~MALAYSIAN SERAMA THREAD~ (PICS!!!)

[BHep]

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I have used the #3 bands on newborn chicks, then put on #4's when about 2 weeks old or so...I have had problems in the past with bands becoming too tight and constricting the blood flow on older birds, so I usually up the size earlier than most. I have recently used liquid food coloring on the chicks when I take them from the brooder, and I like that much better, one less danger to worry about. I have had tiny chicks whose #3 bands would fall off, then they'd try to eat them. For darker colored chicks, I put the food coloring on their bellies, which usually has lighter down for the first couple of weeks. By 2-3 weeks, all babies are banded, which for me, is a two-man process!

Juliette

I have a question about the food coloring... do you just use it straight from the bottle or do you dilute it?

 

[juliette2009]

Quote:
I have used the #3 bands on newborn chicks, then put on #4's when about 2 weeks old or so...I have had problems in the past with bands becoming too tight and constricting the blood flow on older birds, so I usually up the size earlier than most. I have recently used liquid food coloring on the chicks when I take them from the brooder, and I like that much better, one less danger to worry about. I have had tiny chicks whose #3 bands would fall off, then they'd try to eat them. For darker colored chicks, I put the food coloring on their bellies, which usually has lighter down for the first couple of weeks. By 2-3 weeks, all babies are banded, which for me, is a two-man process!

Juliette

I have a question about the food coloring... do you just use it straight from the bottle or do you dilute it?

I use it straight, putting it on a q-tip first, then rubbing it onto the chick's underbelly.

Juliette

 

[Inkheart]

Need some sold Serama advice folks! I am planning on setting some eggs that are being shipped to me on Valentines day - Why are so many trying to talk me out of this - saying it is near impossible for me to hatch my own little ones? Advice? Tips? Thoughts? Help? LOL

 

[kelliepulido]

Itg is just hard to hatch them,soo tiny and fragile I have I think 14 and all were hatched by me shipped eggs.I have 3 more in the bator.I like hatching and if you go into realizing you might have to spend some money and you might not get any out your golden.Mine are from at least 4 different byc members so I have good lines to breed from not much inbreeding

 

[Inkheart]

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Thank you - i guess i am just looking for support in what some would say is crazy talk! LOL. I have grown to love this little breed and jsut want to do right by them - i see what you ar esaying tho - let go of the perfection and i will be fine!

 

[shelleyd2008]

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Thank you - i guess i am just looking for support in what some would say is crazy talk! LOL. I have grown to love this little breed and jsut want to do right by them - i see what you ar esaying tho - let go of the perfection and i will be fine!

Serama are hard enough to hatch, once you add in shipping, they are near impossible! Try to get some as close to you as possible and you might do okay, but you'd be better off to check with your post office about where the shipments would go. For instance, a friend of mine bought some marans eggs from me, she lives in a town about 45 minutes away. That box has to go north to E-town, then to Louisville, then over to London, then to her. The last time I ordered eggs from someone in Eastern KY it took them a full week to get here!

 

[ruthless]

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Many of the problems come from the shipping of the eggs. The shipping process is extremely hard on the fragile Serama eggs and often people get 0 % hatch. It is not the fault usually of who you bought them from or even how far they travel........it is the way they are handled along the way.

We often hear people talking about the poor hatch rate of shipped Serama eggs. I have bought two batches. One ended up setting over a long weekend in the PO because priority mail now takes 2-7 days instead of only 1-2 days. I should have gotten them on Friday instead of MOnday.

The other batch came quickly. Both batches were extrememly well packaged and sent from experienced shippers. There was no damage to the boxes at all...........perfect condition. I GOT ZERO chicks from those eggs. ONE developed out of probably 20 in all. And it did not live to hatch.

So people can spend a lot of money and time on trying to hatch shipped Serama eggs. I imagine that is what people are trying to warn you about. Just hope for the best but be prepared for a very low hatch rate.

I am still trying. But this time I have a few from a friend who hand delivered them to me. Hopefully I will get 1 or 2 out of the 7 eggs she brought.

 

[shelleyd2008]

I've got a few from a friend in the hatcher now that he brought to my house. He had just been tossing the eggs since his incubator holds hundreds...guess he didn't want to turn the bator on for 3 or 4 eggs

Out of 23 eggs set, I have 10 that look like they 'should' hatch. I'm expecting maybe 6 or 7. In the eggs' defense, he hadn't planned on setting them, so some of the older ones hadn't been turned during collection.

Today he brought another 31 eggs but 2 of those were cracked. So 29 eggs went in the bator, hopefully they'll fair better than their brother and sister eggs did

 

[poniesnchicks]

I love my Seramas. I am enjoying showing them, but there aren't many coming out to the all breed poultry shows. I hatched out 6 babies - they are a month old now. We also have mottled Japanese and lavendar orpingtons, but the Seramas are the pets!

!

 

[poniesnchicks]

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Wow those are some beautiful birds!