American serama thread!

[Faraday40]

A jar lid works great as a feeder. Here's Broody Mama teaching her chicks to eat.

No change in the last egg, so it will probably be just these 2 chicks.

 

[CatWhisperer]

My 6 month old silkie just hatched 11 eggs, mostly serama, the first time she went broody. I was taking her out of the coop to eat and drink. I even gave her a much needed bath and blow-out last week. I never candled the eggs, just hoped for the best. This is a first time hatching for me as I have had non-broody LF only for the last 6 years. The last few days I had been covering the eggs with a heating pad while I put her out to drink. The first eggs hatched early Sunday morning and the last this afternoon. Guess I must have saved eggs up and put them all under her at the same time. So excited as I have 11 serama cockerels and only 2 pullets. Just moved her indoors this evening as cold weather is coming. I feel lucky! I did buy an egg candler today.

 

[Faraday40]

We have 3" of snow & the windchill was already below zero..... but look who decided October was a good time to go broody!

These chicks are 2+ wks old. I brought the mama & her 2 chicks into the basement for a while.

My gut says the white chick is male & the yellow silkied serama is female. I'll find out in about a week or 2 if I'm correct.

 

[Rockporters]

Hi all, I'm thinking about adding some Seramas in the spring, but I can't house them inside. How cold can they tolerate? They would be in a small mixed flock of bantams, six or so. Our girls have done fine the last few Winters in their coop down to 30's Farenheit most winter nights, with a few in the upper twenties. Lots of rain during winter, but the run is covered

Well, it’s early in the game, but so far ours are surviving the NH cold just fine. (Seriously knocking on wood!) We have heat in the coop, and heat their waterer which is in the run below the coop. They have access to their coop all day.

On a 19 degree day with a dusting of snow on the ground, they stayed outside all day. They share a coop with 4 LF and a Silkie. The LF allow the Serama to snuggle on/under/in between outside and inside, if they want to. They must like the way the Silkie feels, to his chagrin, they are on a kick for nuzzling into him at night.

 

[NNYchick]

Well, it’s early in the game, but so far ours are surviving the NH cold just fine. (Seriously knocking on wood!) We have heat in the coop, and heat their waterer which is in the run below the coop. They have access to their coop all day.

On a 19 degree day with a dusting of snow on the ground, they stayed outside all day. They share a coop with 4 LF and a Silkie. The LF allow the Serama to snuggle on/under/in between outside and inside, if they want to. They must like the way the Silkie feels, to his chagrin, they are on a kick for nuzzling into him at night.

I remember last year I was a nervous wreck because I was worried about their cold tolerance. I had them in the coop with my silkies and I offered them a cozy heat panel but they didn't use it and my coop is large well ventilated and unheated or insulated. I find them much more cold tolerant than you read about. They made it through my Northern NY winter and had no issues with frost bite. My 2 girls are doing great this winter too, it was in the low 20's yesterday and they were out of the coop in the yard while I was cleaning the coop.

 

[Rockporters]

I remember last year I was a nervous wreck because I was worried about their cold tolerance. I had them in the coop with my silkies and I offered them a cozy heat panel but they didn't use it and my coop is large well ventilated and unheated or insulated. I find them much more cold tolerant than you read about. They made it through my Northern NY winter and had no issues with frost bite. My 2 girls are doing great this winter too, it was in the low 20's yesterday and they were out of the coop in the yard while I was cleaning the coop.

Mine too. Even into the teens they go outside. Tons of snow here today, they went right out after I shoveled to get their door open. We have 2 silkied Serama cockerels that are adjusting fine as well. Most of our crew is quite small. What was considered A and B sizes mostly.

I think the key is to acclimatize them. You can’t expect to toss chickens that are used to 70’s+ into colder temps without a safe adjustment period.

 

[NNYchick]

Yes I think acclimating them is important. Mine were hatched and raised here in NY. My hens are about the size of 10 week old silkies and less than half the size of my silkie hens, not micro but smaller than OEGB.

This is buttercup with her 3 week old silkie chicks, at 10 weeks old they are bigger than her now.

 

[Faraday40]

I could use some gender help with my serama chicks.

Chicks are 5.5 weeks old (hatched Oct 27th)

Yellow chick at 2+ weeks
I thought female

Today.... still looks like a silkied serama female

White chick at 2+ weeks
I thought smooth feathered male

Today.... at 5.5 weeks I'm unsure of gender. There's a tiny bit of wattle but no real comb

Below was their father when he was 5 weeks. He was very obvious, but also hatched in spring and raised outside without a broody hen. He had to be tough! (Current babies were raised inside with a broody serama hen. They look a bit tattered now because they are being integrated into the flock - outside in the heated serama coop - with their mama)

 

[homeschoolin momma]

Today.... at 5.5 weeks I'm unsure of gender.

I can see why your unsure for the white one. I would guess female as the girls can sometimes pop an early set of wattles, but that face......just "looks" like a boy.

 

[Faraday40]

I can see why your unsure for the white one. I would guess female as the girls can sometimes pop an early set of wattles, but that face......just "looks" like a boy.

Yes, those wattles have looked like that since age 3 weeks. (small but pinkish red) I really thought the comb would be bigger &/or have color by now.