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

[speckledhen]

On another note, Ida, my largest Stukel hen, isn't looking well. If you recall, I said I felt she has a tumor in her crop, about size of a large grape tomato. Her tail is down, she stays on the roost for much longer than anyone else, she sits in corners by herself. Today, I picked her up from her spot by the waterer and felt her abdomen. It's not bloated, but if she has a cancerous tumor in her crop, cancer could be other places. She is definitely off. Those original two I have left are 6 1/2 years old now so not a young hen. And she was always a TANK of a hen, but she has lost weight without a doubt. She has been mother to many gorgeous sons, including Atlas and Apollo.

All four of Thea's chicks are hatched. She is being a good mom so far. And Lizzie is also a great mom. I have a great bunch of broody BRs for sure, but not serial broodies like my Brahma, Bonnie, thank goodness!

 

[speckledhen]

I'm about to have to name these young boys! I'm thinking Aramis for the Atlas son, goes with Atlas and Apollo. The other one, I keep wanting to just call him Hector, LOL. I think I heard Aramis crow this a.m. doing barn chores-sounded like a first crow and Hector, Jr. has already got his voice down pat.

And Ida, Wynette and Druscilla, my only pure Stukels left. I miss Dottie and I'm going to miss Big Ida with her snarky attitude and growling everywhere she goes. No one ever crossed Ida. She is head hen in there, mother to Atlas and Apollo and other gorgeous boys through the years. It hurts to lose a hen of this quality-even in her down condition you can see how beautiful she is.

Aramis and MaryJo from overhead. His barring is so nice. I notice he is getting an unbarred feather in the body, which is definitely a Stukel thing. Dottie had several and her daughter, Dru has even more. Since Atlas is Ida's son and Aramis is either Wynette's or Dru's, makes sense, I guess. He has nice width, but Hector, Jr's is better, more rounded, but still no tail. Here we go again!

Wynette watching over Ida.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

The kids are all looking good. I hate when an old girl isn't feeling well, their lives are so short. I especially like the old cranky ones, probably because we are alike.

No agitator in your top load washer? How's that work?

Good clean living with exercise and fresh food is the only way to go. I'm glad you stay active, so many people don't. I'm not sure how people live in dirty crowded cities, I would be like a caged animal looking for a way out.

 

[speckledhen]

The kids are all looking good. I hate when an old girl isn't feeling well, their lives are so short. I especially like the old cranky ones, probably because we are alike.

No agitator in your top load washer? How's that work?

Good clean living with exercise and fresh food is the only way to go. I'm glad you stay active, so many people don't. I'm not sure how people live in dirty crowded cities, I would be like a caged animal looking for a way out.

First, I don't find you cranky at all, just up-front, no nonsense and I like that. And you're not one who uses the "I just tell it like it is" to be rude as some do.

That's what my husband asked, about the agitator. The GE Adora washer had a dial and an agitator and at the time we got it, it was a higher end washer. Seems the only ones with agitators now are the smaller tub cheapies. They say this "impeller" is supposed to be easier on clothes but clean just as well. We'll see. They are mostly like that now, we found. There was a Samsung I really liked, even larger tub and see-thru lid, but the appliance person said if it needed repairs, that would take waiting on the guy from Atlanta to have more than one to work on, whereas the other brands had local folks to get her sooner. I've never had a Whirlpool but it is highly rated so we're taking a chance. The price seems really good for what it is-others were higher priced from $539-700 with basically the same or smaller tub capacity.
This is the inside of this new washer. Both my other one and this one have stainless steel tubs, which I wanted.

 

[speckledhen]

Here is something I found comparing this new type to the normal agitator machines:

An impeller is a low-profile rotating hub that replaces the agitator in some washing machine models. The vanes of the impeller create turbulent currents in the wash water as the impeller rotates. In theory, these currents move the clothes through the water and clean them without the impeller making physical contact with the clothes. The impeller also takes up less space in the center of the drum, making impeller machines easier to load than agitator machines.

Impellers are often found in high-efficiency washing machine models that use less water than traditional models and rotate at higher speeds during spin cycles. The higher spin speeds extract more water from the clothes, so drying times are reduced. The combination of water and energy savings makes these washer models significantly more efficient than traditional models. However, the impeller itself does not add to the machine's efficiency, so unless it incorporates other efficient features, an impeller machine is not necessarily more efficient than an agitator machine.

Impeller machines are potentially less damaging to clothes, but because of the gentler motion, they may not clean clothes as effectively as agitator machines. Agitators are relatively brutal with clothes, but their twisting and turning tends to remove dirt quickly and completely. Some impeller models are also prone to tangling clothes as the impeller rotates, which can throw the machine out of balance, particularly during the high-speed spin cycle of high-efficiency machines.

I'll let you know what we think of it. Should be okay from the review I read of it. It will hold big stuff, which was a key thing for me. I'm not going to some laundromat to wash quilts.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I will wait to see how it works. I buy the low end agitator model from Menards, they last a while and can take my stuffing them full.

My husband gets dirty, grease, dirt, graphite, from his job, so I need a hard working washer. My friend has one of those front load models. She says it can't be loaded full because it uses so little water and doesn't clean well. I wash almost everything in hot.

So I'm definitely curious, but I don't like change and will seek out what I'm familiar with because I know it works. You are officially my guinea pig now for your washing machine.

I do tend to speak my mind and opinions. I lack some social skills, I was pretty much raised by animals on the farm. I do not lie, and hopefully I don't offend people. I have given up trying to be normal and to fit in, I am comfortable being me these days. I think I'm great company.

You might call me cranky if you were the one waking me up in the morning. Don't poke a sleeping bear unless you are asking to be bit, otherwise I'm pretty easy going.

 

[speckledhen]

I will wait to see how it works. I buy the low end agitator model from Menards, they last a while and can take my stuffing them full.

My husband gets dirty, grease, dirt, graphite, from his job, so I need a hard working washer. My friend has one of those front load models. She says it can't be loaded full because it uses so little water and doesn't clean well. I wash almost everything in hot.

So I'm definitely curious, but I don't like change and will seek out what I'm familiar with because I know it works. You are officially my guinea pig now for your washing machine.

I do tend to speak my mind and opinions. I lack some social skills, I was pretty much raised by animals on the farm. I do not lie, and hopefully I don't offend people. I have given up trying to be normal and to fit in, I am comfortable being me these days. I think I'm great company.

You might call me cranky if you were the one waking me up in the morning. Don't poke a sleeping bear unless you are asking to be bit, otherwise I'm pretty easy going.

We're not good with change, either. If this doesn't suit us, with the next one, we'll go back to what we know, IF they still exist! They give us fewer choices as time goes on. Like cars-you can't work on those anymore because they are computers on wheels.

I don't lie, either, but folks seem to think everyone does and they don't believe you when you say you find no reason to lie, that you live your life in such a fashion as to not have it be necessary. If I don't want to tell you something, I'll say that, but I will not lie. And integrity in a friend is paramount to me. Lie to me once, lose me. It's not a matter of forgiveness, it's a matter of self-defense.

Thea is doing great with her chicks, but she pooped behind her before we could lift her out to evacuate outside. Still, she is feeding them and teaching them to drink and they all look good.

 

[getaclue]

oldhens, I too had heard from a lot of people that the high end front loaders did not clean well. I've been using front loaders for years, and loved them because they washed cleaner than the top loaders. When I went to get my new front loader, I was replacing a GE that not only washed good, but would hold my king sized comforters, and quilts without a problem.

When I began researching them, the one thing everyone liked about the less expensive model GE front loader, was that it washed clothes really clean. That's what I got. I have not been disappointed. It has fewer settings, which doesn't matter to me, since it has the ones I normally use. It doesn't steam the clothes, but I didn't really want that feature anyway. Dh can go change oil in the vehicles, or in the tractor, spill a good bit of it on himself, and this thing gets his clothes totally clean.

The one major difference I noticed was the fill level. It does have plenty of water, but you can't SEE it, like in the older models. The water doesn't go half way up the door, which is really good. That way, if something does happen when it gets older, like the pump not working to drain the water out, you can open the door without water gushing all over. Mine has an extra opening, so I can check to make sure the pump is not obstructed too, and I can manually drain it, if need be. Those are good improvements.

 

[speckledhen]

With my closet, a front loader would not fit at all so it was never an option. Has to be a top loader and no deeper than 28", no wider than 27-28".

 

[getaclue]

Whirlpool has at least 2 top loading models that have the impellers, that get great reviews. Both are good choices.