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

[speckledhen]

They keep changing our forecast. Now, they say 12* real temp and -5* wind chills.
I'm uploading a video for the later tonight, if it will work.

 

[getaclue]

 

[kitkat5505]

Happy New Year!!!

 

[1muttsfan]

Happy New Year, friends

 

[speckledhen]

Yes, another year. Can we go back a few? Someone tell me how to slow down time!

Well, it's 10* outside and 21* in the barn. Tonight, the lows will be about 5*. I may lose an old gal if the power goes out or even if it doesn't. A heat spot does not heat up the entire barn, just a small area under the lamp. The big difference in the barn is the body heat of 38 birds, plus the few heat spots.

My husband said if it didn't bump up our electric bill, he'd take one of our oil-fired heaters out there to the barn, but I told him that, yes, it would send our bill into the stratosphere, but besides that, with the high ceiling on the barn, it would not really be all that effective in heating the birds themselves, IMO. He really has a lot of empathy for those birds, even though he complains about them and says they're my birds, blah, blah, blah.

Guildbrook Farm (Jaime) put hen saddles on her four Dorking hens and her one Cochin hen with her Dorking rooster, Ozzy, and they had a very extreme reaction as did the rooster, so it prompted this video about what do you really understand about rooster behavior. He appeared to be attacking the hens, who were literally screaming and running all over the yard, but it was not what it seemed (I've never seen a rooster react that way to saddles, but he rather reminds me of Hector, trying to solve a problem in an extreme way).

 

[Leahs Mom]

I've heard that saddles can keep them from fluffing up their feathers to keep warm. Though I've used them in the summer on one hen that always got bare-backed, I would not use them in winter unless a hen was bare-backed and had no feathers to fluff.

 

[speckledhen]

I've heard that saddles can keep them from fluffing up their feathers to keep warm. Though I've used them in the summer on one hen that always got bare-backed, I would not use them in winter unless a hen was bare-backed and had no feathers to fluff.

I don't think they affect that in any significant way, Sue. They only cover the back itself, though I created some with flank flaps for my extra large birds. I've used saddles for many years when necessary, in all seasons. The reason you use them is because they are missing feathers on their backs anyway to protect against rooster toenails ripping their sides. You would not use them if they were fully feathered and had protection from the rooster's attentions, so actually, they add warmth to a semi-bare bird, IMO, though that is not their purpose and I would not use them for that. I've had to doctor ripped up hens more than once with big Suede, him being so huge that him gripping to balance just ripped them open, one hen on both sides. So, a saddle was preferable to that, for sure.

 

[Leahs Mom]

@speckledhen
Good points in the video. I think that people often don't think through what might be going on in a rooster's mind. Some good old-fashioned observation and common-sense go a long way!!!!

I had one boy that did like you described about the one you were putting in a separate pen at night. I had this boy in a separate pen also (on a temporary basis), and he started attacking me and my husband every time we'd bring him food or water. We worked with him a bit, but he was a big boy and not to be trifled with. He went to the pot. However his brother, who had been taken by another person and began the same behavior but to extreme, was sent to a different situation. The new family was able to take this attacking boy and make him a better man. I imagine it helped that he wasn't the only roo in the flock and was the new kid on the block. He lives today as a friendly, enjoyable fellow.

 

[speckledhen]

Oh, I almost forgot to tell you something, good news for the first day of the new year! I took a mixture of grits and eggs, some of my leftover chicken corn chowder soup poured over it, with some added probiotics, garlic and cayenne pepper, to the Brahmas and Bailey jumped right in and ate with everyone else! That's a real improvement. Plus, Lizzie, who has been recovering from that leg injury and seems to be fully healed now, is on the nest to start laying again after a long hiatus. She hasn't laid since she was hurt and she's living with Georgie's group, which contains her sisters Athena and Zara. I put Tessa back with Atlas though she is a royal pain chasing MaryJo to hassle her. I figured more body heat would only help in this cold. Poor Atlas is having such a time with his joints.

 

[Leahs Mom]

Yes... on the saddles I'd definitely use them if one was bare-backed in winter!