Bantam Hatching Advice Needed??

[Kristina]

Hey I have to get some pictures of them because they really are so awesome.

 

[Chellester]

Quote:
silkiechicken, I never thought about surface area/volume ratio for bantam eggs! I was wondering why my bantam eggs dried out so much faster than my standard eggs!

Thanks for the tip which should have been so blatantly obvious to me! Duh!

 

[skeeter9]

Kristina,
How do you handle the humidity for your bantam eggs? I plan on keeping it between 35% and 50% until day 17, then up to around 70%. What do you think?

Lori

 

[Kristina]

Lori what type of bator do you use? I use the hovabotor. I honestly have NEVER checked my humidity. *knock on wood* that has worked for me so far. With my serama eggs I fill the well indicated in the instructions. When hatch time comes I add just a small amount of water to the other well as not to raise the humidity to much. Some people don't raise the humidity at all for the seramas eggs and just spritz with lukewarm water everyday for the last three days. But I prefer like I said just adding a litle water to a second well. You don't want to raise their humidity too much as they will drown fairly easy. Your humidity sounds like a good plan...I wouldn't raise it past 70 for them.

* This all just applies to how I incubate my serama eggs. All other eggs are normal process.

 

[silkiechicken]

I don't watch humidity either. Just keep an eye on the air cell and make sure it is growing. I actually add no water for the last week of incubation so humidity is low and chicks dry fast. I don't recommend it for beginners though.

As for hatching times. It is genetically linked so some lines can be a day shorter in incubation time.

 

[skeeter9]

I have a Hovabator, also. In my last 2 hatches (standard sized eggs) I have had a significan number die when they were fully formed, but not yet pipped (internally). Their beaks were still under their wings. The only thing I can figure out is that maybe I cranked the humidity up too high at the very end???? I am going to keep it down with this batch of Serama and see if it helps.

Any thoughts???

Lori

 

[silkiechicken]

Hmmm. Interesting. I guess they could have drowned or could they have gotten chilled? Good luck on your next batch.

 

[Kristina]

Lori can I ask where you live at? I live in Louisiana and it is very humid!! So therefore I don't worry about humidity to much. If you live somewhere very humid adding alot of water will bring the humidity up too much.

 

[skeeter9]

Silkie, I didn't have any temp issues, particularly that late in the hatch?????

Kristina, I live in a very dry climate (Central California), so I don't think our atmosphere here is contributing to the humidity.

I'm a little stumped. . . .

Lori

 

[Kristina]

Well the only other thing I can think of (and I can't think of the proper term right now so please excuse me) Seramas carry a lethal creeper gene similar to the gene that japanese bantams carry. (the japanese bantam was one type of bird used in malaysia to help develop the serama and this is where the gene was inhereted) It causes the chick to be fully formed and then die right before hatch, then the ones with this gene that do hatch usually will die within a few days. Now I'm by far any expert but through all the research I have done on them I'm thinking maybe the cause of SOME of the problems could have been this gene.