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

[speckledhen]

It's hard as they go one by one and a single is left alone like Atlas who has outlived all his hens except crippled Dru. Poor June kept losing coop mates like Gypsy and Georgie and Emily and finally, I decided to put her with Aubrey and Mina, but I had been allowing the D'Anvers out with June's group so they could all get acquainted long before that move. They weren't strangers at all, though they were not each other's preferred company. It's tricky because of that pecking order thing and their advanced ages.

 

[getaclue]

Yes, the last remaining survivor(s) in a group, can be perplexing as to what to do with them for sure. Oh heck, sometimes it's perplexing what to do with them, from group to group.

I have a hen that has been alone in her pen, right next to the rest of her siblings from the same hatch for over a year. She has NEVER gotten along with anyone. I've tried, and Dh has tried dozens of times to get her to integrate with her siblings. She flat out refuses, and she attacks everyone. Not just a pecking order thing. She's brutal, and continuous. She does just fine by herself, with the fence between her, and the other group. Go figure!

 

[speckledhen]

Almost sounds like Tiny was.

 

[seminolewind]

I know your practices in flock keeping. You are observant, and will pay attention. You know the characteristics of each of your chickens. If/When the time comes to make changes, you will have a game plan based on your observations, and instincts from years of good chicken keeping, and knowing your flock. That's how you are. I have faith in you, and your abilities.

I agree. My oldest Houdan lost her flock mate, they were kept together because "Psycho" never got along with anyone but her sister. So then she was alone and wanted out with the flock so I let her and nothing happened at all.

Her name is Psycho because she was a pecker even when she was nice. Anyhow I go out yesterday to the coop and there she is laying down, gasping, and purple and making these sorrowful sounds. I pick her up so she doesn't die alone, well she pinks up and stops gasping, and the panting went away slowly over an hour.. So I fill a bucket with some warmish water and dunk her, and try to dribble some water in her mouth. Eventually I move her under a tree and sit there for a few hours. I make her some mush and of course she won't eat it. So I let the flock have it. You know chickens, when one finds something to eat, they all want it. So she ate gobs.

This morning she was bright pink and acting normal. (Yeah!) She is my oldest now. God bless her for not dying! She appeared to me to be overheated but it was cooler out so I can't figure out why.

 

[seminolewind]

I agree with them having emotions. Mine are so happy to see me during the day even knowing I have no treats and not expecting a treat during the day. My 5 Houdans all need to be held for at least a minute.

I have seen some strong emotion from Silkies. Missing someone that died, or remembering their hatchings of a different breed grown up and out with the flock, coming to visit "ma and pa" , and spending the night with them! Amazing stuff.

 

[h2oratt]

I've spent seven grueling days getting my garden cleaned up, planted and mulched. I think I'll take the day off today, LOL. And I have to stop looking at flower/veggie magazines. Did any of you plant anything this year?

Just some medicinal herbs.

 

[speckledhen]

If you watch my channel, you know June died day before yesterday. Mina is just lost, sits on the floor of the pen, acts confused and forlorn. I don't know what to do for her. Hopefully, she'll get used to being alone or I'll be able to get a coop mate for her soon, figure something out so she'll be happier.

 

[speckledhen]

I let Mina out with Atlas during his time outside to dustbathe yesterday afternoon, his favorite pastime these days. I knew that if he even tried to go toward her, his "flex and step" on each leg with every step he takes from the stiffness in his hocks would prevent him from being able to catch Miss Mina, who is very fleet of foot even at over 10 years old. She was curious about him flailing around and singing while he enjoyed the cool dirt and watched from a little stand of trees nearby, mostly sassafras. He glanced her way, but made no attempt to get up. I think this may work out, them being out together. She had already been allowed outside for awhile, but she refused to stay out and was hanging out in the barn aisle when I went to put her back in her pen. If this works out, Atlas may feel like he has a hen to watch out for, though not sure what he thinks of her chicken-nugget size, and she won't feel so alone. Now, the best thing would be if he could share a pen with her, but I'm not going to push that.
The other day, the day before June died, I was watching Mina at the hanging feeder when she had a little episode, almost missed it and most would have missed it. She did a thing with her neck and eyes, sort of leaned her neck to the right briefly and her eyes sort of glazed over, but it was so fleeting, I wasn't sure I even saw it. It reminded me of when Carly began having balance issues, then seizures and then, it got so bad, she couldn't eat or drink without seizing and we had to euthanize her. She could go the same way or maybe it was nothing, but if you recall Spike began having neurological issues himself, lolling his neck and throwing his head backward to drink water, and went downhill until we had to euthanize him-he was Mina's son.

 

[seminolewind]

It could certainly be a seizure. I even had a Finch that was seizing.

 

[speckledhen]

So far, I haven't witnessed any other episodes. Maybe it was nothing, but she is elderly so who knows?