Booted Serama

[dannichols525]

Serama can go broody frequently. But because of their small size and foreshortened body they are not able to set more than a few eggs. Without help, many clutches of eggs May fail. One problem I see is that the hen's nest becomes misshapen with use until the eggs are no longer covered adequately. I solved this problem by using cereal bowls to line the nest with. This holds the eggs together permanently until they hatch. That little hen in the shower is actually sitting on eggs in a cereal bowl that has been inset into the crock jar.

 

[SilverBirds]

View attachment 4046581
Serama can go broody frequently. But because of their small size and foreshortened body they are not able to set more than a few eggs. Without help, many clutches of eggs May fail. One problem I see is that the hen's nest becomes misshapen with use until the eggs are no longer covered adequately. I solved this problem by using cereal bowls to line the nest with. This holds the eggs together permanently until they hatch. That little hen in the shower is actually sitting on eggs in a cereal bowl that has been inset into the crock jar.

Good idea. My Seramas loved going broody in the most bizarre places. How many eggs do you usually allow hens to set?

 

[dannichols525]

Good idea. My Seramas loved going broody in the most bizarre places. How many eggs do you usually allow hens to s

Between 4 and 8 eggs depending on the class of bird; usually six.

 

[dannichols525]

Eggs in the incubator hatch. I gave these four to a hen that failed to hatch her eggs.

Pure serama.

 

[dannichols525]

This hen had reproductive issues. She visited the nest every third day. Three times she laid a tiny egg that had no yolk and three times she visited acting like she laid an egg, but did not. With each visit I placed a dummy egg in the nest removing the tiny ones. After six dummy eggs were in the nest the hen went broody. Today I gave her five viable eggs from the incubator, eggs that were developing.

The bird is valuable. The whole point here is to give the bird's body a chance to mature. Hopefully, by time she raises the chicks, her body will produce normal eggs.

 

[dannichols525]

On guard.

 

[SilverBirds]

On guard.

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So sweet!

 

[dannichols525]

On guard.

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It is not uncommon for serama roosters to help care for their young chicks. It will be interesting to see if this is a paternal rooster.

 

[dannichols525]

Of the five eggs, three chicks hatched. A fourth egg is in the incubator as a possibly late hatch. The fifth egg died early in incubation. Not bad for a first time!

 

[SilverBirds]

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Of the five eggs, three chicks hatched. A fourth egg is in the incubator as a possibly late hatch. The fifth egg died early in incubation. Not bad for a first time!

Congrats, momma and babies are so cute!