Hello, I have a serama that started going broody last week and we tried to break her since we were going on vacation. Well we came back and she seems insistent so I left her with 2 of her own fertilized eggs and 1 BR/RIR cross egg. I just put in the cross egg when I moved her into a smaller dog crate so she can be by herself. She has adjusted well over her eggs when I last checked, but I'm wondering if there would be enough room to add a few more of her own eggs. I'll post pictures in the morning as I don't want to bother her tonight after the move. But is there anything else I can do to make it better for her? Thanks for the help.
You mention you just added the mix egg -- how long had she been on the original two before you made that addition and how recently did you give her the mix egg? The issue with adding eggs at different times is it creates a staggered hatch and this often means a broody will abandon unhatched eggs in order to leave the nest and start attending to already hatched chicks *or* refuse to do so leading to issues for the chicks, either way it's a losing proposition for one side of the equation. Also, as she is broody and will have stopped laying, how old are the eggs you are wanting to add? How have they been stored?
1 of her eggs was from yesterday and the other 2 were laid today including the cross. I just added the cross today. I just wanted to add 2 more that are being laid by my Japanese bantam as they come.
Ditto Ol Grey Mare...you want to avoid a staggered hatch. I'd just leave her be and not add anymore eggs after she's been setting for a couple days. Eggs added later may not hatch by the time mama takes the first hatched chicks off the nest to eat and drink. Too many eggs under a tiny serama may not stay warm enough to hatch at all. Make sure there's enough room in that crate so she has to get up off the nest to eat, drink, stretch her legs, and poop.
Hi sorry for the late update. Today is day 14 she has 4 eggs under her developing nicely. Since the big day is coming up I moved her into a rabbit hutch I had been using for some store bought chicks that recently moved out to the coop. I'll post more pictures after mom gets settled. I do know its day 15 for the smallest egg which I believe is the last one she laid before setting as it was under her when I originally moved her to the crate.. I candled today the brown is hard to see clearly, but there has been development. I've seen beaks and movement on the smallest today. The hutch is sufficient size for the small family and am just so excited that the first time momma has been such a good trooper. Thank you both so much for the advice it helped calm my nerves. Picture of the eggs before I moved them
Sorry took so long to update. Here are the chicks that hatched on the 10th and 11th. The yellow one is the Serama and the other 2 are Japanese/Serama mix. Here's Goldie the mama taking care of the babies.
GRAPHIC!! I was wondering if anyone could help me figure out what happened to the RIR/BR mix. I opened her up on the 12th/day 22 after mama abandoned to take care of the others. Last movement I could tell was when I candled on day 14. I noticed the outline to be a little strange, but air cell was developing normally. She was still very small.
