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

[speckledhen]

Cheryl, you did mention about the hose and shoes. I know he buys really great quality shoes. The doctor advised him to take collagen to strengthen the skin over the protruding veins so what happened when one blew through the skin wouldn't repeat itself and he's been taking all sorts of supplements. That and losing about 80 lbs has to help.

As for the chickens, I have a lot of old hens, but only Atlas and the two D'Anver roosters are old. The little guys are not a problem for their hens. Atlas is just insistent on mating his four hens and he is not nice about it sometimes, plus his leg stiffness has to be making it awkward and more prone to hurting the poor girls. I thought about giving him Maddie and Jane and even Thea since I'm not currently breeding, to give him more in number, younger girls, but I don't want them hurt, plus they are much smaller than his hens. The Stukel hens have always been much larger bodied than those of Hector's line. Atlas is not a small guy, either.

 

[getaclue]

He needs a bachelor pad then. Atlas, not your son. Well, your son too, but I was referring to the rooster.

 

[getaclue]

My Black Australorps are a large breed too. My roosters weigh 9.5 lbs. I understand how it is if they're not too gentle, or clumsy.

 

[speckledhen]

The men are back on time this morning to do the last couple of hours they were contracted to do, brought a tarp and a leaf blower with them and are hard at work.

Tom has to go to the VA today and he suspects he won't be going anymore. They won't allow him to see the spinal surgeon that was recommended, most likely, and want him to go to downtown Atlanta to see a VA surgeon and we both say "No thanks" to that. I'd rather it be handled by Medicare and TriCare for Life than the VA when it comes to tricky surgery.

It's bad enough that he actually pays for his own VA benefits. Seriously. He has a disability rating, which means a percentage of his own retirement pension from the Air Force is removed from the monthly pension and given to him by the VA. Yeah, no extra for his disability, which they have been rating at only 40%. If they rated it at 50%, they'd have to give him his full pension plus extra, which they avoid at all costs. With this new stuff, maybe he can get that bumped to 50% and he'll finally get his full pension plus what he's entitled to for the injuries sustained during his AF career.

 

[speckledhen]

Check this out...and most of you know how chaotic and messy this place was (and still needs work).

 

[getaclue]

That's looking really nice. I'm glad the guys you hired are doing such a good job. How are they at repairing/building chicken coops, and fences?

 

[speckledhen]

That's looking really nice. I'm glad the guys you hired are doing such a good job. How are they at repairing/building chicken coops, and fences?

Not a clue, haven't asked. Will have to ask when I'm ready to pay something for it, I guess. These two guys were actually sent by a guy named Chris who is the owner of whatever the business is. But, they did really great and Chris didn't disappear on us like so many others have done in the past when we tried to get someone to haul trash or do anything around here.

 

[1muttsfan]

Wow that looks great!

Look at the green.... Most of our snow is gone, just a few drifts in the shady spots.

 

[speckledhen]

Our pasture is all green and growing fast. Will have to either finally get over myself and learn to use the riding mower (it's automatic but seems like rubbing your stomach and patting your head at the same time, confuses me) and do it myself or hire someone else to cut it twice a season. The pasture is hard to do with the mower we have. It's 22 hp, but still more wussy than my old Yard Machine that finally gave up the ghost after 20 years. It gets stuck all the time, doesn't like reverse much, etc. I need a tractor, but who can afford one? If I just keep a 15-20' swatch next to the perimeter fence whacked down so predators can't sneak up to my birds, that is probably all that's needed, really.

 

[seminolewind]

Even with prioritizing, there are just too many things and I would be forever "doing". I want to stop, just stop. I just cleaned the bathroom baseboard around the toilet, but I can't reach without pretty much putting my head in the toilet. He has longer arms, but he can't do that job because he can't bend to do it now. I'm sick of doing the filthy jobs. I know that sounds petty, but even when his back is not quite as bad, he has terrible eyesight and can't even see when the dirt is there. So, it's me, me, me. He lets everything go and has for awhile. I mean, he could have at least cleaned the bathroom vanity top around the sink...doesn't require bending. But, I do it all the time, me. He says tell me if you want something done. Why can't he see it needs doing and just DO IT? Even when he could do things, he pretty much didn't and hasn't for a long time. To be fair, he will use a broom, but then, doesn't use the vacuum cleaner on the rugs after he sweeps. He doesn't see the dirt that covers baseboards and door frames and finger smudges around doorknobs and on these stupid white doors they put on after the house fire. It all just looks grungy to me. I don't like asking for him to do stuff like he's a teenage boy who can't see things that need doing and I know all he is doing is drowning in his current situation, zoning out on the computer and television. Thankfully, I can lift a 50# feed bag over my shoulder and put it in the can or I'd be up a creek without a paddle.

About now, I just want to bulldoze the place and leave. I want all the collected crap gone, but no, he has to pick through every single item in the old coop, to see what he wants to keep. NO! Enough! So there are 30 screwdrivers and 20 pairs of pliers and jars and jars of fasteners, grommets, etc, from us and my dad's basement. Keep two or three of each type and sell the rest. What is he going to do with all those tools and hardware now? He can't build anything anymore. Maybe it's a man thing or a packrat thing, I don't know. I told him just advertise on the yard sale groups on Facebook that he has a storage building full of tools and whatever, come look and make me a reasonable offer. I just hope that he can get his back in better shape and get that building cleaned out so we can tear it down-no, have someone else tear it down. The perimeter fence that served as the back of the old pen is crushed from trees falling on it, lateral pressure from the dirt the chickens dug up against it and I can't re-fence that section by myself. So, another job neither of us can do. I just want to quit "doing" for awhile, or thinking about all this stuff that has to be done, ailing husband, ailing chickens, etc, etc, etc. Somewhere in there, I try to find time, energy and motivation to make quilts. And I hope against hope that I don't break another bone in all this....that would just do me in.

I am always overwhelmed. I need to beat into my head that I am only one person. Hubs can't hardly walk. So yea, I'm doing much more. And the same thing-why can't they just "see" it and clean it? I think that's men in general. So now it's better that I tell him "clean the stove top or the counter top". Once every few days I take all his clutter and pile it on his desk.

You can't do it all. I had to self admit a few years ago that I can't do all the things that I could before and it was time to hire people to do the things I can't do.

Mine sits at his desk at the center of the house where he can see all, and when I do something, he's always there to "suggest" better ways or give me instructions. I'm sick of it. I cannot be in the kitchen without him coming in there to do something. Even if I say "please don't come in while I am....", he finds an excuse to come in. I don't know what it is with him that he needs to do that. It's a good thing that I'm outside for hours every day- My time, LOL.

A few months ago I asked him about his pile of tools and could he go through them and he said "just throw them out" SO I did and boy was he mad! It was stuff he hadn't touched in 3-4 years or can't now because he can't walk well enough.

So Cynthia, I feel you have every reason in the world to be overwhelmed and angry. Maybe you are better off moving to less property but where you can keep chickens. I'm sorry we're in this predicament . Most times I just pretend I'm the only one here and get stuff done. I drag my feet at a lot of stuff. I've needed to build a covered pen for months now and just can't get started on it. It's healthy to vent and I'm glad you are.