Consolidated Kansas

[StinkyChicken]

I was going off of the Castle Delight website.

How do you recommend incubating Serama eggs?

For me personally, I incubate Seramas like any other chicken egg with just a few modifications. However depending on your climate, you might have to make adjustments in the humidity. I do not use an automatic turner (hand turn only - they are delicate!) and for shipped eggs (yes, I do order and hatch shipped eggs too!), I let them sit pointy end down in an egg carton for at least 12 hours after unwrapping them. I also do not turn Serama eggs for the first 3 days, shipped or my own. I hand turn the eggs twice a day and I stop turning them at the end of day 18 (lockdown). I incubate them at 55-56%% humidity at 99.6 F (I have a forced air Brinsea) for the first 18 days. Upon lockdown, I up the humidity to 72-75%. This range has given me the best results during hatching. Please note that sometimes these little guys need help hatching. Whether you choose to or not is your own personal decision. I always do if zipping has not started within 18 hours of pipping. It is a 50/50 gamble but more times than not, I've saved the baby. Seramas can hatch as early as day 18 and as late as day 23. I always candle on day 23 to check for internal pips, movement etc. My advice is to never give up or toss eggs till you perform this last very important step! I've found live babies internally pipped but stuck in a dried out membrane upon candling and opening.

 

[chicken danz]

I was going off of the Castle Delight website.

How do you recommend incubating Serama eggs?

For me personally, I incubate Seramas like any other chicken egg with just a few modifications. However depending on your climate, you might have to make adjustments in the humidity. I do not use an automatic turner (hand turn only - they are delicate!) and for shipped eggs (yes, I do order and hatch shipped eggs too!), I let them sit pointy end down in an egg carton for at least 12 hours after unwrapping them. I also do not turn Serama eggs for the first 3 days, shipped or my own. I hand turn the eggs twice a day and I stop turning them at the end of day 18 (lockdown). I incubate them at 55-56%% humidity at 99.6 F (I have a forced air Brinsea) for the first 18 days. Upon lockdown, I up the humidity to 72-75%. This range has given me the best results during hatching. Please note that sometimes these little guys need help hatching. Whether you choose to or not is your own personal decision. I always do if zipping has not started within 18 hours of pipping. It is a 50/50 gamble but more times than not, I've saved the baby. Seramas can hatch as early as day 18 and as late as day 23. I always candle on day 23 to check for internal pips, movement etc. My advice is to never give up or toss eggs till you perform this last very important step! I've found live babies internally pipped but stuck in a dried out membrane upon candling and opening.

Well I took a quick look at her website. I have to disagree with some of her points. Like I said they don't need supplemental heat as she states. Let them acclimate like you would any other chicken and they'll do just great. But if there is a sudden cold snap like sometimes happens in the fall, just hang a normal light bulb to give off a little heat until they get used to the cold.
If you haven't done so, I'd buy an inexpensive digital thermometer/hygometer and monitor your settings in your incubator. (Walmart has some cheap ones with the outdoor thermometers) You might also check before you add the eggs, for hot spots and cool spots. If you have any areas that vary over a couple of degrees avoid those areas and/or move the eggs around from time to time. This will prevent early/late hatches. Since these eggs are much smaller they loose or take on heat faster than other eggs sometimes.
Also reading her posts, she says she helps hatch babies. Again this is probably because she has her humidity too high so they don't have the room in the shell to move as easily. Just my opinion. I don't want to start a battle here. I am simply trying to help you get the best hatch.
These little babies are a little more temperamental than lots of other breeds but they are the most prolific little layers ever. Mine used to lay more in winter than any other time. At one point I sold over 85 little cockerels I had left over after selling more pullets in breeding groups. I sold them for $1 each for eating. They didn't amount to much more than a quail when butchered. I personally never tried one.
I hatched lots of size As but they were rarely fertile at all. Perfect for pets but not for breeding. I culled out size Cs and picked breeders from size Bs.

 

[StinkyChicken]

I am trying to get the best hatch too, and I thank you for your guidance. That is why I love this site. Everyone helps out. I have an old thermometer and a gage style hygrometer and I have a digital Thermometer/Hygrometer. So I can drop the humidity by 10% to 15% before I set the eggs tonight. I have one more question. Do you clean soiled eggs? I’ve been told not to clean eggs, but we just hatched some Maran eggs. Got 8 eggs 7 where good and went into lockdown. We have 5 chicks out of that hatch. There was one very soiled egg in that batch of eggs. I did not clean it and the chick died and had very dark stuff on the embryo. My guess was bacteria got in the soiled egg. So to clean or not to clean that is the question?

 

[MrsProf]

Everyone is home, including the incubator with about a dozen left. I may not get another single chick, but it won't be from lack of trying. When I got there to pick them up, one was zipped but not hatched. He was all dried out, so I helped him finish. I can still tell which one because he's super tired but he's been up drinking and I think he will be fine. I think I have one bumble foot, and I have one that is bent over in a funny way, but otherwise they all seem to be doing well! 60% hatch. not great but under the circumstances I'll take it.

 

[Deerfield Acres]

I candled my 48 eggs today and I had an 85% fertility rate, which is pretty good considering what a klutz my huge Buff Sussex rooster is. That guy is really no gentleman but he does do a great job of protecting the flock and he couldn't be more respectful of people so he's safe for now. Trimming those bum feathers helped immensely. I had only one egg that started and quit, so that's not too bad either.

 

[Grain Gypsy]

Total rookie question, here. How do y'all get the fancy stuff in the bottom of your posts and to show on your profile? If there is somewhere that explains this, can someone direct me there? I have searched to no avail. Thank you!

 

[Anderson Lowe]

Total rookie question, here. How do y'all get the fancy stuff in the bottom of your posts and to show on your profile? If there is somewhere that explains this, can someone direct me there? I have searched to no avail. Thank you!

Hi Grain Gypsy, I'm just up the road from you in Halstead.
Welcome to the group and BYC....

Its under your profile settings for forum post. (not sure of exact verbiage under settings but will look and pm you.)

 

[chicken danz]

I am trying to get the best hatch too, and I thank you for your guidance. That is why I love this site. Everyone helps out. I have an old thermometer and a gage style hygrometer and I have a digital Thermometer/Hygrometer. So I can drop the humidity by 10% to 15% before I set the eggs tonight. I have one more question. Do you clean soiled eggs? I’ve been told not to clean eggs, but we just hatched some Maran eggs. Got 8 eggs 7 where good and went into lockdown. We have 5 chicks out of that hatch. There was one very soiled egg in that batch of eggs. I did not clean it and the chick died and had very dark stuff on the embryo. My guess was bacteria got in the soiled egg. So to clean or not to clean that is the question?

Yes I do. Every egg I set. I use Tek-Trol about one to two ounces per gallon of hot water. Hot in as faucet hot. I wash off any soiling first in cooler water then dip each egg in the tek trol water. It has improved my hatch rate and overall health of The chicks. I think one reason it helps is that I'm not introducing any foreign bacteria with the eggs.
Posted by MrsProf

Total rookie question, here. How do y'all get the fancy stuff in the bottom of your posts and to show on your profile? If there is somewhere that explains this, can someone direct me there? I have searched to no avail. Thank you!

Go to the upper right hand corner of the page and click on My Profile. Once you do so scroll all the way down to the bottom and you should see something that says Edit my signature. Or possibly since you don't have one yet it could say add my signature or something similar. Simply type in what you want to say.

I hatched my first two turkeys for this year today and my first guinea. I was really thrilled with the guinea cause I only have one white one and I hatched a white baby. I really need to hatch some chicks as tutors but I don't have any due for a couple of days.

 

[Anderson Lowe]

Yes I do. Every egg I set. I use Tek-Trol about one to two ounces per gallon of hot water. Hot in as faucet hot. I wash off any soiling first in cooler water then dip each egg in the tek trol water. It has improved my hatch rate and overall health of The chicks. I think one reason it helps is that I'm not introducing any foreign bacteria with the eggs.
Posted by MrsProf
Nice color variety. Congrats

Go to the upper right hand corner of the page and click on My Profile. Once you do so scroll all the way down to the bottom and you should see something that says Edit my signature. Or possibly since you don't have one yet it could say add my signature or something similar. Simply type in what you want to say.

I hatched my first two turkeys for this year today and my first guinea. I was really thrilled with the guinea cause I only have one white one and I hatched a white baby. I really need to hatch some chicks as tutors but I don't have any due for a couple of days.

Danz congrats on the Turkeys.

Thanks for the info on the food and water location.

 

[MrsProf]

I'm going to post to the "what's my Chick?" thread too but I'm confused by this one. We had Silkies (which he is too big to be) RIR's (which he is too yellow for) and Ameraucana (but he doesn't look like the rest of those). Maybe we had a different egg mixed in on accident?


No fluff on his feet, of course he wouldn't stand up for me

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