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

[oldhenlikesdogs]

This is wanting to eat the rooster, but mom says no.

 

[speckledhen]

This is wanting to eat the rooster, but mom says no.

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Haha, Cody would have shown me the error of my ways if I said, "no eating the chickens". Kes on her own probably could have been trained to leave them alone, but she was trained too much by Cody. I don't know if I told you the story of Kes bringing me a rotten egg she found out in the yard somewhere. Tom always thought she was just a beautiful, dumb girl, but she had a quiet intelligence that just didn't hit you in the face.
I was so impressed with her that day. One of my Poufy Head Sisters always had her eggs stuck in her fluff. She'd walk around until they fell off. I guess one fell off out on range and no one noticed it. One day, Kes came walking to me, very slowly, placing her feet so carefully, holding her head low with her jaws not quite together. I thought she had a baby squirrel or something. She kept walking toward me. I said, "Kessie, what do you have?" slowly and very cautiously. She walked right to my feet, lowered her head and gently placed an egg at my feet. When I picked it up, it was putrid, had a pinhole in one end and I got rid of that thing FAST! It's a wonder it didn't explode in her mouth! That was either the retriever or the bird dog in her coming out. But, what a good girl. I never saw her do anything like that before that day and she was up in years by then.
Kes was so cold-natured, being a smooth-coated dog. She was deathly afraid of storms and ended up in our bed every time, shaking and shivering.

 

[speckledhen]

Temps are dropping, now mid 40's and snow showed up on the radar by 7:30 pm-that's a fast drop!

Neela won't eat much and I have not seen her drink at all. I think she wants to go back with her sister, Alice. They have never been separated, except once when Neela went broody briefly. I don't think she is contagious. I think that cyst in her nare has grown back into the sinus and is affecting her eye. This could be the end for Neela.

In other news, Tiny attacked Tom again when he bent over to pick up some poop under their roost bar. He threw her on the floor and she got on the roost all flared up, but Panda, who can barely walk with her bad hock joint, jumped up there and moved over so Tiny was pressed against the wall, an avian shield between Tom and Tiny. Such a great girl, my Panda. None of them will let Tiny keep attacking him. Even Emily thunked her in the head and Emily usually lets Panda and Gypsy beat her up.

I took this less than an hour ago. Now, there is snow on the mountain and temps are in the 30's.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

What pretty view, and what a smart dog to handle that egg so gently. Most would have ate it, or at least gotten themselves full of it trying to roll in the stench.

We had a rapid drop last night, and again today. Stay warm.

 

[speckledhen]

What pretty view, and what a smart dog to handle that egg so gently. Most would have ate it, or at least gotten themselves full of it trying to roll in the stench.

We had a rapid drop last night, and again today. Stay warm.

I see we need to clean up around those two buildings more when the weather is better. DH is in pain and not doing so well today so he's in no shape anyway.

The wind is howling. It was nice having spring in January while it lasted.

We put Neela back in the group. Tom put her under the heat lamp (she's in a lot of pain in her hip area so she's one reason I have heat spots in that pen). Alice ran over to her sister, acting like, "You're back! Where were you?!"One of the BRs came over to hassle Neela but he said she drew herself up to her full height and thunked the bully in the face. I didn't want her becoming depressed. If she's dying, she's better off with her sister, Alice. They are so attached to each other.

 

[speckledhen]

Success report: Lizzie seems 100% healed and is back with Atlas. In fact, she was standing beside him on the roost like she was never gone and it's been months.

One reason it happened today is a fight started in Georgie's pen. Wendy, the resident bully in that pen, was picking on Lizzie, who was trying to lay her egg, but had to hide her head away from Wendy's trying to pound her brains out from above. So, I removed Wendy from the adjacent nest. Then, Alice, Neela's sister, got in a nest and Lizzie was trying to pound on Alice. In fact, she launched at Alice and I put my arm to block her and she bit the fire out of my arm, made a mark through my sheepskin lined coat! That was enough. I was not having poor, sweet old Alice hurt, so I threw Liz back in with Atlas and that's where she's going to stay. She laid her egg in there, as did Wynette, MaryJo, Druscilla and I guess Tessa. I got 5 eggs from that pen today, 7 eggs total (the other two were Tiny and Thea). I assume Gloria Jean didn't lay, but Dru's may have really been GJ's. If I could figure out how to remove Wendy, I'd do it. She's a real bully. She can't bully June or Georgie, though, not happening with the top two in charge. She's already on some special blacklist June has in her head.

 

[speckledhen]

So many quilts, so little time (and my back is screaming!). It was torturous trying to choose the border around the center motif, but I had this darker green in my stash. Now, I have to make yet another border decision. I was going to do 9" blocks after that next border surrounding what you see on the floor here, but I'm not so sure. I may just do a checkerboard border then a final narrow one and call the top done. The surrounding blocks are sewn to each other but not to the center block yet.

 

[1muttsfan]

That will look especially good on a bed.

 

[speckledhen]

That will look especially good on a bed.

Thanks, Mary.

 

[BirdGirl2004]

WOW! Beautiful! I LOVE your pictures, and I have never in my life seen Barred Rocks as pretty as yours! Just Gorgeous!