American serama thread!

[Katybee]

I had a tiny one hatch under a broody last night or this morning.
I hope it survives. It’s really cold, and getting colder the rest of the week. She hatched another a couple days ago.
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Oh wow
They are so very tiny aren't they. I hope all goes well for you and them

 

[Katybee]

We got about 6.5" of snow last night. Kids are off school - mainly because it's the 1st real snow of the year. If this happened in Jan, I doubt they would have closed. However, I was grateful to have the kids here to help me dig out the coop - and a path leading to the coop.

My "useless bantam" coop was set up inside our back screened room. No snow in there, of course, but the temps are in the mids 20s'F today. They're staying inside coop area near the heat plate. I expected them to go out to scratch in the bedding & then return to the warmth. I hope their bodies adjust because it's going to get a lot colder.

One silkie hen went broody last week. She keeps stealing the serama's eggs as soon as they're layed. I wish I had captured the scene with my camera. Silly birds. I already have another broody hen in the big coop, so I'll likely give the silkie some of those eggs/chicks.

Due to the snowstorm, I put the turkeys in the chicken coop last night. The turkeys should have already been processed but I didn't feel like doing it in the cold the week before Thanksgiving. This past weekend was better weather, but I couldn't find an assistant to help me. Now it's snow. Basically all the birds in the coop are very confused. They're afraid of the snow & it's not safe free ranging anyway with the Coopers Hawk who's camping in our backyard.

Life's never boring with poultry.

No life is certainly not boring with poultry , love it ! But I bet I'm more confused than your whole flock

 

[Katybee]

Omg just googled a Cooper's hawk
Worst iv had are 1 cat several squirrels and a few magpies that the cockerel and my dog saw off. I had to tempt the younger ones off the roof with meal worms though when the cat was prowling

 

[Faraday40]

Omg just googled a Cooper's hawk
Worst iv had are 1 cat several squirrels and a few magpies that the cockerel and my dog saw off. I had to tempt the younger ones off the roof with meal worms though when the cat was prowling

Fear is appropriate when dealing with hawks.

Not sure if this is also a Coopers hawk, but this is probably the hawk who recently killed my CCL. There's also been a slightly smaller hawk hanging out ON TOP of the coop roof. It just sits there & stares into the run terrifying my birds.

We could almost pet this juvenile Coopers hawk. It was sitting on the fence waiting for me to open the garage door. On a sunny day in March I left the garage door open to give my caged quail some fresh air & light. The hawk walked right to the far back corner & began ripping my quail to pieces through the bars. As I was cleaning up the carnage, I had to keep chasing it off with a broom. It killed or injured 1/2 our quail! Absolutely no fear of humans. We live in a neighborhood, so bird bangers & gun-like noises are out. I had the kids chase it off with super soakers but the only thing I found that actually made it fly away more than 10-15 ft was my dog.

Both of our dogs died in Sept. They lived long healthy lives but we couldn't take the quiet house. We now have a puppy, but it will be a very long time before he's trained well enough to be allowed near the chickens. Sadly, without the canine protection, the flock must be locked up for a while.

OK. I'll get back to seramas now. Our bantams have their own little coop, so no fear of hawks for them.

 

[Katybee]

Fear is appropriate when dealing with hawks.

Not sure if this is also a Coopers hawk, but this is probably the hawk who recently killed my CCL. There's also been a slightly smaller hawk hanging out ON TOP of the coop roof. It just sits there & stares into the run terrifying my birds.
View attachment 1600486


We could almost pet this juvenile Coopers hawk. It was sitting on the fence waiting for me to open the garage door. On a sunny day in March I left the garage door open to give my caged quail some fresh air & light. The hawk walked right to the far back corner & began ripping my quail to pieces through the bars. As I was cleaning up the carnage, I had to keep chasing it off with a broom. It killed or injured 1/2 our quail! Absolutely no fear of humans. We live in a neighborhood, so bird bangers & gun-like noises are out. I had the kids chase it off with super soakers but the only thing I found that actually made it fly away more than 10-15 ft was my dog.
View attachment 1600490


Both of our dogs died in Sept. They lived long healthy lives but we couldn't take the quiet house. We now have a puppy, but it will be a very long time before he's trained well enough to be allowed near the chickens. Sadly, without the canine protection, the flock must be locked up for a while.

OK. I'll get back to seramas now. Our bantams have their own little coop, so no fear of hawks for them.

Ohhh noo !
Poor CCL and quails id be absolutely mortified and furious ! Nature can be a bugger :-(
Your poor birds being eyed up for a meal...Omg.. I don't know what I'd do ?
Awww yes I sat for hours and hours on end with my little dog on his lead around the birds when they first arrived. They all free range and share the garden now.
Still don't allow him near the Little ones but he has a healthy respect for the grown ones since the roo kicked his backside once or twice.
Avoids him like the plaugue but so funny to watch them team up against the cat and squirrels .
Id keep the kids armed with mega blast soakers as well until your new pup adjusts. thank you for replying . .

 

[WVduckchick]

Fear is appropriate when dealing with hawks.

Not sure if this is also a Coopers hawk, but this is probably the hawk who recently killed my CCL. There's also been a slightly smaller hawk hanging out ON TOP of the coop roof. It just sits there & stares into the run terrifying my birds.
View attachment 1600486


We could almost pet this juvenile Coopers hawk. It was sitting on the fence waiting for me to open the garage door. On a sunny day in March I left the garage door open to give my caged quail some fresh air & light. The hawk walked right to the far back corner & began ripping my quail to pieces through the bars. As I was cleaning up the carnage, I had to keep chasing it off with a broom. It killed or injured 1/2 our quail! Absolutely no fear of humans. We live in a neighborhood, so bird bangers & gun-like noises are out. I had the kids chase it off with super soakers but the only thing I found that actually made it fly away more than 10-15 ft was my dog.
View attachment 1600490


Both of our dogs died in Sept. They lived long healthy lives but we couldn't take the quiet house. We now have a puppy, but it will be a very long time before he's trained well enough to be allowed near the chickens. Sadly, without the canine protection, the flock must be locked up for a while.

OK. I'll get back to seramas now. Our bantams have their own little coop, so no fear of hawks for them.

I lost a bantam cochin cockerel to a hawk last week. I always have several “extra” boys, so I end up letting some free range all the time. They have houses to sleep in, but no secured run. I heard a commotion, ran outside just in time to see it fly off. The cockerel was already dead.
Luckily I had freed up another pen and moved all the other bachelors in there. I was trying to get this boy to join them, but he was a loner.

 

[Faraday40]

Here's Teddy. We did a little Photoshoot today. (Isn't he handsome!?)

 

[WVduckchick]

Here's Teddy. We did a little Photoshoot today. (Isn't he handsome!?)
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I love Teddy!

 

[Faraday40]

Teddy's about to become a daddy!

I couldn't resist & candled 1 egg from each hen. One silike egg was internally pipped, so I quickly popped it back under the hen in the big coop. The "useless bantam coop" has a broody silkie. Since I didn't want more chickens, I removed the serama eggs from the bigger hen & slipped them under the broody silkie a few days ago. (I figured that coop has some heat & I can always bring a small hen inside if it gets too cold for the serama chicks.) The one serama egg I looked at had a pip! Looks like I may see some of Teddy's chicks tomorrow!!!!

 

[Faraday40]

Hatch so far = 5.5 chicks
ORPS:
Wait-n-see = 1 orp egg with a pip - currently under the silkie hen for hatching. I think it's a blue.
1 dead blue orp was accidentally squished.
*The broody penciled rock decided to take a bio break this morning while the chicks were hatching.
Jewel heard the peeping eggs & climbed into the nest box. She's a 9-10lb clumsy hen. I found the chick's body limp & cool, so I put it under the broody silkie. (worth a shot....) When I got back home, the body was rigid.

SILKIE X SERAMA mixes:
1 silkie died in its smooshed shell - same story as above
2 dark brown chicks (They were temporally under the silkie b/c of the crushed chicks incident. I moved them back to PR when we got back home)


SERAMAS:
Wait-n-see = 1 serama egg; no pips. (When candled, all shadow/ no air cell seen or thick shell , so perhaps a dud)
3 seramas (white, yellow, & chipmunk)


@WVduckchick In some breeds of the chipmunk chicks, the dark, distinct "V" & eyeliner = female & the lighter, fuzzy markings = male. Does it work with seramas?