Serama Hatch-A-Long!!

[darkbluespace]

SO I have three pips in my serama eggs now! Coincidentally (?) they are all pretty much next to each other. No progress on the first two since I noticed them this morning but this new one is at the wrong end! I am going to keep a close eye on it. Anyone have any experience with chicks pipping at the wrong end of the egg? My luck continues... On a side note, is it interesting that none of my silkies have pipped yet? Are seramas notoriously early hatchers?

How are those eggs doing??

 

[RockyRose]

@darkbluespace - The silkie babies are going to a new home tomorrow (hopefully). A local breeder lost a lot of her birds to predators and I'm helping her out giving her some new stock.

Yes, my 3 adult dogs are rescues and 2 before that were also. I know they are grateful, and the pup is SO happy to be warm she isn't even soiling her crate! She visited the chicken runs with me today, what a laugh. Glad to hear you rescue also...pretty odd story but totally justified. I would have done the same.

Sorry to hear about your 'bator issue, but if my broodies got off the nest every morning in December and still hatched out chicks, you are probably ok! And your chick that doesn't want to eat...I wish the best for her...I went through that with one that had leg issues, I made a hobble, but it decided not to eat or drink and died. Once you can get them to take something though it can make all the difference! Good luck!

Too worn out to candle today (yeah I know it's only 3pm) but I battle chronic fatigue and made an errand run (among other daily chores)...running errands always does me in. I'd rather stay home and pace myself, turning eggs, playing with chickens, dogs, on-line shopping for a second incubator, reading this forum...lol.

 

[heyheypaula]

Great news!! I've had 7 chicks hatch so far! Looks like another 3 for sure tonight as well. I ended up helping the malpositioned chick out of his shell after letting him tough it out for 24 hours. Here are pics of the seramas so far

 

[darkbluespace]

That is awesome, congrats!!!! Doubly awesome since your incubator was on the fritz! They are super adorable!

 

[darkbluespace]

So excited today, I have 7 chicks hatching in my hatcher and I hear chirping under my broody hen! My cat was sitting on the incubator when I got up and he jumped off knocking it against the wall, spilling the water and making all the eggs/chicks fall into a pile!! Bad bad kitty!!! Everyone seems to be okay though, and a few chicks are fully hatched or almost out of their shells!

This is my happy dance x7...

 

[darkbluespace]

I know I give good advice and tell people not to bother their broody hens, but I really want to poke mine. I remember she sat on one egg all day before I put more under her and then she stole two more the next day, so I bet it's that first one hatching. All seven are out in the bator... my last egg didn't make it because of the cat incident, the egg was cracked in a few places, but I have lots of cuties... brown but mostly yellow, some with chipmunk stripes!!

 

[RockyRose]

Congrats on new babies to @heyheypaula and @darkbluespace ! Even with your various issues the chicks are here...determined little babes

Day 7 here and candling is first on my list to do (once I wake up enough lol).

 

[RockyRose]

Question for experienced hatchers...I finally candled today, day 7. None of the Serama eggs had any development. When I opened them they did not have the bullseye (and 1 or 2 appeared scrambled) - then I realized that I have only looked for the bullseye on fresh eggs, not eggs that have been in the bator for a week. Should I still see a bullseye if the egg WAS fertile and didn't develop for another reason?

The good news is 8 of 9 silkie eggs look great, one had a bad crack and no development.
5 out of 7 frizzled cochin eggs look great, one was not fertile and one had a blood ring. (At opening I didn't see a bullseye either.)
3 of 3 frizzled polish eggs look great.

Bottom line out of 27 set I have 16 developing eggs. 9 appeared infertile, 1 blood ring, 1 bad crack so that's 11 "tossed".

Went to add 10 silkie eggs that came in the mail yesterday and dropped 5 and broke them! OOOOOH so mad at myself. Have more silkie coming next week from someone else. Afraid to buy more serama eggs...unless I can get from someone who really checks fertility. Maybe they were fertile and just damaged in shipping, I don't really know, that's why I asked the question above.

Any help is appreciated from those who do eggtopsies!

Rose

 

[darkbluespace]

Question for experienced hatchers...I finally candled today, day 7. None of the Serama eggs had any development. When I opened them they did not have the bullseye (and 1 or 2 appeared scrambled) - then I realized that I have only looked for the bullseye on fresh eggs, not eggs that have been in the bator for a week. Should I still see a bullseye if the egg WAS fertile and didn't develop for another reason?

The good news is 8 of 9 silkie eggs look great, one had a bad crack and no development.
5 out of 7 frizzled cochin eggs look great, one was not fertile and one had a blood ring. (At opening I didn't see a bullseye either.)
3 of 3 frizzled polish eggs look great.

Bottom line out of 27 set I have 16 developing eggs. 9 appeared infertile, 1 blood ring, 1 bad crack so that's 11 "tossed".

Went to add 10 silkie eggs that came in the mail yesterday and dropped 5 and broke them! OOOOOH so mad at myself. Have more silkie coming next week from someone else. Afraid to buy more serama eggs...unless I can get from someone who really checks fertility. Maybe they were fertile and just damaged in shipping, I don't really know, that's why I asked the question above.

Any help is appreciated from those who do eggtopsies!

Rose

Well that just sucks! I haven't looked for a bullseye after incubation for a period but I have read that a fertile egg can be completely clear and just not develop at all for some reason. BUT I think it is much more likely that you would have some sign of an egg quitting, if any of them were fertile. It is hard for me to imagine who would be selling eggs and have no idea or not care if they are fertile but I would probably be letting them know that none of the developed at all and implying that you hope something can be done.

Bummer about the Silkie eggs too!! I know how terrible that feels.... once I was taking duck eggs from a package and didn't understand how they were packaged and dropped 3 and broke 2. I was crushed!

On the bright side, I am happy you have some eggs developing still and I hope you'll keep us updated about how those eggs are doing!

 

[darkbluespace]

I did go and poke my broody last night and I am glad I did! That first egg was mostly zipped but stalled because she was in the weirdest position ever. Then i found a chick that had already died because it couldn't pip : ( I pipped for a few of the eggs and found one more pip but she was totally stuck. And here I thought the broody hatch was going to be perfect. Maybe it is the Winter humidity... as Summer hatches went beautifully. Anyway, I saved 6 of them. The first is out and under its mum and the other 5 are in the bator. I should have put them in last night but I still had chicks in there, one of whom was so sticky that she kept getting stuck to the shelf liner I use in there. Her little wings were glued to her body! She has already had 2 baths. I think that when the water spilled (bad kitty) some water got in her egg and turned to glue... I don't know why, maybe Winter, but these hatches I have been having are just ridiculous. At least I am finally getting chicks!