Hatching tonight! Serama's

[smoothmule]

My little A sized Serama hen has 4 eggs, they all looked good a few days ago when I candled them and tonight, right at 18 days, they are peeping and should be hatched by morning or so. I'm letting her hatch these and she can raise them unless they are too tiny and fragile. She is pretty small and her eggs are very small. She was laying about 4 months before her first egg hatched. I'd read that some of the smaller Serama's were not fertile but I was encouraged to keep trying. 24 days ago, I had let my other hen set 3 of this hens eggs, figuring she would do a better job than I would with my incubator and of the 3 eggs, one hatched. My Goodness it was a tiny chick! I named him (or her) Uno because he was the only one and the first from Dovey's eggs. At 24 days old, Uno weighs only 0.7 ounces, that is super tiny!! That equals the weight of 7 pennies, hold 7 pennies in your hand and that is what Uno weighs at 24 days old!

I am guessing these will be as small, Uno was able to hatch out with no assistance. I'll post tomorrow to report how many of the 4 hatched and how they're doing

These are chicks from a B sized rooster, duckwing colored. Dovey is white with small black spots and a few black tail feathers. I have a young cockerel that I plan to put in with her that is unrelated and is looking like he may mature "A" sized so I can't even imagine what that cross will be like! I want to show this cockerel this summer so I'll wait till fall before I put him with Dovey.

 

[msheets]

How exciting! Do you have any pics of them?

 

[smoothmule]

Here is Dovey

here is the rooster

I don't have any good pics of Uno yet but I'll take some tomorrow and I'll have some of the new chicks, you never know how many will hatch so I'm just waiting, impatiently

 

[smoothmule]

Here is the little cockerel I plan to breed her to next but it will be a few months. He's still immature. This photo is fair and shows his good type but he's really, really looking great now and is definitely show quality plus a lot smaller than the other rooster.

 

[smoothmule]

We're getting there, 2 made it nearly to hatching but died in the shell and 2 are alive and working their way out. I brought them in to the incubator/brooder as they seemed to be weakening by the cheeping. They had been cheeping since last night at 10 pm. I helped get then started and they perked up. Time will tell if they are going to be okay but I've helped several of these guys before and they do fine later. It was pretty cool and damp at the barn so Dovey may not have been able to keep them warm enough. If they do well, I will give them back to her later today in a cage with a heat light.

 

[BluegrassSeramas]

Hope they make it!

I get so sad when I lose them on hatching day.

 

[LuckyChick]

Your little roos are so colorful and cute! I have not had much luck in hatching Serama eggs. I do great with all other eggs, but not Serama. For all my efforts, I only hatched three my first time and one out of 12 the second time. I finally just bought some chicks so my little roo will have some hens! Waiting for them to get old enough to put in with him. Of the six chicks, I'm already sure I have two more roos and the others I can't tell. My roo Squint had me tricked for the longest time....thought he was a hen!

Wishing you luck with your chicks!

 

[smoothmule]

So far so good, they are out of the shells and they have big cheeps for such teeny guys. I think they are as teeny as Uno was when hatched.