heat, poor big girl. Panting and drooping wings. I need to go out and hose down the roof of the coop again. They sure loved the cold watermelon I gave them today.

 

[speckledhen]

We have a blue cat litter pan out in the barn pen full of water, but we also put a frozen 2 ltr bottle of water in the pan. When Thea, Hector's broody girl, went out, she began drinking out of it, then stepped into it and walked around in it. Smartest girl of them all, I'd say!

 

[GingersHuman]

Drew is still an odd one, but I'm still going with Drew. The wattles just came in too early for a pullet, though he's still behind the other males his age. I've got some almost 9 week old leghorn pullets, and though they have decent sized combs, no wattles at all yet.