American serama thread!

[Nimueh Alene]

Seramas do have the lethal creeper gene in their backgrounds. I have a couple silkied girls with very short legs. I won’t ever put them with a short-legged rooster.

@Chichero I do not disinfect eggs before setting them. I don’t wash either. I have wiped eggs with a damp paper towel if poopied or dirty. Otherwise I try to avoid any dirty/poopie ones.

Seramas are also one of my breeds that I will assist fairly quickly. Once I see a zip start, I watch it like a hawk. If progression slows, I’ll break the cap off for it.

Free eggs? Heck yea, you got this! Just do it!

Edit Sorry, I read “won” not “won a bid”... but you still got this!

They didn't cost me anything lol
I just know the heart break of waiting 21 days and getting only a couple of chicks WVduckchick your eggs were the only ones that hatched well for me.. Thought the Brinsea incubators would help with Serama... Guess I still have a lot to learn .

 

[WVduckchick]

@WVduckchick
BTW- do you ever have slightly fuzzy legs on seramas? My white one has a touch of fuzz on his shanks. I'm not seeing any other silkie traits, so I think it's full serama. What do you think?

Sadly, yes I do have a few errant leg feathers. I’m pretty sure Teddy’s dad did have a little, and I’ve hatched a few since. This is why he roams my yard now and is no longer in that pen. They normally disappear (fall out?) within a few weeks.

I guess there are accepted feather-legged seramas. I hatched one from MPC eggs with major leg feathers! (cockerel, given away before he was mating age) He was adorable though. I considered starting a feather legged pen, but seems the majority of the “big breeders” don’t like them, even though they are accepted by the ABA.

 

[Nimueh Alene]

So creeper gene is expressed? Or is it a hope and pray they don't have it gene ?

 

[WVduckchick]

So creeper gene is expressed? Or is it a hope and pray they don't have it gene ?

Honestly, I’m not positive. From what I’ve read, it has been bred out quite a bit, but I’m sure there are still lots of those genes out there. I don’t think you can assume yours automatically have it, but it could be in any of their backgrounds, from my understanding.

Don’t quote me on this, but without looking it up, I think it’s something like:
Short legged x short legged = 25% DIS (2 copies of the gene-lethal); 50% short legged offspring (one copy of the gene); 25% normal (no copy of the gene)

So breeding a short leg to a normal leg, some will be short legged offspring, but none should inherit 2 copies and die.

 

[Nimueh Alene]

Just really want to know why that pen 50% die in Shell ( no internal Pip) with little head tucked under the wing. Not shrink wrapped either and it's only that pen... I have decided to separate those two. She's with stud muffin (Smudge ) and he's with Suri and Smidge . I'll run a test hatch in a month or so.

 

[Faraday40]

Sadly, yes I do have a few errant leg feathers. I’m pretty sure Teddy’s dad did have a little, and I’ve hatched a few since. This is why he roams my yard now and is no longer in that pen. They normally disappear (fall out?) within a few weeks.

I guess there are accepted feather-legged seramas. I hatched one from MPC eggs with major leg feathers! (cockerel, given away before he was mating age) He was adorable though. I considered starting a feather legged pen, but seems the majority of the “big breeders” don’t like them, even though they are accepted by the ABA.

Good to know & I think its cute. The white chick reminds me so much of the daddy, so I keep calling it "he." He's also very LOUD and needy. The striped one reminds me of the mom. SHE's smaller + cuddly.

 

[LilJoe]

OK, my cousin just won a bid of 13+ Serama eggs and she wants me to hatch them... My confidence is shaken.. Since my hatch rates are so low. Can you tell me step by step instructions on how you hatch your Serama, please.
Do you disinfect your eggs? Linda (cousin) says she read to spray with peroxide than let dry before putting in the incubator. I read 15 minute turn intervals increase hatch rate. Please help. Feel terrible she didn't want me to hatch out from my eggs...

99.9*F
About 45% Humidity until day 18
60% Humidity on and after lockdown


~*IF MANUALLY TURNING*~
Draw an 'X' on one side of egg, turn 180* and draw an 'O'. Start on 'X' side, turn at 12:00 to 'O' side. At 8:30 turn back to 'X' side. Same temps and humidity.

This is how I do mine

 

[Nimueh Alene]

If the chicks move into hatching position at day 14...why do we still turn until day 18?

 

[WVduckchick]

If the chicks move into hatching position at day 14...why do we still turn until day 18?

My guess is that it was always the "standard" to keep turning until the humidity is raised. And of course, broody hens don't know what day it is..... they keep turning till the end! But I feel like I've seen more folks lately seem to stop turning earlier than the old standards. The importance of the turning is to keep the blood supply moving and to encourage the network of blood vessels to travel throughout the whole egg, and not get stuck on one side. But once you can see it in the the majority of the egg, the turning isn't so vital.

 

[Faraday40]

If the chicks move into hatching position at day 14...why do we still turn until day 18?

Once they're in position to hatch & the humidity raised, I wouldn't bother turning them.

With my last hatch I found that the seramas hatched early. Two eggs were due on the 8th of Oct. I moved them into the hatcher on the Oct 3rd (day 16 of incubation). One hatched on the 4th & the other on the 6th. If I had waited until the 18th day of incubation, they may not have hatched. I moved the eggs over so early because I discovered pips on the 2 previous serama eggs when I had moved them. (Sadly only one of those hatched.)

* edit to add.... I happened to have 2 incubators going because I had a staggered hatch.
That's why I "moved" the eggs. One was set for 99.5'F & 35% humidity & the other for 99 & as wet as I can get it ( 60-70% humidity).