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

[speckledhen]

Hey, I had a thought (I know, that's very dangerous, but what can I say?). Those EE sexed pullets and bantam Cochins will be at Cohutta on April 9. What if I start an incubation of Partridge Brahma eggs for the hatch to be no more than maybe a week prior to that so they can all go into the same group? I would not keep a Brahma male because they are just way too large for EE hens and certainly, for bantam hens of any sort, but I might hold back a couple of Brahma pullets and I could sell the rest of the Brahma younguns and have a mixed flock of EEs, Brahmas and bantam Cochins with the roosters being little Xander replacements. That way, no big boys to hurt the girls any more, plus that chicken pen around the barn is effectively much larger when there are smaller birds in it. So, where is the flaw in my plan?

Also, I don't know where my survey is so I went to the tax assessors plat map and used their measuring tools to see how much linear feet that side is between us and Wilson down the hill. I need to replace that side, at least, as that stretch of fencing, that was the back of the old chicken pen as well as part of my perimeter fence is almost flattened outward from lateral pressure of dirt being washed down against it. It's at least 425 ft on that side. So, I have to choose what height, what kind of fencing and buy taller posts than we had previously, and have someone run that entire side, which goes through the woods a few feet in from the property line down that side. It was too rocky to fence right down on that road so we went up maybe 10-12' from the actual edge of the property there.
This is just the main property with house and buildings outlined in red.

The thick lined rectangle is the old, falling down chicken coop. Behind that, the fence is pretty much down; I didn't realize how bad it was until I went down to remove a dead tree from it.

 

[getaclue]

Sounds like a plan.

 

[speckledhen]

Sounds like a plan.

But, you know what I say....all chicken plans are subject to change. Maybe I should just stick with the EEs and midget Cochins and leave the battling velociraptors to someone else. It's tempting, though, looking at a dozen Brahma eggs in a carton, though most of them belong to Cora, the smallest hen, and Bailey, the one who has lost all her lacing. I know there are a couple of Brandy's in there, but I'd prefer to also have eggs from Bonnie and Betsy in the batch. BJ's will never develop so I've about given up on a BJ Bashlette.

 

[getaclue]

Hard choices for sure. You might want to stick with the EEs, and midget Cochins, and see how it goes. You can always hatch out some Brahma eggs later on, if you want.

 

[speckledhen]

Hard choices for sure. You might want to stick with the EEs, and midget Cochins, and see how it goes. You can always hatch out some Brahma eggs later on, if you want.

True! Unless they quit laying, of course, I can always do that later.

 

[speckledhen]

Argh, this is why I hate incubating eggs. The Digital Genesis says it's holding around 99.7*-99.9*. The little analog/red liquid thing that came with the incubator sitting on the turner says, gulp, 107*. I can't believe it's that high or I'd never had been able to hatch eggs at all in there the last time. Both my Spot Check incubator thermometers need batteries so I have to send my poor, put-upon husband out to get them if I want any. The hygrometer in the Genesis is reading 8-10% too low, according to my reptile analog one, which is the way it usually is so not that worried about that. I guess I can start the process, trust the Genesis, which stays in her box when not in use, and get the batteries for the Spot Check as soon as we can.

I have 13 Brahma eggs and 1 from Maddie to put in there.

ETA: Trying to figure if my turner is working. The motor is on and gets warm, but I am not sure it's turning. I may wait until tomorrow a.m. to try putting any eggs in there so maybe there will be more to add by then and will be closer to getting a battery for my Spot Check thermometer.

 

[speckledhen]

The turner is working. I'm relying on the Genesis readings until I can get those batteries for my Spot Check. Tom has to go to a funeral for his last living aunt today so he may not be able to get them. The trip alone is going to kill him, driving over an hour and a half both ways, sitting long periods and standing, in and out of the car, etc. so I hate to ask him to do anything else. I never leave here when he's gone. Heck, I never leave here, period.

I must be nuts to hatch eggs, even if I'm going to sell the chicks.

 

[getaclue]

I'm glad your turner is working. Hopefully with new batteries, the Spot Check will confirm the temp readings are good. It's bad to have issues with an incubator.

 

[speckledhen]

I'm glad your turner is working. Hopefully with new batteries, the Spot Check will confirm the temp readings are good. It's bad to have issues with an incubator.

He says he'll swing by Walmart on the way out and get some of those batteries for me so by the time he gets home this evening, I'll have the Spot Check revved back up.

Seems one of my two Belgian D'Anver hens is on her way out. Mina, Aimee's daughter and Spike's mother, is very lethargic today. She is one of the "touch me not" types and I just picked her up and she was pretty limp, seems weak. She is 9 years old. Druscilla, my last pure Stukel Rock hen, is also very slow today, almost a year older than Mina, and one leg is very stiff. I would rather they just go instead of becoming crippled completely like Snow is. But, that would leave Aimee with two roosters and Atlas with only one remaining 10 year old hen, little Gloria Jean.
Won't be very long before Hector & Jill and the Brahmas are all that are left. Wendy, Atlas's sister who is also 7 years old, has shown signs of reproductive issues, sitting on nests daily for over a month, no eggs. Athena and Zara are 5 yrs old, both dwarf gene carriers and showing signs of hock stiffness like dear old Dad Atlas. I'm getting Brahma eggs and eggs from Maddie, Zara and Jill, but that's it. Athena was laying well before her hard molt so maybe now that she's coming out of it, she'll start back soon.

 

[speckledhen]

Juiced up the Spot Check-one is not working at all, the other seems fine. It was showing a full degree cooler than the digital Genesis said so I began raising the temp in the Genesis- I had to go all the way to 100.3 on the set point to get the Spot Check to read about 99.5. So, I'm hoping that the Spot Check is correct. I have a household one in there with a new battery, but it's never been very accurate, reads 98*, thought the hygro part of it reads between my little round analog one and the reading on the Genesis. I think I'll leave well enough alone and hope that the temp is okay. I don't want to buy yet another incubator thermometer when I rarely use an incubator.
So, these Brahma-and-one-Hector/Maddie chicks are due March 23. I see that they will have Olive Eggers on March 10, then the bantam Cochins and EE pullets are on April 9. That's a month apart, unless I wait until the EE/Cochins come in and hope that they still have Olive Eggers available...not likely. I had one Olive Egger once and loved her eggs. What the heck do I do here? I want to brood one group, one big group together to run together, period. Of course, I do not plan to keep any of the chicks I am incubating. I want smaller bodied birds for the future, love my big ones as much as I do, as beautiful and sweet as they are. Tom seems very happy to go back to a fun flock, no separate breeding groups, though naturally, Hector's group and Bash's will need to be separate as long as one of those roosters is alive (and probably those cantankerous hens, geez, they fight like roosters).