Serama Hatch-A-Long!!

[mommaduck2014]

Sorry to hear your feeling so bad skink. Sending healing thoughts and prayers your way. Pippi is doing great. Just loves to be held, I ended up having to put regular size newborn chicks in with her. She's so bossy with them. I'm dealing with a dilemma with one of my newest babies. This particular baby was born without eyes. She seems to be a fighter though. So I'm not ready to give up on her yet.

 

[RockyRose]

Hi all! I just read all 36 pages of this thread since I am getting my first Serama eggs sometime in the next few days and was looking for tips, experiences and pics! Lots of good advice here.
I have only done one hatching in my (used) still air hovabator but it was a really good hatch (many more chicks than I ever expected for my first hatch)! I had 9 LF mixes and 3 silkies hatch just before Christmas. Considering it's not the "best" bator I was pleased. I used the dry hatch method.
The 8 Serama eggs are in the shipping process now, not too far (KY to GA), so praying they arrive in good shape. I haven't found anyone locally that has eggs (especially this time of year), but I have the Serama "bug" or hatching "bug" or maybe it's both. Will be putting some silkie and some frizzled cochin eggs in the bator with the Serama so I don't get too bummed if the Serama eggs don't make it.
REALLY hoping the Seramas hatch...at least some of the 8!
I guess the only real question I have since I don't even have the eggs yet is: humidity???? Dry hatch method worked so well the 1st time around, but do the Serama eggs need more than the minimum 25% for dry hatch? I'm pretty sure the other eggs would do well at 40% (what I have read is best for Serama), so I will make that adjustment if necessary.
Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences (good and bad) and their lovely pictures.
I'll update everyone once the eggs arrive and go into the bator!
Rose
PS...I have updated my profile since I moved from MA to GA so it's probably all way out of whack by now, so just ignore it for now lol.

 

[Skink]

Sorry to hear your feeling so bad skink. Sending healing thoughts and prayers your way. Pippi is doing great. Just loves to be held, I ended up having to put regular size newborn chicks in with her. She's so bossy with them. I'm dealing with a dilemma with one of my newest babies. This particular baby was born without eyes. She seems to be a fighter though. So I'm not ready to give up on her yet.

I'm ok! Went through a thorough MRI and it is just a badly pinched nerve, should be repairable without surgery by steroids to reduce muscle swelling and let it come free on its own. If that doesn't fix it up, physical therapy should. Much better than a stroke or a brain/spine tumor which was the original fear.

A no eyes baby?? I have heard of blind and eyeless chickens doing well provided they were absent of other problems like cross beak or sunken skull. Giving them less space to get lost in, with food and water in the same place each time, can really help! Some don't do so great, but others learn the set up they are in and how to maneuver around a coop and run, so if she is a caged Serama in the end that might be best for her. I hope she pulls through and figures out how to thrive in time!



Also, welcome RockyRose! I know that humidity is a big talking point for hatching Serama, but try not to worry too much. A lot of people (including myself) over do it their first time because of all the humidity scare talk and drown some of their eggs! What humidity will work best is highly dependent on your area and the time of year. It is winter, so usually the air is dryer. I wouldn't do dry hatch in winter, but I also live in Texas... it is very dry most of the time as is! The best way to make sure you have the correct humidity for your eggs is to weigh them at each candling. Look up hatching 101 by sally sunshine I think it is? as it has a thorough section on egg weighing. Keeping good records on what your humidity is at over many hatches will eventually give you a custom ideal average for humidity suited to your eggs.

Try not to feel too bad if you only hatch a few! Shipping is really rough on these tiny eggs, and it is an extreme weather conditions time of year. My first batch of 18 eggs, I only hatched 1! It was heartbreaking. I had several start to develop, then die. But after I calmed down on my fussing over the perfect conditions, I've only lost 2 eggs out of 9 that actually developed at all. It'll be ok, just resist the urge to over-tinker



I have to break down the incubator and give it a good scrubbing... I'm getting a dozen eggs from Jerry Schexnayder! Last batch of eggs I'll be hatching 'til Summer, most likely, since I'll have to raise the ones I have now and am going to be working on my outdoor laying flock in the spring.

 

[darkbluespace]

Hi all! I just read all 36 pages of this thread since I am getting my first Serama eggs sometime in the next few days and was looking for tips, experiences and pics! Lots of good advice here.
I have only done one hatching in my (used) still air hovabator but it was a really good hatch (many more chicks than I ever expected for my first hatch)! I had 9 LF mixes and 3 silkies hatch just before Christmas. Considering it's not the "best" bator I was pleased. I used the dry hatch method.
The 8 Serama eggs are in the shipping process now, not too far (KY to GA), so praying they arrive in good shape. I haven't found anyone locally that has eggs (especially this time of year), but I have the Serama "bug" or hatching "bug" or maybe it's both. Will be putting some silkie and some frizzled cochin eggs in the bator with the Serama so I don't get too bummed if the Serama eggs don't make it.
REALLY hoping the Seramas hatch...at least some of the 8!
I guess the only real question I have since I don't even have the eggs yet is: humidity???? Dry hatch method worked so well the 1st time around, but do the Serama eggs need more than the minimum 25% for dry hatch? I'm pretty sure the other eggs would do well at 40% (what I have read is best for Serama), so I will make that adjustment if necessary.
Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences (good and bad) and their lovely pictures.
I'll update everyone once the eggs arrive and go into the bator!
Rose
PS...I have updated my profile since I moved from MA to GA so it's probably all way out of whack by now, so just ignore it for now lol.

Welcome!

I am dry hatching mine right now, I have just been watching air cells to make sure they are not too large or too small. I hope your eggs arrive in good shape, that's not too long a journey. I really look forward to you sharing about your hatch!!

 

[darkbluespace]

@Skink Glad to have an update and that is wasn't the one of the worst case scenarios! I hope you get some rest and feel better soon!

 

[mightymax]

WOW !!! What a plethora of terrific names you all come up with. Thanks for the help.

@Skink ... 'Pork'...that name just cracks me up...LOL !!! It's too cute (and too funny) !!! If the one that you're going to call 'Pork' has a friend, or a side-kick, you could call him or her, 'nBeans' and together they'd be known as 'Pork nBeans'

. Or you could call one 'Chop', as in 'Pork Chop'. Humm...got me to thinking. Maybe I'll name one of mine 'Steak' and the other one 'Eggs'. Or how about 'Eggs' and 'Bacon'. If we lived by each other in the same neighborhood and called out to our chickens everyday...our neighbors would think we were 'Nuts' (get it...'nuts'...lol !!!) I just love food. Oh my, I need to get some sleep.

GoodNight.

-kim-

p.s. glad you're going to be okay, skink. (blue tongue?)

 

[RockyRose]

Thank you for the "welcomes" to this thread!

And yes, I fussed over both temp and humidity my first time around...then realized that my 2 broodies were not nearly as fussy as I was about it and still they hatched out eggs that were under them. Watching the broodies was SO educational. They were my first ever broodies in many years of chicken keeping, of course they ARE silkies and broody is their middle name. Hoping to use them more this year as henobators! So I won't worry as much this second time hatching. Except maybe for the Serama eggs as I have never ordered eggs through the mail before and I've heard Serama eggs are delicate.

@Skink - Congrats on getting Jerry's eggs! I was watching an auction and was very tempted but thought trying these from Kentucky was the best place to start. Apparently the egg layers came from Jerry, although it's my understanding he has brought most of the Malaysians into the country so lots have his "bloodline". I think I have read just about everything I can find online about hatching basics and some of the more advanced hatching info as well.

@darkbluespace - I will definitely do a better job tracking air cell development this time. My first hatching experience included some brown, very thick shelled eggs from my layers that were impossible to see through when candling, but I could see the air cell in my lighter shelled eggs.

If eggs are laid on their side and hand turned will the air cell naturally develop in the right place? First time I used egg cartons which I tipped at different angles for turning, with eggs pointed end down of course. Air cells are something I need to learn more about; seems that they need to be in the proper place and in good condition before even placing them in the bator. I am guessing that eggs naturally have the air cell at the round end (unless they got "scrambled").

I also water candled just before lockdown and every egg that wiggled did hatch on my first time. One silkie had leg issues, a late bloomer; they were not spraddled but I tried the brace. It gave up eating and drinking no matter what I tried and so I lost that one. My first time around was an experiment and a trial of my used bator and I never expected to get so many healthy chicks so I must have done some things right.

GA is normally quite humid but in the winter with the heat on the house is very dry so I'll aim for 40% or so up until lockdown.

Shipment tracking info says they could arrive today...anxiously awaiting the postwoman! Weather isn't bad here in the southeast other than very cold at my house this AM (25F), if eggs sat at that temp too long during shipping that wouldn't be too good...but I am in the mountains and know it's at least 5-10 degrees warmer at sorting facilities.

Of course I will share progress here and let y'all know how things are going...no one around here is as understanding and excited as folks on this thread!

 

[RockyRose]

Yay! Eggs arrived all in good condition, at least they appear to be. Letting them rest and getting incubator warmed up. My only concern, and maybe someone with silkies can advise, is that I got two cartons in the box, 4 eggs in each carton, one carton marked "serama" and one marked "silkie". I have sent a note to the seller to ask about this, but thought I'd post in this thread as part of my "progress." Could have been a shipping error, or the cartons were marked wrong.
They all look similar in size and shape except one egg is slightly pointy in the carton marked serama. And they do appear about the same size and shape as my own silkie's eggs. So are silkie eggs and serama eggs the same size and shape in general, does anyone know? I expected smaller eggs lol.
TIA!

 

[Serama-Emo]

Yay! Eggs arrived all in good condition, at least they appear to be. Letting them rest and getting incubator warmed up. My only concern, and maybe someone with silkies can advise, is that I got two cartons in the box, 4 eggs in each carton, one carton marked "serama" and one marked "silkie". I have sent a note to the seller to ask about this, but thought I'd post in this thread as part of my "progress." Could have been a shipping error, or the cartons were marked wrong.
They all look similar in size and shape except one egg is slightly pointy in the carton marked serama. And they do appear about the same size and shape as my own silkie's eggs. So are silkie eggs and serama eggs the same size and shape in general, does anyone know? I expected smaller eggs lol.
TIA!

Hi RockyRose,

This surely means Seram Silk! This is not a breed Silk






Good luck with hatching eggs!

 

[RockyRose]

Thank you, have my fingers crossed. Seller got back to me, just a labeling error. As I prepped my own silkie eggs the shipped eggs are smaller - not by a lot, but smaller, except the one larger pointy one. We shall see what happens! I really wouldn't mind a silkied serama they are beautiful. I will be content if any of the shipped eggs hatch, knowing shipping can be hard on eggs (they had to go through Atlanta-ugh). Got a chuckle out of my post lady worried about putting the eggs in her little truck for our rural route, she called and thought I might want to pick them up. I told her if they survived Atlanta they would survive her jeep.