American serama thread!

[Lorilyn Farms]

I have another hen that will be an even better cross to the frizzled cockerel. This is Sahara. She was a young pullet here, she's much nicer now with good type and she definitely has the pumpkin diluter for cocopop

How would you describe the pumpkin diluter? Does it dilute red or black?

 

[kukupecpec]

We talked about keeping Seramas in the house several pages back, I think.
It helps to cover them at night, like you would a parrot, but it doesn't solve the crowing problem 100%.

I threw a quilt over their cage this morning before he started crowing and the black out kept him quiet until I took the blanket off at 7 which was great! That extra 2 hours was perfect.

Yeah I read the posts about 10 pages back but there want a whole lot of info. I'd really like to know how people house them indoors. Right now we only have one coop and my Jersey giant is kind of a jerk, I'm afraid she'd peck the little seramas to death. Also, the seramas seem to be pretty good flyers... I let the other girls out every afternoon after school until they go back in for bedtime. I'd hate to lose them just because they wandered over the fence, we do have a handful of stray Kitties around.

My boy is a big flapper, always fluffing up and flapping his wings and he's making a great mess of his pine shavings lol I was wondering, I keep them in a rabbit cage from the pet store, should I scoop their poops up daily with a litter scoop like a cat box? I'm using DLM for the girls outside so I really only clean out their nest boxes when they seem dirty or if I have left over shavings from adding a new layer to their floor (I'm new to DLM too so we'll see how that turns out after the winter).

What about a nest box? What should I do for my indoor serama girl? Is the whole cage her nesting box? Or do I need to make some sort of actual box?

Froggie - is there anything bad about the chicken diapers? My husband would just like to keep them from pooping on the furniture when they are out. We have tile floors but they pretty well go where they please.

 

[Tripp16]

Ugh! I am so upset! The silkie hen that was sitting on my eggs decided to just give up! So they are in the bator I really hope they hatch but out of two and my luck nothing will hatch. If they dont I have 5 more on day 2!

 

[artsyrobin]

Ugh! I am so upset! The silkie hen that was sitting on my eggs decided to just give up! So they are in the bator I really hope they hatch but out of two and my luck nothing will hatch. If they dont I have 5 more on day 2!

any idea how long she was off them? the one that i found cold cuz mama forgot it is growing and seems about the same as the others- sometimes if it isn't too long, popping them in the bator will save them

 

[artsyrobin]

Quote: what i do, my inside seramas have a guinea pig cage, i put an old towel down, cut in sections, so all you do is pull it out and wash it, replace it with another- my Jet has a bad leg and slick surfaces are a problem- the other thing i thought of doing is those bins they sell to slide under beds- setting the cage in one to catch the litter they love scratching in! as far as a nest box, depending on her size, i use asmall cardboard box, tape one end up so she can hop in and feel secure-

 

[Tripp16]

any idea how long she was off them? the one that i found cold cuz mama forgot it is growing and seems about the same as the others- sometimes if it isn't too long, popping them in the bator will save them

No, but it wasnt freezing. So Im thinking about like 30 minutes. She rooster tonight! Made me so mad! I hope the little ones hatch!

 

[artsyrobin]

its completely possible they are fine- is the silkie a new broody? thats pretty unusual for her to do that

 

[cluck-cluck]

kukupecpec, If you want the hen to lay in the same spot all the time, I'd build her a nest If you can give them lots of room, that'd be best especially if they're inside all the time. Also, I used the DLM in my brooder, in the house for 8 weeks, there were 5 birds in there. Except when one of them pooped a fresh stinker, the litter didn't smell. It was deep though, over 5 inches. If I smelled anything (toward the end, when they really out-grew the brooder, but were still stuck in there) I took the scooper and turned it then added a fresh layer on top. The only spot I had trouble with was where the waterer was. They kept spilling it, but I've got to say, that end was incredibly warm! Now I believe, if you live in a cold winter area, the DLM will give your birds lots of warmth! In fact, I didn't start over, I took the bedding to the new coop and just added to it

Tripp16, how long were they out before you discovered them? Even if they got cool, they could still be alive. It's certainly worth a try! Oh, artsyrobin already said so! .... Oh, 30 minutes, that's nothing! Hens get off for an hour or so all the time. Is she really no longer broody? I'm sure the eggs will be fine, just go ahead and incubate them

 

[kukupecpec]

WAS

what i do, my inside seramas have a guinea pig cage, i put an old towel down, cut in sections, so all you do is pull it out and wash it, replace it with another- my Jet has a bad leg and slick surfaces are a problem- the other thing i thought of doing is those bins they sell to slide under beds- setting the cage in one to catch the litter they love scratching in!  as far as a nest box, depending on her size, i use asmall cardboard box, tape one end up so she can hop in and feel secure-

How well does the towel work? I had a towel in there their first day and night and after less than 24 hours it stunk to high heaven! I've always had good luck with pine chips with other animals and the smell, but their flapping sure does make a mess. I'll have to get her a nice little box. Should it be just big enough for her to sit in? Or does she need more room than that? Do you put bedding in that too?

kukupecpec, If you want the hen to lay in the same spot all the time, I'd build her a nest   If you can give them lots of room, that'd be best especially if they're inside all the time.  Also, I used the DLM in my brooder, in the house for 8 weeks, there were 5 birds in there.  Except when one of them pooped a fresh stinker, the litter didn't smell.  It was deep though, over 5 inches.  If I smelled anything (toward the end, when they really out-grew the brooder, but were still stuck in there) I took the scooper and turned it then added a fresh layer on top.  The only spot I had trouble with was where the waterer was.  They kept spilling it, but I've got to say, that end was incredibly warm!  Now I believe, if you live in a cold winter area, the DLM will give your birds lots of warmth!  In fact, I didn't start over, I took the bedding to the new coop and just added to it

The DLM is just for my outside girls. I'm hoping it will help with the winter temps. I'm in Tucson az so it doesn't get SUPER cold but it can get into the freezing temps when it feels like being a pain.

Should I be worried if my seramas don't seem to want to leave their little cage? I know its a new home for them, but I'm not sure if they should want to jump right out explore

 

[cluck-cluck]

I don't know yet, my Serama is just a new chick at the moment, but my leghorns are cautious about everything, until it's finally been tried and found to be good. I did have a deep pan and walls so the litter would not fall out, that's definitely a must. At least 8 inches deep with a few inches of wall above the level of shavings. But they did still spill a bit. I took the broom and swept it into a pile to keep from tracking any of it, and once a day or so, picked it up. I can't think of a bedding material that won't get kicked out. You could put something solid down, but they will try to scratch at it all the time, and either break through, or clump it up into a pile in the corner somewhere. Another choice might be sand, but it gets smelly, or cat litter, or a combo of the two. But still, they will scratch at it, and you'll need a wall to keep it inside.

If you're a handy person, you can think of all the things you'd like in your cage and after a few weeks of trying it out and researching, build it just how you like it?