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

[speckledhen]

oh, guess where Miss MaryJo is spending the night? With Atlas! She was in with Georgie's group, Zara hassled her and we had to remove her from the top of the pen wall. We put her into the pen with Atlas on the little separate roost bar, left her there, and when we came back from town, she was on the nest box and poor miserable, molting Tessa was on the bar, but no one was bothering MaryJo. And Atlas is not hostile to her, or wasn't today. She seems to have chosen that group over both Georgie's and Hector's. Not sure what to do later on, but if she has a peaceful existence with Atlas, I'll let her stay for the winter. She was looking for her Brahma "brothers" so much, I thought she might fly from Atlas's pen over to Bash's, but that didn't happen.

 

[getaclue]

Well, maybe MaryJo has found her niche. Glad the guy came to get the Brahma fellows.

 

[speckledhen]

Well, maybe MaryJo has found her niche. Glad the guy came to get the Brahma fellows.

Thanks, Cheryl. Well, for now, at least, I hope she can peacefully coexist with Atlas. I want her with Hector, but it's not a problem until I want to hatch eggs from her. And she has to be somewhere that doesn't necessitate special separate daily care. I'd let her live with the bantams, but she's petrified of Spike and jealous of Aimee and Penny. Tom was sitting on the lawn chair with both of those tiny hens on his chest when MaryJo jumped onto his shoulder to get away from Spike, settled down and reached over to thunk sweet little Penny in the head. I plucked her off Tom's shoulder so she'd leave them alone. Not having her hurt those precious little hens! She's a moose compared to them. Carly would have stood up to MaryJo if she was still alive, all 17 oz of her, but the other two are non-confrontational, especially Penny. Mina and Sissy, the other two D'Anver hens, are not the type to want to be held so it's a non-issue with them. They stay away from MaryJo entirely.

 

[1muttsfan]

Well second snow accumulation this week. Not a good harbinger for snow this winter. Take a closer look below the suet feeder.

 

[speckledhen]

Well second snow accumulation this week. Not a good harbinger for snow this winter. Take a closer look below the suet feeder.
View attachment 1178325

Do I see a pileated woodpecker? We have so many of those! My favorite woodpecker! The breeding season is full of their "wacka-wacka" sounds.

Well, it was too easy. Found MaryJo in the barn aisle when we opened up. So, Tessa is the Zara of Atlas's pen. Sigh. What a pain!

 

[1muttsfan]

One of my most-seen birds here in the woods. I've had 2 babies each of the last 2 years. Usually shy, they are used to me and all my critters. They make the woods sound like a jungle when they call.

 

[speckledhen]

One of my most-seen birds here in the woods. I've had 2 babies each of the last 2 years. Usually shy, they are used to me and all my critters. They make the woods sound like a jungle when they call.

Exactly like the jungle, you pegged it. We sure have enough dead trees for them to pound on. Sometimes, when two males are competing for a female and they are swooping all around and up and down and making that racket, the chickens get nervous. They are large birds.

 

[speckledhen]

Well, I have a short video, but I can't upload because it bogs down the internet and the Univ of GA football game just started, so he gets the TV and I have to wait to upload. It can't handle both at the same time, not our super slow DSL. This is rural internet, probably the worst thing about living outside the suburbs. I refuse to pay $100 to DISH or DirecTV ever again so this is what we're stuck with.

The subject was inspired by a lady on the FB homesteading group asking how to keep her chickens off her porch. Someone said they threw a bucket of water on their rooster. Yeah, great idea for winter, dummy. I basically told her to chill and enjoy it, that folks who try to live a city live in the country just have higher blood pressure. Poop happens. I'd give anything to have my Isaac back, strolling around the wraparound porch with his girls. Poop dries and you can sweep it off. They won't be with us forever. Ah, memories of the best roosters! All those hens are still with me.

 

[getaclue]

Does the woman own a hose? She knows what they do, right? Does she need instructions on how to hose down her porch? Otherwise, she can screen in her porch, and put a door on it, so they can't get in.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Wow, ours occasionally come up to the stoop, but so far haven't been on the porch deck. My dogs are a good deterrent, that's why my chickens only come up to the house early in the morning, but not after I get up. I definitely wouldn't be throwing water either. I find putting strange things or using things like decoys out can sometimes work for a bit. Otherwise maybe whirlygigs might work, but it's hard to stop visits long term, and most need to be accepted or you need to lock your chickens up.

I like seeing my chickens outside my house but don't like the poop they always leave. Dogs think the poop is a treat.