American serama thread!

[Gardeningmama]

Thank goodness! I should have kept my mouth shut and will from now on!!!

Okay, Lesson Learned!!! I'll be a good girl now. Thank You Fred's Hens, I was about to beg for our thread back!!!

 

[Gardeningmama]

KUKUPECPEC: Any Pip's Yet????

 

[Lorilyn Farms]

Lorilyn- I've got a question for ya! I was thinking of trying the continuous hatch thing myself, just putting a handful of eggs in the bator every week or so. Is that sort of what you do?
What do you do when they actually hatch? Can you get in there and keep turning your others? Or do you just leave them alone for a day or two? I wasn't planning on "locking down" and instead just tuning those who needed to still be turned by hand, but I haven't figured out how to deal with the hatching part yet!
Granted I haven't actually hatched anything yet haha but if you have some experience in this I would love to hear about it!!!

Yes, I add eggs everyday, then get hatches everyday. I put the date that are expected to hatch on the egg. I did just put about fifteen eggs in at once, but that might bite me in the foot. I usually keep the chicks in the incubator for about two days, then move them to a brooder box. This time, I had about ten eggs hatch over two days and the first ones were hopping all over the eggs and dirtying them with tiny little feces.( I also put in water and food crumbs.) I didn't like that thought too much. I like the method where I just put in eggs as I gather them. This way, the chicks in the brooder always get used to new birds every day or two, teach the new babies about food and never seem to have that issue when new adult birds are presented to the flock when they are older. (The new birds have issues because they weren't raised that way!) The only re-adjusting is when the cockerals grow older and spar. they don't spar long. What's really funny is when the cockerals think they are ready to mount the older hens, and the hens turn around to teach those young pups a thing or two!
Another good thing about this method is that different birds grow at different paces. I bought 30 birds from Welp and some grew huge while others stayed small. So it really doesn't matter how old the chicks are when I put out with the flock, but it does matter their size and feathering. I only put the larger birds out with the whole flock when I think they are big enough to withstand the cold temps. ( I do have heat lamps out there if they want to huddle under them, but most just huddle together. I think I'll just move the heat lamps over the waters.) So by adding new birds everyday to the brooder, i can just move out the larger ones when they are big enough, but not just by age.
Did that help? that is just my method of doing things.

 

[Gardeningmama]

I just had to tell everyone that Gabrielle1976 is AWESOME. I went to the mailbox yesterday and there was a package in there from her. She had sent me a Frizzle egg, and a bunch of Button & Coturnix Quail eggs. I was completely surprised, and it really made my day. I am going to have the funniest hatch ever, because I've got 2 EE & 1 OE, 1 more Serama, and a Dozen BLRW eggs all going in at the same time. I'm so excited, and Thank You Gabrielle!!!

 

[JulieNKC]

Oh, yay! Happy it's still here, and back to normal.
For those of you that keep your birds inside, do they need their nails or beaks trimmed? I put a brick, and an extra pedi perch I had from when I had conures to try to help them keep them worn naturally, plus some branches. Anything else anyone does?
The little boy up front's looks fine, (he's the one with a crush on my hand, lol), but what about frizzle girl behind him? How long should I let it get before worrying?

 

[WildWorks]

Well this was the most civil....uncivil thread i have ever seen...you people make me feel like the devil...lol...really....it is so nice here even the arguments seem like they came right out of MAYBERRY....lol...its good, its good, its goood, its gooooooood, its all GOOOOOOOOD!!!

 

[WildWorks]

Just wait till i start cussing and throw a wall-eyed screaming fit because i have to rename my really cool small chickens again...lolololololol

Im waiting for it to get more serious than coon crap on the pump handle!!!

 

[cluck-cluck]

Yes, I add eggs everyday, then get hatches everyday. I put the date that are expected to hatch on the egg. I did just put about fifteen eggs in at once, but that might bite me in the foot. I usually keep the chicks in the incubator for about two days, then move them to a brooder box. This time, I had about ten eggs hatch over two days and the first ones were hopping all over the eggs and dirtying them with tiny little feces.( I also put in water and food crumbs.) I didn't like that thought too much. I like the method where I just put in eggs as I gather them. This way, the chicks in the brooder always get used to new birds every day or two, teach the new babies about food and never seem to have that issue when new adult birds are presented to the flock when they are older. (The new birds have issues because they weren't raised that way!) The only re-adjusting is when the cockerals grow older and spar. they don't spar long. What's really funny is when the cockerals think they are ready to mount the older hens, and the hens turn around to teach those young pups a thing or two!
Another good thing about this method is that different birds grow at different paces. I bought 30 birds from Welp and some grew huge while others stayed small. So it really doesn't matter how old the chicks are when I put out with the flock, but it does matter their size and feathering. I only put the larger birds out with the whole flock when I think they are big enough to withstand the cold temps. ( I do have heat lamps out there if they want to huddle under them, but most just huddle together. I think I'll just move the heat lamps over the waters.) So by adding new birds everyday to the brooder, i can just move out the larger ones when they are big enough, but not just by age.
Did that help? that is just my method of doing things.

Really?!?!?! Wow, there really is more than one way to skin a cat! I wouldn't a thinked! That's cool!

I just had to tell everyone that Gabrielle1976 is AWESOME. I went to the mailbox yesterday and there was a package in there from her. She had sent me a Frizzle egg, and a bunch of Button & Coturnix Quail eggs. I was completely surprised, and it really made my day. I am going to have the funniest hatch ever, because I've got 2 EE & 1 OE, 1 more Serama, and a Dozen BLRW eggs all going in at the same time. I'm so excited, and Thank You Gabrielle!!!

How cool! Congratulations again!!!

Oh, yay! Happy it's still here, and back to normal.
For those of you that keep your birds inside, do they need their nails or beaks trimmed? I put a brick, and an extra pedi perch I had from when I had conures to try to help them keep them worn naturally, plus some branches. Anything else anyone does?
The little boy up front's looks fine, (he's the one with a crush on my hand, lol), but what about frizzle girl behind him? How long should I let it get before worrying?

Good question, too bad I don't know???

I did the same with some bricks, and haven't noticed anything too bad, but I think it's an individual thing where each bird grows nails and beaks at different rates?

Just wait till i start cussing and throw a wall-eyed screaming fit because i have to rename my really cool small chickens again...lolololololol

Im waiting for it to get more serious than coon crap on the pump handle!!!

 

[Fuzzybird]

Just wait till i start cussing and throw a wall-eyed screaming fit because i have to rename my really cool small chickens again...lolololololol

Im waiting for it to get more serious than coon crap on the pump handle!!!

 

[Gardeningmama]

Just wait till i start cussing and throw a wall-eyed screaming fit because i have to rename my really cool small chickens again...lolololololol

Im waiting for it to get more serious than coon crap on the pump handle!!!

I have never heard this expression before, but I SWEAR this happened to me. I have an old fashioned well pump, and came outside to water the chickens one fine morning, reached for the handle, and the neighbors black lab had crapped on the handle!!! I was NOT in a good mood that morning.