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

[speckledhen]

Have you seen any of the new Lost in Space series? And if so, do you recall the original one? I hate this one. It is unrecognizable. They should have just made a new show and left it alone. Watched two episodes of it. Hated it.
Comments on Youtubes about it seem positive. Why? It's too darn edgy. It's like if it's not super dark, it's not entertaining for the folks alive today. They changed it so much that pretty much everything is different, every character. Wish they had not made Will such a wimpy little boy, scared and crying all the time-he's not super smart, uniquely brave kid Billy Mumy played. They could have at least left that part alone, but they messed it all up. Maureen Robinson being a leftist, anti-gun activist, really? The original Maureen would not have hesitated to use a blaster. They made Don a smuggler! Really? I'll skip the rest of it. It's all upside down and backwards.

 

[speckledhen]

Bonnie is officially over-the-edge broody. I convinced her to leave the main nest by giving her Cora's egg we were collecting and putting it in the bottom of the large portable nest box unit. She settled down on it and if she really sticks, I'll give her a handful of Brahma eggs tomorrow, minus any I think are B.J.'s. But, here's the problem....where do I put her and her chicks? I have one extra space, the old little bantam coop where we often grow out birds. Brandy is in the tiny pen in the barn on eggs already. And, I have to grow out the chicks in the incubator somewhere. I have dog crates, but I really don't like putting a broody in those because I have to get on the floor to do anything with them. I won't occupy the hospital cage on the wall for obvious reasons. I don't have a good place with lines of cages for broody crazies.
In truth, I don't want any of these chicks. But I can't break these Brahmas. And Thea, Maretta and MaryJo are all threatening. I can't allow them to do it, though, I just can't. I can't handle all these chicks and mamas.


I pulled B.J.'s two eggs from under Brandy (infertile) so she has only six left.

I know Hector needs another hen or two, but still, I am so tired of all these separate groups. Some old hens need to go soon. If I could get the two older groups to mesh, I could free up one 5x8 pen where Snow and Amanda's wall cages are, but too many strong personalities, too many ailing/arthritic hens. Someone would fight and drop dead, which, in effect, would help my situation, however, I don't want it to be my fault that they die, if you get my drift. Gyspy would fight June or crippled Neela. No matter how old and gimpy they get, they still keep their attitudes!

 

[getaclue]

speckled, if you don't need, or want the chicks, then don't hatch them. Put some of the ones in the incubator under Bonnie. That may break her quickly, and then you don't have so many groups to deal with.

 

[speckledhen]

Now, I have two broodies sitting. What am I going to do with these crazy wenches? Bonnie has seven Brahma eggs under her due May 6. Brandy's six eggs are due April 28. It may be insurance if my incubator eggs are a wash.

I cannot see any pips in the bator eggs, though today is Day 21, but I set them late in the morning of Day One so maybe that influenced it a bit; maybe they'll all start popping all at once later today, but I'm getting nervous now. This never happens. Makes me wonder if my digital bator was running a little low. I used the Spot Check at the beginning to check the temp and I have an analog hygrometer in the bator in addition to the digital one on there. I just checked the temp and it is running around 99* now. Hmm. The Spot Check says it's about 4/10 of a degree lower than the digital readout says, overall.
A nice lady on the Facebook chicken swap, one of the admins, actually, who wants a couple of Brahma pullets, called me a chicken genius because I could tell whose eggs I pulled from the bator at candling, LOL. I said the broodies are the geniuses, that I'm just a poor substitute. If these don't hatch, that will definitely prove my point!

 

[speckledhen]

speckled, if you don't need, or want the chicks, then don't hatch them. Put some of the ones in the incubator under Bonnie. That may break her quickly, and then you don't have so many groups to deal with.

Since Bonnie just started, I'm not sure she'd take the chicks. I remember I tried that with Dottie when she'd been sitting a week. Another hen crushed a chick under her, a newbie broody (Neela, I think) so I gave the remaining egg to Dottie to hatch. She hatched the chick, but would not pay any attention to it, knew it was not time for her eggs to hatch so I had to make other arrangements. Dottie was one of my best broodies ever, too. If my bator eggs are a failure, or almost failure, I'll need more Brahma babies for the folks waiting anyway, though it's more work for me to supervise a broody, making sure on the bathroom breaks, that she is eating, etc.

 

[speckledhen]

Okay, they must be wearing little watches in the incubator and have decided they will not come out until precisely the moment that Day 21 begins, per when I put the eggs in there at 10:45 a.m. Not one pip that I can see still. I thought I heard cheeping just now and I know I've seen eggs rocking last night and a bit ago, I thought I saw one move. There is no reason they should not hatch!

oh, and it was just SNOWING! WTH? Not supposed to happen today. Was going to be sunny, they said. They lied.

 

[1muttsfan]

We got about 6" if this weird, sand- like fine frozen sleet yesterday- weighs a ton. So far today we have had 4" of regular (but wet) snow, and still snowing hard. Good news is it's great snowmobiling again!

I'm sure the babies will arrive when they are ready. No rushing Mother Nature.

 

[speckledhen]

We got about 6" if this weird, sand- like fine frozen sleet yesterday- weighs a ton. So far today we have had 4" of regular (but wet) snow, and still snowing hard. Good news is it's great snowmobiling again!

I'm sure the babies will arrive when they are ready. No rushing Mother Nature.

We have a pip, finally! Betsy's chick is the first to break through, good baby! I'm about to spank their fluffy little butts for being so darn late, though.

 

[speckledhen]

Two pips......they're filtering into the party now.

 

[aquila]

Hello! I've been lurking and reading through this thread from the beginning for about a week and I wanted to thank you for documenting this journey with Atlas, Hector and your other birds. I've learned a lot from reading about them. And of course, I've enjoyed watching them grow, so to speak, in your pictures. What beautiful birds you have!

I hope you and yours are doing well. And how is Atlas doing?