American serama thread!

[cluck-cluck]

My bantam orpingtons are very devils for co-EVERYTHING. Co-lay, co-set, co-raise....3 hens at a time, sometimes! Although this year I'm not planning on giving them many chances to raise babies , I'll probably let one batch of eggs stay put for the broody beasties.

Should see 'em gang up on the rest when two of them have a group of chicks--watch out, world, 'cause Mommas Are Mad!

On a Serama note...how often are folks getting teensy tiny jellybean sized eggs, with odd shapes? Got three yesterday, very odd indeed.

Hermione is still on the nest, and Luna looks like she is practicing in the shavings outside the nest, waiting to climb back in as soon as Hermione leaves, LOL

I took a few new pics of my adults today.

One of my roos and and one pullet have white earlobes. Is ear color a problem in tabletop, or just in cage showing? And how hard is it to breed out if so? The cockeral with the light earlobes is my favorite, and I would hate to have to cull him just because of those.

They're beautiful! like muddyhorse said, earlobes only matter in the white variety, but then, white is, at the moment, the only in cage color you can show. There will always be table top showing, so I'm told, which only looks at type

 

[kukupecpec]

It's sad because the boys can be the sweetest birds! My Crevecoeur boy is the biggest hugger ever, I love to snuggle with him! And he smells so good....anybody else love the smell of chickens? They're so clean smelling?? Or am I crazy,

I love the smell of my chickens! If I get ahold of one I always have to take a nice whiff haha

I would think that 4 month old Toy Boy would get into some major trouble with the hens and roosters if he was let loose with them for sure, the little bugger!
Kuku are you any closer to knowing when you will be able to drive up to us?

We were planning to come up this weekend, but then I got a job interview and a house sitting interview, so my hopes were squashed. But I got the job! Woo hoo!
DH has to check the finances after all the bill paying this weekend and then I will be able to let you know!


Alright so this is going to be a long-ish post but I've been slacking on my pictures so here goes!
Thanks to all the resources on here I made my first cooler-bator (got a water heart thermostat right now that is giving me +/- 1 degree so I'm pretty excited, but I'm watching for a better one that will be more accurate and hopefully something I can set digitally - I got GREAT wiring instructions from cluck-cluck - THANKS!!!!) I would like a window, especially once they start hatching, but I just haven't found anything I like yet.
I haven't planned far enough ahead to know what I'm going to do come hatching time... but I figure I've got a good 2 weeks to figure it out.
Any ideas where to put the water dish for hatching??








AAAAAND my dresser converted to brooder! I'm so happy. I STILL haven't put the door on the bottom half, but I will! I've just got so many projects I end up only doing a lot of things halfway... But I will need the bottom half in a few weeks so I'm gettin' there! I would like to cut a hole in the top for the heat lamp, but I can't decide where I want it. These guys don't actually need it anymore, so it's on a timer JUST to make sure they stay warm at night, but it's really nice in the day right now.








I also just finished my treadle feeder! It was actually built a week ago, but my grandpa was sealing the wood for me =) They just got it a coupe days ago so the top is still open for them to get used to it. Got the plans from GalloDeCielo - if you haven't seen the coop he built and you're in a warmer climate (like us in Tucson) it's to die for! That man's back yard is heaven all around.




This is my tiny little thriving mealworm colony. They were inside the cooler I used for my coolerbator all winter - I expected everyone to die, DH would not have the inside so they braved the cold, I didn't get any new mealies over the winter but a ton of beetles survived and I'm starting to get new worms! Yippee! I used the cookie tin heaters we talked about on here over winter on the bottom and sides of their drawer system in the cooler the second half of the winter so I **think** that may have been how they survived. I'll have to re-vamp it next winter so I can keep getting actual worms this time around.


The handsome Hermanos - my EE roo, he looks really angry in this picture, but he's actually the biggest sweatheart!
I was TRYING to take a picture of my new nest boxes, and his handsome butt jumped right up in the picture. Attention hog.
They get fresh hay in their nest boxes every couple of days, they scratch it out a lot but I think they like it cause they won't use the boxes if they scratch ALL the hay out. They are pretty big, I've seen 4 hens crammed in there, but 2 fit nicely.


Got a kids playhouse for their new coop. Have yet to find the best way to put up a roosting bar, so they sleep on top of the house right now. For the hot hot summer I can open the windows for better airflow, and then in winter I can close it all up, but I still have to fix the front door - it's only a short halfy door, so I'll probably just have to make a new one that fits the whole doorway.



I can't get Elena to hold still, so here she is running around her big outside coop!




As I was taking pictures of Elena, I couldn't find Turtle.
This is how I found him. He's not dead, but he won't move... I pulled him out and took a quick video, I'm not sure what's wrong with him. His Comb looks really bad though. He had a little tiny bit of blackish spots on a couple of the tips, so I didn't think much of it, but now it's really dark and sick looking. One of his feet won't uncurl and he's just sorta dazed. He can't really hold his head up and he won't eat or drink. Is there anything I can do for him???

 

[kukupecpec]

oh! I was going to ask a couple other things but got distracted by poor Turtle

I got some hatching eggs that weren't totally clean, can I clean they somehow? I was under the impression you didn't want to wash hatching eggs before they go in the bator...

Also, my lovely grandparents found a couple quail eggs in the barn and really wanted me to try to hatch them. Could that b problematic in any way? I tossed 'em in, don't think they will actually hatch lol, but thought I would see what you guys think.

 

[Fuzzybird]

Glad you got the job Kuku!
Have you looked under the wings and the back of the neck on Turtle? When I find my birds that way I find lice and it is usually to late. I recently lost my beautiful Tansy the reddish polish that way and nothing was wrong with her before that. I still think that the lice gets on sick birds. I cleaned and powdered all the coops and dusted the other chickens but didn't see a thing on them!

 

[K9Flier]

[ Guess I won't be letting the Seramas free range with the other chickens. Does anyone free range their Seramas? Seems they would be more likely to be taken by preditors. That is if the preditors would be brave enough! They might get their toes bitten off!

[/quote] Mine "free range" in a 12' x 18' enclosed area in my backyard.

 

[larps1234]

[

Guess I won't be letting the Seramas free range with the other chickens. Does anyone free range their Seramas? Seems they would be more likely to be taken by preditors. That is if the preditors would be brave enough! They might get their toes bitten off!

Mine "free range" in a 12' x 18' enclosed area in my backyard.[/QUOTE]
they are actually really carful. i was outside with my grandfather talking with the chickens, and then a hawk swuped down at my serama. the serama jumped out of the way before the hawk got her. i was looking in the direction of the hal as it swuped and didnt se a thing. i wouldnt suggest letting a roo with his hens out because the roo will most likly loose his life defending hens that would have jumped out of the way.

 

[onafixedincome]

On Turtle: Make sure he gets good and warm (like with a brooder or under a towel with a hot water bottle) and get some antibiotics into him--if you have Penicillin, use that; if not, you can try to get Terramycin in him orally; Tylan injected is another decent choice.

Check the Merck's Veterinary Manual for his symptoms and go by that or the advice of a vet, not just mine. I'm not a chicken expert and don't know the dosages!

But I *would* give him some poultry vitamins that have B vitamins--forget what it's called but I get mine at Tractor Supply, nasty thick brown stuff that really does help bring them around a bit.

He is undoubtedly extremely ill and yes, you may lose him. But try your best, and good luck! (I'd be calling my vet, Sunday or no, honestly.)

 

[cluck-cluck]

I love the smell of my chickens! If I get ahold of one I always have to take a nice whiff haha

LOL

We were planning to come up this weekend, but then I got a job interview and a house sitting interview, so my hopes were squashed. But I got the job! Woo hoo!
DH has to check the finances after all the bill paying this weekend and then I will be able to let you know!


Alright so this is going to be a long-ish post but I've been slacking on my pictures so here goes!
Thanks to all the resources on here I made my first cooler-bator (got a water heart thermostat right now that is giving me +/- 1 degree so I'm pretty excited, but I'm watching for a better one that will be more accurate and hopefully something I can set digitally - I got GREAT wiring instructions from cluck-cluck - THANKS!!!!) I would like a window, especially once they start hatching, but I just haven't found anything I like yet.
I haven't planned far enough ahead to know what I'm going to do come hatching time... but I figure I've got a good 2 weeks to figure it out.
Any ideas where to put the water dish for hatching??

They won't need water until they're in the brooder. They can easily go 3 days without, as they're still absorbing the yolk in their bellies







That looks really great!

AAAAAND my dresser converted to brooder! I'm so happy. I STILL haven't put the door on the bottom half, but I will! I've just got so many projects I end up only doing a lot of things halfway... But I will need the bottom half in a few weeks so I'm gettin' there! I would like to cut a hole in the top for the heat lamp, but I can't decide where I want it. These guys don't actually need it anymore, so it's on a timer JUST to make sure they stay warm at night, but it's really nice in the day right now.







Perfect!

I also just finished my treadle feeder! It was actually built a week ago, but my grandpa was sealing the wood for me =) They just got it a coupe days ago so the top is still open for them to get used to it. Got the plans from GalloDeCielo - if you haven't seen the coop he built and you're in a warmer climate (like us in Tucson) it's to die for! That man's back yard is heaven all around.


Wow! I've been too afraid to tackle a treadle feeder, as it looks to complicated!!! Congrats!

This is my tiny little thriving mealworm colony. They were inside the cooler I used for my coolerbator all winter - I expected everyone to die, DH would not have the inside so they braved the cold, I didn't get any new mealies over the winter but a ton of beetles survived and I'm starting to get new worms! Yippee! I used the cookie tin heaters we talked about on here over winter on the bottom and sides of their drawer system in the cooler the second half of the winter so I **think** that may have been how they survived. I'll have to re-vamp it next winter so I can keep getting actual worms this time around.


Awesome! I am still trying to build up my colony from a devistating mite infestation. I washed them all and put them in new substrate/box and it seems the mites are gone, but my numbers are way lower as that was a pretty harsh thing to do to the worms and the rest I just gave to the birds to eat

The handsome Hermanos - my EE roo, he looks really angry in this picture, but he's actually the biggest sweatheart!
I was TRYING to take a picture of my new nest boxes, and his handsome butt jumped right up in the picture. Attention hog.
They get fresh hay in their nest boxes every couple of days, they scratch it out a lot but I think they like it cause they won't use the boxes if they scratch ALL the hay out. They are pretty big, I've seen 4 hens crammed in there, but 2 fit nicely.


Cool!

Got a kids playhouse for their new coop. Have yet to find the best way to put up a roosting bar, so they sleep on top of the house right now. For the hot hot summer I can open the windows for better airflow, and then in winter I can close it all up, but I still have to fix the front door - it's only a short halfy door, so I'll probably just have to make a new one that fits the whole doorway.


Looks like something from a story book about Mother Hen or some such

I can't get Elena to hold still, so here she is running around her big outside coop!




As I was taking pictures of Elena, I couldn't find Turtle.
This is how I found him. He's not dead, but he won't move... I pulled him out and took a quick video, I'm not sure what's wrong with him. His Comb looks really bad though. He had a little tiny bit of blackish spots on a couple of the tips, so I didn't think much of it, but now it's really dark and sick looking. One of his feet won't uncurl and he's just sorta dazed. He can't really hold his head up and he won't eat or drink. Is there anything I can do for him???

I made comments above, liked all of your updates. I'm so so so sorry about Turtle, oh poor thing! I agree with onafixedincome in getting him warm and giving him some electrolytes (vitamins or something) and maybe some meds? Poor dear! I hope he makes it through!!!!

About Seramas free ranging, I do let them wander in the backyard a bit as long as they're being quiet, but since my neighbors don't like the noise, I bring them back inside if they start crowing. Right now my two smallest are getting a bit of fresh air outside (out by our back door where we can keep an eye on them and the area has a huge tree covering most of the view from hawks. Still, if a hawk came, I have no doubts they could sweep one up and be gone without a sound

but I figure a little fresh air is worth the risk??

 

[kukupecpec]

Glad you got the job Kuku!
Have you looked under the wings and the back of the neck on Turtle? When I find my birds that way I find lice and it is usually to late. I recently lost my beautiful Tansy the reddish polish that way and nothing was wrong with her before that. I still think that the lice gets on sick birds. I cleaned and powdered all the coops and dusted the other chickens but didn't see a thing on them!

I checked all through his feathers and under his wings and didn't find anything. How small are they?
What do you powder your coops with?

On Turtle: Make sure he gets good and warm (like with a brooder or under a towel with a hot water bottle) and get some antibiotics into him--if you have Penicillin, use that; if not, you can try to get Terramycin in him orally; Tylan injected is another decent choice.

Check the Merck's Veterinary Manual for his symptoms and go by that or the advice of a vet, not just mine. I'm not a chicken expert and don't know the dosages!

But I *would* give him some poultry vitamins that have B vitamins--forget what it's called but I get mine at Tractor Supply, nasty thick brown stuff that really does help bring them around a bit.

He is undoubtedly extremely ill and yes, you may lose him. But try your best, and good luck! (I'd be calling my vet, Sunday or no, honestly.)

Well after about an hour inside just sitting on my lap, he perked up a little bit, I took him back outside and dipped his beak in the water and he immediately stood up and went for the water. When I went back out to check on him again he was all snuggled up in the coop but when I lifted the door he stood up and seemed to have pretty good control over his neck and body again. He didn't run away though, which they usually do when I first open the door.
Can I get any of those medications at a feed store? I don't have a vet for my chickens, and my clinic doesn't take birds of any kind.

 

[Fuzzybird]

The lice are easy to see.
I use DE to powder them and the coops.