American serama thread!

[kukupecpec]

Don't worry everybody =)
I guess I should have made this clearer "The second floor has a "bin" like the first floor now so they can hang out on the shavings or on the bar" - The "bars" they are on in the picture were only the first night, and they were only out for maybe 15 minutes before they all went to sleep in the crate where it was much easier to walk. They now have a bin for the entire floor just like the bottom shelf = so there is no wire, only the little roosting bar. I was over-eager to post pictures, should have have waited until I can upload the finished ones but they are on DH's phone and he's not as quick as I am hehe

I love it though, cause I can see them from every angle and watch all their little antics! I want to start adding little ladders and blocks and things to give them stuff to climb around and roost on. I think they will enjoy it since only one cage can come out to play at a time - the two boys are aggressive to other boys.

 

[JulieNKC]

So pretty!!! I love the way they smell anyways! As long as no one has been roosting above them on pooping on them =P


Isn't it great?! totally cracked me up! She went right out and "dust bathed" on the couch and de-frizzled. It was hilarious to see though.


That is an awesome idea!!! I've heard of people combing their chickens but wouldn't it make their feathers all ugly and split like when you mess with a pretty feather you find?
Mine all use these inside now. My problem was that I was using a hamster bottle and they couldn't get their beak in the tiny little hole enough to get any water out. I switched to a rabbit bottle and now they go to town! I don't use a giant double wide bottle though, just a large-ish bottle with the rabbit sized spout.


Got my first indoor coop pictures uploaded. The second floor has a "bin" like the first floor now so they can hang out on the shavings or on the bar. Also blocked the small opening under the doors so I was able to remove the extra panels so it looks a little more clean now. Still need to get my hands on a bar for the first floor though and then I will start adding other fun things for them to play with! It will be nice once the brooder cage is out of the way and the top floor can have more play space. I took pictues before cleaning again after moving everything =P I should make a habit of cleaning BEFORE pictures, but there's usually a "look at my awesome built-thing! Let's take a nap..." rest before the cleaning happens LOL

Love that cage! Lots roomier for them and takes up about the same amount of floor space as my cat cage I use for the birdies.

 

[cluck-cluck]

They are only curling to grip the wire for balance. Smaller wire is better for their feet, but they shouldn't curl permanently from it.

As for the little cripple...If she is walking around fine and is showing interest in feed she will most likely be fine to keep on living. It is when they give up and just lay there chirping on the floor of the pen that they are suffering or have given up. If she is peppy and perky, then she will do fine. I have had several rescues with slipped tendons that have lived long and happy lives. It is common for the slipped tendons and crossed beaks and all of those sort of things to make them grow a bit slower and that'd be why she is smaller.

Thanks for telling me this. Mine doesn't cry unless I mess with her leg (tendon is way too tight now, I can no longer get it to go into place) It just didn't stay in place, even when I wrapped it with vet wrap. My daughter and I tried several times, and it would end up that she was wrapped up with the tendon dislodged the whole time, ugh! But she does hop around, and does seem to get on with the others. Of course if they end up picking on her, that would be a problem... but if they're nice to her as they have been, maybe it'll be ok? I guess I'll continue to wait and see...

Poo balls aren't uncommon in my LF coop, darnit--they seem to enjoy walking in everyone else's fresh mushy poops, then in the dirt, and hey presto. Gotta keep up on them, since they are obviously uncomfortable. I use nail trimmers or small wirecutters with EXTREME care to gently chip the material away from the nail and toe, then they generally peel right off. The chickens are thrilled when this happens.

This year, I'm going to be putting large rugged rocks and small ragged stumps in the coops to see if that helps as much as I think it should; combined with lower flock density in each area and more consistent cleaning, I should see a marked reduction in occurrence. I think they need a way to sit up off the floor and groom, more than anything else but cleaning....and Froggie, vaseline--what a great idea for chicks!!

Don't worry everybody =)
I guess I should have made this clearer "The second floor has a "bin" like the first floor now so they can hang out on the shavings or on the bar" - The "bars" they are on in the picture were only the first night, and they were only out for maybe 15 minutes before they all went to sleep in the crate where it was much easier to walk. They now have a bin for the entire floor just like the bottom shelf = so there is no wire, only the little roosting bar. I was over-eager to post pictures, should have have waited until I can upload the finished ones but they are on DH's phone and he's not as quick as I am hehe

I love it though, cause I can see them from every angle and watch all their little antics! I want to start adding little ladders and blocks and things to give them stuff to climb around and roost on. I think they will enjoy it since only one cage can come out to play at a time - the two boys are aggressive to other boys.

I'm trying to come up with ideas to make the coop funner as well. Boy, I'm so surprised that at less than a week old, the birds could already fly up to the roost (about a foot off the ground) and right now at 3 weeks, they're real flyers!

 

[chickydee64]

X's 2. You have to clean many times a DAY, those fuzzies are just pooping machines..LOL

This helps..................I have been going through great guilt thinking that maybe I am not keeping them clean enough......................

I know they are not crowded, but for sure, I can clean and in a short amount of time have we little poopies all over again.
I am using chips and change three times a week........................maybe just need to change daily...chips are cheap.........................

Thank you for the input

 

[cluck-cluck]

What are chips?

 

[Sumatra503]

What are chips?

Chips are wood shavings.

Also, I'm glad to help with the little cripple. I have a soft spot for the little disabled ones. Just keep an eye out to be sure it doesn't get worse and that she is still active. If her breast feels full and not keely, then she is probably eating enough. If the others start to pick on her, which can happen with age, you may need to keep her by herself or with just one other chick.


On a separate note....

Candled my eggs today and 2 had blood rings, one I couldn't tell, and the other 2 look good. Fingers crossed. I left the two with blood rings in since my candler was funky and I may not have seen any. The two frizzled cochin cross eggs are both doing fine.

Got my shed set up a bit better for the birds. I added a few things to climb on and hide under and some new nest boxes.

For starters I bought these today. They are dollar store cat toys and came in a pack. My other chickens used to play with them, so I hope these guys do!


This is an arial view of the entire floor. They absolutely love going up and down that limb. It goes from the top of the nest boxes across to a small stump and some big chunks of bark. They love the bark!


Another view to show the coop. It all looks huge but it is miniature and so are my chickens,lol.


My nest boxes. The ones on the bottom are square buckets about 8" wide and the nest boxes are 4" across. They are perfect serama sized! I also have some food stashed underneath them in little crevices to keep the pecking down and the wasted food.


This is a little cave over the food to give the babies a place to eat in peace. They are 10 weeks old now and I have them with two 13 week old boys and a Frizzled Cochin roo and crossbreed bantam hen. There is a bit of pecking, but otherwise they are fine.


This is the other side of the shed. It has another perch and little bark cave for the babies to hide in. Everyone climbs over everything and has a blast!


A view of my cages for the birds not currently in the flock. One breeding pair and another extra frizzle roo. The cages are wire dog kennels flipped upside down with 1/2" mesh over the floor and propped up on bricks. The trays are underneath them, since it was easier to keep them clean that way. Each of these cages has a perch, basket, and some toys in it for the birds. They are on shelves about 3' high in the same shed as the rest of the birds.​

 

[kukupecpec]

Sumatra -
That is super cool!
Have you had any luck with the cat toys yet?
I didn't even think of fun things to hide in!!! I do that for the rabbits but that's a great idea for the serama too!
Where do you get the large bark? I'm betting it's just from your trees lol, but if there is somewhere else to get it, that would be awesome! I have one tree, and it's a really pathetic citrus tree of some kind.

 

[froggiesheins]

Chips are wood shavings. Also, I'm glad to help with the little cripple. I have a soft spot for the little disabled ones. Just keep an eye out to be sure it doesn't get worse and that she is still active. If her breast feels full and not keely, then she is probably eating enough. If the others start to pick on her, which can happen with age, you may need to keep her by herself or with just one other chick. On a separate note.... Candled my eggs today and 2 had blood rings, one I couldn't tell, and the other 2 look good. Fingers crossed. I left the two with blood rings in since my candler was funky and I may not have seen any. The two frizzled cochin cross eggs are both doing fine. Got my shed set up a bit better for the birds. I added a few things to climb on and hide under and some new nest boxes.

​

For starters I bought these today. They are dollar store cat toys and came in a pack. My other chickens used to play with them, so I hope these guys do!​

​

This is an arial view of the entire floor. They absolutely love going up and down that limb. It goes from the top of the nest boxes across to a small stump and some big chunks of bark. They love the bark!​

​

Another view to show the coop. It all looks huge but it is miniature and so are my chickens,lol.​

​

My nest boxes. The ones on the bottom are square buckets about 8" wide and the nest boxes are 4" across. They are perfect serama sized! I also have some food stashed underneath them in little crevices to keep the pecking down and the wasted food.​

​

This is a little cave over the food to give the babies a place to eat in peace. They are 10 weeks old now and I have them with two 13 week old boys and a Frizzled Cochin roo and crossbreed bantam hen. There is a bit of pecking, but otherwise they are fine.​

​

This is the other side of the shed. It has another perch and little bark cave for the babies to hide in. Everyone climbs over everything and has a blast!​

​

A view of my cages for the birds not currently in the flock. One breeding pair and another extra frizzle roo. The cages are wire dog kennels flipped upside down with 1/2" mesh over the floor and propped up on bricks. The trays are underneath them, since it was easier to keep them clean that way. Each of these cages has a perch, basket, and some toys in it for the birds. They are on shelves about 3' high in the same shed as the rest of the birds.​

ADORABLE Serama world! Those birdies got it made!

 

[Sumatra503]

Sumatra -
That is super cool!
Have you had any luck with the cat toys yet?
I didn't even think of fun things to hide in!!! I do that for the rabbits but that's a great idea for the serama too!
Where do you get the large bark? I'm betting it's just from your trees lol, but if there is somewhere else to get it, that would be awesome! I have one tree, and it's a really pathetic citrus tree of some kind.

Thanks! I haven't done the cat toys yet since it was dark out and they were sleeping.

The bark I got from the cedar wood that we split for the wood stove. You can buy the bark as pet stores in the reptile section for them. They also like those little plastic igloos for rabbits and the woven grass huts for chinchillas. I do a lot of shopping at the local pet shop for my Seramas. Another thing they like is the hanging bird toys with the bells on them and large bird swings. You can also buy the cat trees for them and strip the carpeting off and they love those, too.

ADORABLE Serama world! Those birdies got it made!

I certainly try. They also get to sleep in bed with me one at a time and get fresh picked greens daily. They are spoiled rotten and they know it.

 

[Sumatra503]

Also, found this vid online a while back and it where I got some of my ideas from. They just look so happy playing.