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

[seminolewind]

I want it up high so no one can easily get to it to trash it. It has to have power, which we can run into the eaves of the barn so a fence post won't really work anyway. I dare anyone to try to access the barn through the roll up door when we're home, which is pretty much 24/7 and at night, there is the baby monitor in the barn that will telegraph their activity. That thing is so blasted noisy. The human entry door could be lock-picked so that is where I want to focus. When my chickens groups are fewer and I can corral them into fewer pens, I will divide the barn into chickens in front and storage in the back half of the barn where the roll up door is so even without chickens, I need security.

I could possibly put it on the back of that old coop that is nearest the barn pointed toward the barn, though. Hmm, that's a thought. It would show the entire front of the barn and a good portion of the pen that way and that building has power as well.

Sounds like the security system you have is really nice. I have placed a padlock on my coop-you never know about people.

 

[speckledhen]

Sounds like the security system you have is really nice. I have placed a padlock on my coop-you never know about people.

The human entry door is key-locked, but could quietly be picked so I wanted more than just a solar light on that side, something that I could watch from inside the house at night and that would give me an audible alert if something was messing around that area. The roll-up door on the back end of the barn makes such a racket plus has a padlock through the slide lock (which is really hard to slide), I'm not worried about that one. I put several more of the solar motion lights around the house and gardens today and the Defender cameras arrive tomorrow. Been wanting that for a long time, but the systems are confusing and low-rated. This one has great ratings. If I like it, I may eventually buy a second one so will have another monitor and two more cameras. Chicken/egg thievery is a real thing right now.

 

[seminolewind]

Hello outside world! Cyn, wow, those biscuits look amazing. I've got to tackle making biscuits one of these days. We don't eat them often and the frozen kind have been so nice when we just want a few in the morning. I'm currently conflicted about getting a big stand mixer. I could never justify having one, for the cost or the counter space. My little hand mixer worked just fine. Well, in these days of isolation and limited bread products, I find myself kneading (uhh, needing?) one more and more. No only do 90% of the recipes I have found online use one, it would certainly help me be more efficient with my time. I'd like to think that after everything settles I will continue to bake our own bread and this might help me stick to it. Bread is not all, though. Gabby girl will calve in July, so I'll be milking once a day. I'll have a use for the mixer for butter making, among other things. Any suggestions on a model?

I hope you all are doing well. I've not left the house in 5+ weeks now. It's funny because nothing has really changed for us here. Introvert me is thriving to say the least. Home school for the boys is not bad at all. We do what we can, and let it be. They get plenty of real life experience on the farm outside of the paperwork. I love having them home with me, and running on our own schedule. I've worked from home for the last 15 years, so managing my work and kids is nothing new.

I say you sound like you would get a lot of use out of it. And bread? I think Yes!.
I bought my hand mixer with grocery receipts at a supermarket.- about 40 years ago! Love that thing. I also love my Cuisinart. Can do a lot with that.

 

[seminolewind]

That's great if you already know the right consistency. For example if you learned from your mom or grandma. Not as helpful if you don't have someone around to show you how.

So Michigan has banned sales of gardening supplies, but only in Big Box stores like Lowes. Hardware stores and farm supply stores under a certain size can still sell seeds and gardening stuff. Looks like bedding plants are restricted at least until the end of the month - which is not yet spring up here anyway (as the snow flies sideways past the window), but will be downstate. It's about 2 weeks too early to start anything here even in a greenhouse, and a month or more from planting. My friend Vera always says not to plant outdoors until Memorial weekend, as the plants would not grow well anyway since the ground is too cold.

I have to agree with your friend about planting and cold ground. My father would plant tomatoes as early as possibly and cover them during frosts. I planted tomatoes at almost Memorial Day. They both matured at the same time, and I never knew why but now I do (thankyou)!
Hubs made me those square garden boxes for planting so right now I have 4 filled and ready. This ground here is, to me, real crap-clay. Hard as a rock. I can't dig that. So I ordered garden mix dirt from a gravel and dirt place. When I got the dirt it looked so plain or lets say missing the compost. So I went there and that was their garden mix dirt. It's supposed to be dirt, some sand and some compost. I think they forgot the compost in that mix. So hubs went back and got a load of some nice black compost. So my doctored dirt is fabulous.

I got beans, peas , lettuce planted. I still have to plant all different kinds of squash. I got 10 privet/Ligustrum bare root starters. I had some nice ones but the horse ate them. I also have 10 red daylilies planted- they need to grow too. And 3 raspberry sticks.

So lots to keep me busy. I go nowhere cept my dr. appt. My daughter and family live 9 miles down the road and can't visit. So hope you girls are staying busy and enjoying being hermits!

I know you guys are like me-outside a whole lot. And that's very healthy!

 

[seminolewind]

The human entry door is key-locked, but could quietly be picked so I wanted more than just a solar light on that side, something that I could watch from inside the house at night and that would give me an audible alert if something was messing around that area. The roll-up door on the back end of the barn makes such a racket plus has a padlock through the slide lock (which is really hard to slide), I'm not worried about that one. I put several more of the solar motion lights around the house and gardens today and the Defender cameras arrive tomorrow. Been wanting that for a long time, but the systems are confusing and low-rated. This one has great ratings. If I like it, I may eventually buy a second one so will have another monitor and two more cameras. Chicken/egg thievery is a real thing right now.

Chicken thievery? I worried in Florida. But my daughter kindof insisted I lock my coop at night. I wouldn't want anyone eating my babies!

 

[seminolewind]

It is one of the best biscuit recipes out there. I have always loved buttermilk biscuits more than regular ones.

Success with biscuits depends more on technique than recipe really, handling the dough with a light touch and not toughening it.

I can't make bisquits, LOL. I can make Bisquik drop bisquits and getting my bisquick this weekend. I have actually been cooking more. My last endeaver was Italian "Gravy". Like spaghetti but with 2 kinds of meat , it gets thicker and darker. It was really good. My next endeaver is Calzone (like a pizza folded over and ricotta in it too.) I am even buying pizza dough in frozen balls, and rolling it out myself.

Your bisquits look yummy!

 

[Buckeye Amy]

Good Lord I was still in my Jammie bottoms in those pictures. I tend to not worry about such things of the fashion police when it is let the birds out time. I just throw on my chicken shoes and begin spoiling them time.

Atlas is such a handsome boy...as for his adorable black sister....you must name her Lucy and you must save her for me on my next visit....wrong way Lucy would be perfect around this Menagerie'.


The name Atlas I believe was my suggestion and Cyn liked it, it will give the boy something to grow into and measure up to for sure. The original Atlas was a beautiful black Orp cockerel that I picked up from Cynthia about 3 years ago I believe (I raid her coops every year so it is sometimes hard to remember who came home with me when hehehehehe). I went to her house to bring home what would come to be the last daughters of her blue orp hen, Smoky and two black orp cockerels (one I had named Atlas) for another BYCer that was here in Kentucky. The blue pullet was injured by the boys the day before I arrived to pick them up and she died suddenly after returning home so I decided to hang on to the cockerels for a few more weeks so Zena was not alone through quarantine and as time went on it looked like the two boys would be staying with me because I could not catch up with the other BYCer to give her the cockerels. so I had moved them into a doggie playpen in my main coop so the other birds could get to know them and give them more growing room and things were going well. The boys were turning into big beautiful boys worthy of being the sons of the late great Suede when all hello broke loose here.

Short abridged version....I had several pens in a 10 x 20 coop....one house a trio of Partridge Silkies, one housed d'uccles, the playpen had the three orp juveniles and one housed near adult Silkies....the main area housed my main flock of standards. The particular day was a weird one anyway...we had a couple sheriff's deputies here and were talking to them near our big barn which is on the other side of our farm from my coops with the house between them. I heard the chickens fussing which is not uncommon for that time of day because of the layers all announcing their wonderful feats of the day but it continued so I kept glancing towards the house and coop nervously and decided to move closer to the house with the officers speaking to my husband and I and moving with us. Suddenly you can see the chaos going on....and out runs a Rottweiler with Atlas in its mouth. I yelled one of the officers asked if it was my dog and I said "No shoot it". The officer shot the dog who was being followed by my head rooster Lancelot and several hens. Here is what makes Atlas so special and the point of the story really....Cynthia and I learned something very important that day....the birds will discard all hierarchy and personal dislike to fight together.

The dog went into my coop and began chasing he birds and was met by 7 roosters and cockerels and numerous hens that fought to the death in some cases defending the younger birds and the girls. My main boys were fighting with several of their hens....the partridge silkie rooster got into the fight, one of the juvenile silkie cockerels got out and into the fight, the d'uccles were fighting and young Atlas and his brother jumped out of their playpen and into the fray to fight and defend their sister Zena. It was chaos. The bantams being smaller and more agile were attacking this dog from above and from the sides...the hens were attacking it and young Atlas was attacking the dog's face while the big standard roosters were slamming the dog with powerful feet and spurs. When the dog was dead and the dust had settled...I had lost most of my boys and as I recall one pullet and one hen.

So Atlas and his brother who fell long before Atlas, were very brave. Even though they were very young and did not stand a chance against a dog that size, they jumped into the fray and fought to the death to protect the flock. Boys are very special to me and a brave boy that is human friendly and good to the girls is a prize....I had a coop full of them that day, many of whom sacrificed themselves for the girls.

So when Cynthia realized she had a young cockerel that had such promise for breeding, I suggested that he be named Atlas....a good strong name for a future big strong brave boy.

I wish I could find my original post of the incident because the minute detail elude me but suffice it to say....young Atlas has been honored with the name of very brave boy.

What a great story, although also a tragic one. I would love to read the original version.

 

[speckledhen]

What a great story, although also a tragic one. I would love to read the original version.

I don't know where the original story is, but maybe it's still here. The only funny part of it was that Suede's black daughter, Delilah, was one of the fighting hens and after it was all over, Ladyhawk heard thumping in a big food tote. When she opened it, there was big old DeDe, hopping mad. She had jumped on the tote some time during the fight and the lid shut on her, probably keeping her safe from the dog and really, from her mean self. She had dog fur in her beak, as I recall.

 

[1muttsfan]

I can't make bisquits, LOL. I can make Bisquik drop bisquits and getting my bisquick this weekend. I have actually been cooking more. My last endeaver was Italian "Gravy". Like spaghetti but with 2 kinds of meat , it gets thicker and darker. It was really good. My next endeaver is Calzone (like a pizza folded over and ricotta in it too.) I am even buying pizza dough in frozen balls, and rolling it out myself.

Your bisquits look yummy!

Of course you can make biscuits! they are one of the easiest of all breads to make, it's just that the technique is very different than with other breads. Sounds like you are really keeping yourself busy, wish I could see your garden. I'm going to get some lettuce in, but since it's still dropping well below freezing at night I'll have to wait to even start my other seeds.

Vera has all kinds of wise and funny sayings. My favorite is
"Never get into a stinking contest with a skunk. You'll both end up smelling bad, and the skunk will like it"
Advice I have followed many times in my career.

 

[speckledhen]

And the variation I have heard is this one:

So sad, I just found out that our Sumi passed away. She was such a lovely lady.