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

[1muttsfan]

Somebody is running a contest of her own . And one I could see you having an entry for, Cyn - certainly Bash belongs in this contest if not Atlas as well
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...fancy-feathered-fellas-photo-contest.1429967/

 

[speckledhen]

Somebody is running a contest of her own . And one I could see you having an entry for, Cyn - certainly Bash belongs in this contest if not Atlas as well
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...fancy-feathered-fellas-photo-contest.1429967/

Yes, nice contest. I already have my 2021 calendar so I'll let someone else enter to win one of the five. Love my roosters, though!

Penny is on her way out. The crop issue is simply her system shutting down. After all, she is almost 10 years old so that is what it has to be. I cannot empty her crop. It's not hard, but it is pliable and sort of like a stress ball you squeeze. I can't make it do anything and we've tried for days. Also, a few days ago, I found that she had pasty butt like a chick and removed it. I mean, it was actually plugged, never saw that on an adult hen in my life. So it's her body saying she's done.

Poor old Aubrey, dumb as he is, he is so concerned about her. I put her in a milk crate nest box on the floor with lots of warm bedding for last night so she would not be separated from her peeps and he sat on the lower roost to be close and watch over her. It broke my heart. He had Carly, Penny and Aimee from hatch and will have only Aimee left from that group Mina is his daughter so she's not been there from the beginning.

 

[getaclue]

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I hope everyone is having a Happy Thanksgiving as well.

 

[1muttsfan]

How you all had a great Turkey Day

 

[speckledhen]

We didn't have one. We got a turkey because they were cheap with $25 more spent and it's still sitting in the fridge. We'll probably cook it today. Tom wants to put away the broth for future use. My son made dressing on his own for the first time after calling to ask his dad how to make it (golly, he really should know by now, but he spent every Thanksgiving with his former wife's family, not us) and is coming today to bring us some so we can taste it. He has a new girlfriend and I seriously hope he comes alone. I'm not up to a new person right now. Not sure this will work out anyway. Not sure they're on the same page in many ways and she has two daughters. I'm def not the grandmother type.

 

[speckledhen]

Well, we bit the bullet and cut some spurs today, Bash's and Aubrey's. Bash's were about 4" long and looked like crossed scimitars. He was easy. His are long and narrow and we took about an inch off each so he still has weaponry, but they don't hook each other.
Aubrey, little jerk D'Anver that he is, turns dark purple if you try to catch him, but he only weighs about 20 oz and his spurs are thicker than Bash's and curve out and downward, so they were touching the ground when he walked. It's always a choice between him maybe dying in my arms from stress or just sitting on those wicked long things and not being able to walk. The chase was on in the pen, Tom trying his best to be quiet and easy with the little lunatic. He finally got him cornered and picked him up, whereupon I realized he was entirely missing a spur! He apparently had hooked it on something during the chase and the tiny pointed inside was sticking out, all bloody-looking. I said to give him to me and I'd get the DE to dust it to stop any bleeding (works better than blood stop powder) and of course, Aubrey bit me, but we got to the other spur and cut off about an inch; should have been more, but at least it's only the one now. Poor thing's leg was obviously painful the rest of the day. He stood around one-legged all day long.

I found the actual spur in the tray of the PVC feeder, probably he caught it on the edge of the opening and just pulled it cleanly off the root. Tonight, Aubrey is sitting under the roost, too much in pain to fly up there, so I got some straw and tried to gently tuck it around him, which normally would send him bouncing off the walls to get away from me, but he didn't even move so I know he's really hurting. Maybe he strained his leg when he caught the spur on the edge of that opening. Since he didn't run, I pushed the straw closer around him and lowered a heat lamp so he is not so cold on the floor while everyone else is up on the roost.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Those little roosters are always so feisty. I need to check a few spurs yet too on a few. We did the big guys, but I need to check the little guys yet.

 

[1muttsfan]

- damned if you do, damned if you don't

 

[speckledhen]

- damned if you do, damned if you don't

That is so the truth!

Here is Aubrey's spur he pulled off. That is a lot of spur for a chicken nugget. Gee, I still have dirt under my fingernails and I even took a long soaking bath last night. Someone called the homesteading/farming life "the dirty life" and it's so true.