American serama thread!

[Faraday40]

The mama heating pad for over flow is a good idea. I do separate her once chicks are hatching I move her to a area sectioned off with a dog pen so she can have her own area, she lets me know when she is ready to bring chicks out usually around 1-2 weeks old.
I don’t let any of my girls out in the yard to free range unless I can be right there to watch over them, Usually a few hours in the evening. My boys have been free ranging during the day now that the weather is better. I noticed since putting the boys out to range my girls are so much more laid back with me coming up to chat and be petted. I’m trying to find homes for all these excess Silkie boys but nobody is interested in roosters.

I think it's harder to find people willing to take silkie males. At least an Orpington roo makes a nice sized meal. I know it must sound harsh, but I feel it's better they live a good but short life free ranging rather than be culled or grown out in poor living conditions.

 

[Faraday40]

I am getting some Serama chicks soon. I need help with what waterer an feeder would be safe and appropriate. Can adult seramas be housed with my regular chickens? Do I need to have a separate coop and yard for them? Any help offered for raising these little guys is appreciated. Of course I plan on at least some being house pets. Is there any problem with having chickens in the house with a couple small parrots?

I used to think that bantams & LF had to be kept separated. I hatched them together & the little ones never seemed to know they're little. They do all the same things the bigger chickens do.... and they have BIG attitudes to match. The only thing you have to make sure is that you have multiple feeding & watering areas - at different heights.

I actually now have a "useless chicken" coop for my silkies & seramas. (a loving nickname for them) However my bantam Orp and Sebright stayed with the big hens since they're already at the top of the pecking order there and would miss their "peers". The silkies did OK with the big Orpingtons, but they were at the bottom of the pecking order, so I put those 2 hens in with the seramas where they are in the middle.

A serama rooster may not do well with LF roosters. Teddy has tried to mate LF hens & I feel my big roos may harm him if they had noticed. (Last summer they pretty much thought of him as a chick.) Likewise, LF roos will probably not try to mate the tiny hens.... or at least the tiny hens can easily fly away / outrun the big, fat Orpington roos.

 

[Ginmary]

Anyone going to the Sussex NJ poultry show 4/13/19? There’s going to be a Serama Table top show and the bantam chicken club is meeting there.

 

[Ginmary]

Could anyone tell me approximately how old the male chick is when the tail feathers start to show the long center ones as opposed to the females where the tail feather are all one length? My 2 chicks are about 2 1/2 months and their tales are identical.

 

[Faraday40]

Could anyone tell me approximately how old the male chick is when the tail feathers start to show the long center ones as opposed to the females where the tail feather are all one length? My 2 chicks are about 2 1/2 months and their tales are identical.

I don't know exactly when it happens but I looked back at some pics from last year.

Here's our silkied serama boy at about 4 mo. The sickle feathers are present but not extra long.

6 mo

 

[homeschoolin momma]

This is the above silkie seramas son at 3m and 3wk of age. His sickle feathers started to drag the top of their daytime play area's cover shortly before this was taken. I unfortunately don't have a 10wk picture of him, just a 5wk and 3wk. (I got too busy and forgot to snap some photos)
@Faraday40 do you have a picture of J's mum at this age? Maybe a comparison between boy and girl might help?

 

[homeschoolin momma]

Teddy has tried to mate LF hens & I feel my big roos may harm him if they had noticed.

I gotta know.....was he even remotely successful in that endeavor?

 

[Faraday40]

I gotta know.....was he even remotely successful in that endeavor?

Oh it certainly was a funny sight! My Orp hens were laying down in the grass. Teddy came along & kept trying to jump on them, but was sliding off. The hens just looked at him confused and didn't even bother to stand up. Eventually they became annoyed enough to peck at him and made him run away.

Not even close to successful!

 

[Ra_]

This photoshoot couldn't end too soon for Slick.

 

[Ginmary]

My Keanu (see Avatar) has mounted both my Buff Orpington and my Ameraucana. Now, I didn't say he mated with them, but he made it onto their back, grabbed a hold of their neck feathers and rode them like a rodeo cowboy on a bull before they bucked him off. Oh, for a video! I have to say he did this when both his Serama hens were brooding. Usually he just prefers to cheat on them with my daughter's slipper (while on her foot)