American serama thread!

[Faraday40]

I hope your hatch goes well. My Serama usually hatch at 20-21 days. I was wondering if anyone might be able to tell me the best place to get egg shipping supplies. I have 85 eggs incubating now. I thought it might be time to sell some.lol

The one to answer this is @WVduckchick . Her eggs were the best packaged I had ever seen. Our Chicago mail hub is one of the worst for shipped eggs. Even though the outer box was smashed, the instructions to call for pick up ignored, 9 hrs spent in a bouncing deliver truck on a 17'F day, and then dropped upside down on our doorstep.... not a single egg was broken and some eggs still hatched.

 

[DRGLENNON]

I don't feed in the incubator. I remove the chick to the brooder when it's dry and introduce it to food and water. My thinking is putting food in the incubator is risking the introduction of bacteria .

 

[WVduckchick]

I did a quick candle of the 2 serama eggs. One may have died and shows no signs of life. I'm keeping it in just in case. The other is pipped. When I read the egg's date, I noticed that the pipped egg was the one I slipped in a day late. So if it hatches tomorrow, it will actually be on day 19 - and on time for a serama.

Now my ? is what to do with the hatched chick.... Should I put some moist food in the incubator? or Should I put it in the brooder by itself? I found that a peeping chick tends to make the eggs progress, but seramas are more fragile and would have a longer wait. I don't want it/them to go until Sunday w/o food & water.

I don't like the idea of putting food inside the incubator. Maybe put the chick in the brooder for an hour or so, let it eat and drink, then put it back in the incubator as a cheerleader??

 

[WVduckchick]

The one to answer this is @WVduckchick . Her eggs were the best packaged I had ever seen. Our Chicago mail hub is one of the worst for shipped eggs. Even though the outer box was smashed, the instructions to call for pick up ignored, 9 hrs spent in a bouncing deliver truck on a 17'F day, and then dropped upside down on our doorstep.... not a single egg was broken and some eggs still hatched.

Wow, thank you!

I've noticed much talk lately about the foam packing pads with holes in them for inserting eggs. Everyone seems to have good things to say about them, but I haven't taken that leap yet. I use bubble wrap and pine shavings. Postal service priority boxes are free.

I might order some of these, but they aren't cheap ($3-5 each, I think), and I hate to add more to the cost of shipping as it is. But it might be nice to offer the buyer as an option, I guess.

 

[DRGLENNON]

Wow, thank you!

I've noticed much talk lately about the foam packing pads with holes in them for inserting eggs. Everyone seems to have good things to say about them, but I haven't taken that leap yet. I use bubble wrap and pine shavings. Postal service priority boxes are free.

I might order some of these, but they aren't cheap ($3-5 each, I think), and I hate to add more to the cost of shipping as it is. But it might be nice to offer the buyer as an option, I guess.

That's what I was considering but it is pricey. that's why I was wondering if maybe somebody knew where I could get a reasonable price. I was thinking that and bubble wrap. So I guess that might be overboard. I never thought about using shavings. I worry abt shipping. I have not had any luck with shipped eggs I received. I had a postal worker tell me that they never pay attention to the fragile, this side up and live embryo stickers. I'll try the bubble wrap and shavings double boxed. Thanks for the info.

 

[DRGLENNON]

I did a quick candle of the 2 serama eggs. One may have died and shows no signs of life. I'm keeping it in just in case. The other is pipped. When I read the egg's date, I noticed that the pipped egg was the one I slipped in a day late. So if it hatches tomorrow, it will actually be on day 19 - and on time for a serama.

Now my ? is what to do with the hatched chick.... Should I put some moist food in the incubator? or Should I put it in the brooder by itself? I found that a peeping chick tends to make the eggs progress, but seramas are more fragile and would have a longer wait. I don't want it/them to go until Sunday w/o food & water.

I realize a lot of Serama hatch early but the breeder I got my starter birds from said his birds usually hatch at 20-21 days and mine do as well. I get one or two on occasion at 19 days. I wouldn't give up until they have had the full time.

 

[nchls school]

Do you have a pic of those beauties?

Do you have a pic of those beauties?

The brown hen is the one with the new chicks in the picture I posted previously. I'll post a picture of the black and white later.

 

[Faraday40]

I realize a lot of Serama hatch early but the breeder I got my starter birds from said his birds usually hatch at 20-21 days and mine do as well. I get one or two on occasion at 19 days. I wouldn't give up until they have had the full time.

Not planning on tossing any until the whole hatch is over. My giant orps normally hatch on day 21- 22). It's fun how they all hatch within 36hrs after the 1st chick is out. I keep the incubator going for an extra 2 days after the last, but rarely do any more hatch. The timing exceptions are when other breeds are included. My Silkie eggs like to hatch on day 20 & the few seramas I hatched were on day 19. We have a little data table next to the incubator to record hatch time & chick description of each hen's egg.

During hatch time, we watch our "chick TV." (Our incubator is a cooler with a big viewing window, so it's like a TV). If anyone sees a chick hatching in the middle of the night, they must wake everyone else up to watch.

 

[nchls school]

Guess who went for a walk today?


Here's Teddy sporting his

chicken harness

I don't know who was more confused.... the little roo or all the cars passing by.

You should submit this picture when BYC has a contest. This is really cute!

 

[nchls school]

I’d have to dig for specific transformations as they age, but I did do this collage of one of my prior roosters. This was Chuck.
View attachment 1687157

Beautiful pictures-beautiful birds.