Serama Hatch-A-Long!!

[formerchickenlass]

Hope everything goes well!
Do you hatch them all upright? (Seramas) I had one pip too low, and I think if I would've had him upright, it might have helped.
And I'm not sure if I'm seeing this right on my phone, but that one little guy looks like he's pretty serious about getting out! Look at his LONG neck! Lol! What a cutie! These pictures might be bad for me... I loved hatching and it's too late in the season for me to be getting the itch!

Chickens are addictive!!

Yep, I've got everyone hatching upright. Jerry Schexnayder (the guy who originally imported the serama to America) hatches his upright in those quail rails. He thinks it helps them get into position better and I figure if he thinks it works, he should know better than most!

So far we've had a flawless hatch. There ARE 3 eggs that haven't pipped yet (all seramas) and one last big egg that has an external pip. The rest have hatched with no intervention and I currently have 6 serama chicks, 1 cochin and 1 cochin/buff orp cross. If there are no external pips by the time the last big egg chick hatches then I'll consider checking for signs of life (maybe this evening or tomorrow).

The size difference in the chicks is impressive. It would certainly take 2-3 serama chicks to equal the length and girth of that orp chick!

 

[Skink]

Oh! So, he really IS bald! Lol Wow! I have a sudden urge to knit...

Yep, he's bald as can be! He'll be in sweaters someday. I don't know how to knit, I should probably learn since I can't sew for beans.

 

[Naliez]

Chickens are addictive!! Yep, I've got everyone hatching upright. Jerry Schexnayder (the guy who originally imported the serama to America) hatches his upright in those quail rails. He thinks it helps them get into position better and I figure if he thinks it works, he should know better than most! So far we've had a flawless hatch. There ARE 3 eggs that haven't pipped yet (all seramas) and one last big egg that has an external pip. The rest have hatched with no intervention and I currently have 6 serama chicks, 1 cochin and 1 cochin/buff orp cross. If there are no external pips by the time the last big egg chick hatches then I'll consider checking for signs of life (maybe this evening or tomorrow). The size difference in the chicks is impressive. It would certainly take 2-3 serama chicks to equal the length and girth of that orp chick!

Oh! I love them! I can imagine the size difference. When Singleton hatched, he was driving us crazy with the peeping! We had the silkies, who were only a week older, but we didn't want to put Singleton in there with them too quick. One unfortunate housefly gets in the brooder, and it was like a mosh-pit of Titans! Singleton would've been trampled for sure! Lol They're all together now, and the Seramas run that brooder. They're emasculating my poor Slimy Bob by making him sit on them...

 

[Naliez]

Yep, he's bald as can be! He'll be in sweaters someday. I don't know how to knit, I should probably learn since I can't sew for beans.

I can't sew either. Or knit. I did crotchet half a blanket once, but when I walked in to find my cat had unraveled like, 6 months of work, I gave up. But, for that little guy... I'd take it up again.

 

[Naliez]

Yep, he's bald as can be! He'll be in sweaters someday. I don't know how to knit, I should probably learn since I can't sew for beans.

Oh! Also, I was going to ask, is that the paper bedding you are using? How do you like it? I tried mixing that and the pine shavings, but there was a LOT of dust. I think the smell was better though.

 

[Skink]

Oh! Also, I was going to ask, is that the paper bedding you are using? How do you like it? I tried mixing that and the pine shavings, but there was a LOT of dust. I think the smell was better though.

I love it for brooding! I use sand for my indoor serama, though. The adults can kick it in to dust that is a lot like dryer lint. Chicks are too light to scratch it up like that though! Poop that has dried and spilled feed tends to sift to the bottom where it won't make a big smelly mess of the chicks' feet. It is also comfy and nearly dust free when they are small. It is expensive, though. Depending on how many and the breed of the chicks you might have to change it weekly rather than every couple weeks (much longer life than pine imo.)

 

[formerchickenlass]

Oh! I love them! I can imagine the size difference. When Singleton hatched, he was driving us crazy with the peeping! We had the silkies, who were only a week older, but we didn't want to put Singleton in there with them too quick. One unfortunate housefly gets in the brooder, and it was like a mosh-pit of Titans! Singleton would've been trampled for sure! Lol They're all together now, and the Seramas run that brooder. They're emasculating my poor Slimy Bob by making him sit on them...

Aww, your silkie babies are adorable! We may have been mistaken to mix the serama chicks with the 3 larger chicks. The smallest serama didn't seem to be perking up and when I checked closer I saw one of its toes was bent underneath its other toes. It could have been congenital but seems just as likely it was damaged in the brooder (all the rest of the chicks were constantly bowling over it). I removed that chick, used bandages to set the toes correctly and now have it in a separate box with the next smallest serama chick (my only dark one). They appear much better now. Here are those two:



Our final 3 serama eggs never pipped internally. That gives us a final hatch rate of 50% of viable eggs. I am not intellectually satisfied with that percentage. This was my first hatch but I controlled parameters carefully and there weren't any snafus. All data and visual indicators suggested I got the humidity right, but the three eggs that failed were 3 of the 4 freshest so it's possible it was just a bit too humid for those eggs (I believe the 4th one was my initial pipper who took the longest from pip to zip).

After performing the necessary tests to conclude the remaining three eggs were no longer viable I conducted an eggtopsy. One had died a bit earlier than the other two and wasn't in position yet. The other two looked good to go. Of most interesting note all three had dark feathering. Of the six I successfully hatched only one had dark feathering. This could be coincidence but also makes one at least a bit suspicious of genetic defect.

I'd like to get a camera set up on the nest box so I can better track who is laying which eggs since we've got 1 roo covering 5 girls. Just in case it wasn't the humidity.

To conclude, we set 12 serama eggs. 1 quit in the first few days (blood ring), 1 quit a few days later and 1 quit around day 14. 3 made it to lockdown and failed to internally pip. The other six hatched upright, successfully with no help-outs.

---

My broody is on day 16 and sitting on 5 eggs (7 originally, 1 was clear and 1 died within first 10 days). I'll be interested to see how her hatch rate goes. She's managed to smear bits of feces on most of the eggs but then I've read hens also transfer something (antibacterial?) to the eggs via their skin that helps protect them.

My next hatch will be a doozy. I'm planning to set all the eggs I've collected since starting the last batch (minus the seven I gave to broody). That should include eggs up to 3 weeks old. I am testing the common wisdom that viability sharply decreases after 1 week of age. I've been storing mine in a cabinet at around 60 degrees, 80% relative humidity to keep the eggs from losing too much moisture. One wishes, however, for an incubator that could stagger humidity such that fresher eggs could be kept drier than the older eggs.

I'll also set a few eggs that were sat on for probably one to a few hours by a broody (at this point all but one of my serama hens has had at least a several hour stint at being broody, it's like they could smell the incubating eggs on me). I have no idea how long an egg would have to be heated up before it would begin developing (one imagines that any eggs laid in warm months would immediately incubate if it's an immediate thing).

I expect a low hatch rate this time around due to the experimental aspects but hope to be pleasantly surprised. And I hope some others here will find it entertaining and perhaps we'll even learn something cool together.

 

[Naliez]

Aww, your silkie babies are adorable! We may have been mistaken to mix the serama chicks with the 3 larger chicks. The smallest serama didn't seem to be perking up and when I checked closer I saw one of its toes was bent underneath its other toes. It could have been congenital but seems just as likely it was damaged in the brooder (all the rest of the chicks were constantly bowling over it). I removed that chick, used bandages to set the toes correctly and now have it in a separate box with the next smallest serama chick (my only dark one). They appear much better now. Here are those two: Our final 3 serama eggs never pipped internally. That gives us a final hatch rate of 50% of viable eggs. I am not intellectually satisfied with that percentage. This was my first hatch but I controlled parameters carefully and there weren't any snafus. All data and visual indicators suggested I got the humidity right, but the three eggs that failed were 3 of the 4 freshest so it's possible it was just a bit too humid for those eggs (I believe the 4th one was my initial pipper who took the longest from pip to zip). After performing the necessary tests to conclude the remaining three eggs were no longer viable I conducted an eggtopsy. One had died a bit earlier than the other two and wasn't in position yet. The other two looked good to go. Of most interesting note all three had dark feathering. Of the six I successfully hatched only one had dark feathering. This could be coincidence but also makes one at least a bit suspicious of genetic defect. I'd like to get a camera set up on the nest box so I can better track who is laying which eggs since we've got 1 roo covering 5 girls. Just in case it wasn't the humidity. To conclude, we set 12 serama eggs. 1 quit in the first few days (blood ring), 1 quit a few days later and 1 quit around day 14. 3 made it to lockdown and failed to internally pip. The other six hatched upright, successfully with no help-outs. --- My broody is on day 16 and sitting on 5 eggs (7 originally, 1 was clear and 1 died within first 10 days). I'll be interested to see how her hatch rate goes. She's managed to smear bits of feces on most of the eggs but then I've read hens also transfer something (antibacterial?) to the eggs via their skin that helps protect them. My next hatch will be a doozy. I'm planning to set all the eggs I've collected since starting the last batch (minus the seven I gave to broody). That should include eggs up to 3 weeks old. I am testing the common wisdom that viability sharply decreases after 1 week of age. I've been storing mine in a cabinet at around 60 degrees, 80% relative humidity to keep the eggs from losing too much moisture. One wishes, however, for an incubator that could stagger humidity such that fresher eggs could be kept drier than the older eggs. I'll also set a few eggs that were sat on for probably one to a few hours by a broody (at this point all but one of my serama hens has had at least a several hour stint at being broody, it's like they could smell the incubating eggs on me). I have no idea how long an egg would have to be heated up before it would begin developing (one imagines that any eggs laid in warm months would immediately incubate if it's an immediate thing). I expect a low hatch rate this time around due to the experimental aspects but hope to be pleasantly surprised. And I hope some others here will find it entertaining and perhaps we'll even learn something cool together.

Thank you! And definitely keep us updated! Should be fun! I have the funniest picture of when we couldn't take the 24 hours a day peeping from Zippy and decided to put him in with the Silkies. They're looking at him kinda like we were... Lol

 

[Naliez]

Here's Zippy now. He's so goofy. Lol

 

[formerchickenlass]

Thank you! And definitely keep us updated! Should be fun! I have the funniest picture of when we couldn't take the 24 hours a day peeping from Zippy and decided to put him in with the Silkies. They're looking at him kinda like we were... Lol

Haha! He's adorable!

I set the new eggs this afternoon, 34 *crosses fingers*

Just gonna run it at the same general humidity as the first batch and if the freshest eggs get to the end and quit again (or have trouble hatching) then I'll have a pretty good idea that's what it was.

Here are some more pics! Had the babies out for a couple minutes while I changed their paper towel bedding:



I added a third serama to the segregated batch today as I felt those two still weren't acting as lively as the rest. It seemed they needed a third to encourage more waking and pecking around and so far it seems to be working. You can see how much larger it is than the one on the left tho... I hope that one doesn't end up being a micro.



That kiddie pool looks like it makes a good large brooder on the cheap. You just cover it with chicken wire to keep them in?