American serama thread!

[WVduckchick]

Noodle is VERY SPOILED too! DD spent most of the summer holding her little chickens. Now that she's back at school, they think I should spend most of my day holding them!

DD also insists that her "babies" be locked up for safety in a chicken tractor. (Too many hawk-related casualties.) The tractor they use does not have a nest box, so Noodle calls me over. When I open the roof, she flies up to my hand & I carry her to the coop. She jumps down & selects a nest. Her egg song is very distinct, so everyone knows when it's time for her to return to her friends. Not that I mind being a chicken's servant, but I'm hoping we can get them a safe, private, bantam-only coop. All we have are some day-time tractors & a used, prefab, store coop. (Poor quality & not very predator proof. We only use it for an occasional broody.) That's why they all sleep together inside the main stronghold coop.

Yes I do think that qualifies as Spoiled!

 

[Nimueh Alene]

Ugh .
I kept 10 days worth of eggs from all my girls... Smudge and his girls all fertile.
Cajun and Sabine 10% fertility
Honey Thorn and Acorn 20%
How do I raise the fertility rates?
So upset.. I have /had 28 eggs in my incubator I have 7 developing. 25 % fertility
All 7 are from Smudge and his girls
0% on the other pens. . Is my Silkie cockerel and partridge cockerels duds .

 

[Nimueh Alene]

Smudge and Arrietty . Guess he's my Don Juan of my Serama pens .

 

[Faraday40]

Ugh .
I kept 10 days worth of eggs from all my girls... Smudge and his girls all fertile.
Cajun and Sabine 10% fertility
Honey Thorn and Acorn 20%
How do I raise the fertility rates?
So upset.. I have /had 28 eggs in my incubator I have 7 developing. 25 % fertility
All 7 are from Smudge and his girls
0% on the other pens. . Is my Silkie cockerel and partridge cockerels duds .

My orpingtons have big fluffy butts. Sometimes they need a good trim (both male & female) in order to make contact. If your roos are young that could also be the issue. My "Mr Wonderful" was breeding at 7 months old but it wasn't until he was a full year old when his fertility increased.

Those would be my initial things to look at. After that, take a look at their diet. You want the best possible nutrition while collecting hatching eggs. (Poor quality eggs = poor hatches) That's why it is recommended not to set pullet eggs, irreg shaped eggs, or porous eggs. It could lead to heartache when they don't hatch or weak chicks. (Of course we all understand the desire to do test hatches. If they're eggs from your own birds, there's not much to lose.)

Look on the bright side....
What would you have done if you actually got 28 chicks?
Seven is a good number so you'll be able to spoil them a little more.

 

[Nimueh Alene]

]9

this baby silkied feathered too .if it is I have 3. Little yellow I know is silkied and I named it Button because it looks round.

 

[WVduckchick]

Sure looks like it!

I just noticed I finally have a few groups of mostly girls. I was getting lots of little cockerels, but my girls later hatches appear to be a lot of females. Yeah!! About time it swings in the girls favor. Especially in the silkied ones.

 

[Nimueh Alene]

I'm cockerel thin myself.. .lol

 

[Nimueh Alene]

I'm hoping one of these silkied are males.

baby Gambit is almost 4 months and a small A. 6.5 oz. She's too small for Cajun and she hates him . Thought she might be happier with a younger male. Her boyfriend is a Serama Silkie mix called Kismet. But I don't want him to breed her. Me and Kismet he's tiny too 6 months and 13 oz.

 

[Nimueh Alene]

They are my official house chickens.

 

[Nimueh Alene]

Well I moved Gambit ,Cajun and Sabine into a brand new coop together and so far not to much hen pecking .. Cajun is thrilled to have another lady..Hope she isn't too tiny for him.
Acorn went broody so I gave her Sabines eggs. .i am 6 Desperate for a frizzled that carries the Silkie gene.
Gambit A sized
Sabine small B
Cajun B sized.