American serama thread!

[Faraday40]

The white and yellow give me a feminie vibe. The chipmunk, not so sure. The orp is a beautiful color too. Red tailed Teddy, huh? His father sure wouldn't stand for that!


I had a broody on some eggs. One hatched, then another, then she left the final egg. They all looked about the same. I finished the last one in the incubator, it was touch and go for a couple days, but it finally got full strength. While it was inside, the first one that hatched died. Then I took the one I hatched out to her, and they were doing fine... an hour later, one was dead. Its been so cold, I actually put a heat plate in her coop, so the last one is doing ok now, but I'm not sure if it will make it either. I'm not even sure if the last one that died is the one I hatched, or the one she hatched.
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Do you think it's the cold or something else?

 

[Faraday40]

I thought I should be fair & get some better pics of the silkie x serama twins.
1st pic is my fav!




... and I moved the blue orp back to the bigger hen. This way each hen only has 3 chicks to focus on. This is going to be the new family. They're out in the big coop. I hope the silkie x serama mixes can take the cold.

 

[Suzi18]

I'm new to seramas, so I can't answer most of your ?s, but I know that they can do well in a mixed flock
This is my little serama "Noodle" with a lav orp behind her
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During the summer, my DD kept the bantam chicks in a tractor during the day (for hawk protection) & they slept in the coop with the rest of the flock at night. Other than having multiple feeders/waters hanging at different heights, it's no problem keeping them together. When chickens are hatched & brooded together, they tend to stick together.

Below is a pic of Noodle & her "sister" English Orpington. They looked like twins as chicks and remain best friends. (The orp hatched late & seemed a little weaker, so I put her in with the bantam hatch. Although her biological orp siblings did not pick on her, this big orp kept hopping in with the bantams..... or worse, sitting just outside the chicken tractor in the middle of the yard.... trying to stay close to her little buddies.
View attachment 1607116


Because we have extremely cold winters, I set up a separate little coop on our porch for the seramas & other bantams. I've heard they can handle some cold, so the wall panel heater goes on at 35'F to keep things a little above freezing. This is my 1st winter with them.

They are so cute together!

 

[WVduckchick]

Do you think it's the cold or something else?

The last one died this evening. Poor Sara. I checked it when I came home and I could tell it wasn’t well. Pasty butt, I cleaned it. Then looked about 30 minutes later and it was dead. Either the cold, fail to thrive, young pullet eggs, super tiny? I’m not sure, maybe a combo of all factors. I weighed it’s body. 10 grams at 7 days old. Not good.

 

[Faraday40]

It's a terrible shame they all died. So sorry.

My silkie is doing great with her 3 seramas but I feared the coop set up. (wire floor where their little feet could fall through and a giant ramp to fall from) Only the coop area has heat, so having them stay on the ground of the run would be too cold. I decided it's easier to bring them inside for the 1st week or 2. The silkie serama mixes are in the main coop. Temps are going down to 16'F tomorrow night, so I hope they're OK. So far so good.

 

[NNYchick]

Does anyone have any experience with these heat panels? Im going to do a roost for my 4 Seramas in a coner, I’m thinking of getting 2 putting one on each wall behind the roost. I can’t find anywhere how close they have to be to it to feel the heat or what the radius of heat is. Can they be 1-2 feet from it in negative temperatures?

 

[Faraday40]

Does anyone have any experience with these heat panels? Im going to do a roost for my 4 Seramas in a coner, I’m thinking of getting 2 putting one on each wall behind the roost. I can’t find anywhere how close they have to be to it to feel the heat or what the radius of heat is. Can they be 1-2 feet from it in negative temperatures? View attachment 1608518

That's the same model I just bought; however I have no experience yet with it in below zero temps. I have mine on a wall of a mini, prefab coop. So far, I've felt a little warmth escape when I open the coop door, so I know it's working. The panel actually feels hot to the touch (low setting). It's not stove hot, but feels like a heating pad that's a little too high. I think it could burn them if they decided to lean against it for too long. Their water bottle is hung near the panel & it never froze during 20-25'F temps. It hasn't been too cold so far, so I haven't tried the high setting yet. My goal is to keep them just above freezing & my one panel is doing that for my little coop. (I think it's about 2'x2'.... + nest boxes

 

[WVduckchick]

I just bought the Producers Pride version on clearance at TSC! The high setting gets hot!!! Untouchable hot. I put it in with my serama and her babies for a few days. The nights that got below freezing, I switched it to the high “heater” setting, warmer nights I’ve left it on brooder setting.

Today I moved it to the other coop with the other broody, due in a few days. I think I’ll take a thermometer out there and see how warm it is in the morning.

This one has holes in the corners to allow for hanging. I wish I had a way to hang it, but it’s not really practical with my setup. (Unless my husband comes up with something for me) I don’t like leaving it on high with it vertical, although I don’t think they would rub up against it. At least not often!

 

[Faraday40]

I just bought the Producers Pride version on clearance at TSC! The high setting gets hot!!! Untouchable hot. I put it in with my serama and her babies for a few days. The nights that got below freezing, I switched it to the high “heater” setting, warmer nights I’ve left it on brooder setting.

Today I moved it to the other coop with the other broody, due in a few days. I think I’ll take a thermometer out there and see how warm it is in the morning.

This one has holes in the corners to allow for hanging. I wish I had a way to hang it, but it’s not really practical with my setup. (Unless my husband comes up with something for me) I don’t like leaving it on high with it vertical, although I don’t think they would rub up against it. At least not often!
View attachment 1608554

I like that brooder set up! Did the legs come with it? I was thinking of making something to use mine in that way.... however, it's hot to the touch. I fear the chicks would burn the tops of their little heads. A dimmer switch may work for me. I haven't tried a thermometer in my coop yet.

 

[NNYchick]

Do you think I need 2 or would 1 be enough? My area is quite open. I am putting thier roost up in the corners of my 8x8 roosting area that opens into the 8x16 enclosed run (I have plastic up on the large windows you see in the picture but my coop a stays about the same temperature as outside minus any wind chills.
This is the roosting area, roost for serama would go in corner on side of window above shelf

This is the area behind it, I have the smaller windows on the right of picture open for ventilation and everything else gets closed to avoid any drafts blowing through