Serama Hatch-A-Long!!

[Skink]

I also house indoors and plan to continue, but I'm also very experienced when it comes to meeting highly particular needs of caged animals. I wouldn't call it inherently sad, as the chickens are living in a climate controlled, parasite free, 100% predator proofed ultra clean environment with plenty of enrichment.. if it is being done right. Compare that to a coop, which is literally just a shed that leads in to a wire box or spits right out on to the yard. What little is missing can be given to caged chickens, but corners can't be cut at all. Where as I plan to rotate groups through an outdoor pen on a schedule and can spend one on one time with all the birds in my care, as well as providing toys for boredom busting, he doesn't have that option. I also didn't really find photos of how he keeps his birds until after I ordered. I will say I am not impressed. One might argue that he works on a much larger scale of chickens, but one might also argue if you can't keep the # of chickens you have properly, you've got too many chickens. When people start cage keeping just to try and save space and start doing stuff like wire bottom flooring to cut maintenance time it starts to feel way too battery hen. Not the kind of living conditions anyone should aim to give their bird.

 

[Bama1]

7/11 hatched yesterday. These are SallySunshine Serama's.

 

[darkbluespace]

I really was just talking about the breeders that have hundreds of birds all in cages. Birds that don't get well balanced nutrition, sunlight, exercise, etc. I just feel a little sad for them.

I know all of you have spoiled rotten birds!!

@Bama1 Super cute chicks, I bet you'll have some frizzles in that bunch!! I still have a day or so to go on mine.

A friend tonight asked if I would rent out chicks for a week. She used to rent chicks from a woman for $25 a week. They love 'em up and then return them. Seramas are so little that you could just keep renting out the same ones : ) Imagine getting paid for other people to take care of your chicks... pretty funny.

 

[Skink]

Wow, what? Renting out chicks??? That.. man. If I didn't live near so many ranches, that would be a great idea. I bet that'd do excellent in the city! Would probably work well to rent incubators to schools and stuff (or it would be if schools and the teachers working them actually had money.) In the sense that there would be fewer people hatching chickens they don't plan to keep, it would also save a lot of chickens some grief. I wonder if the availability of such programs would prevent a significant amount of chicken dumping. I'd be worried about the biosecurity, and anything happening to the chicks, but provided they have proper equipment and a care sheet that seems like a sweet deal. Dunno if Serama could work much longer, considering how quickly they feather out, but they are still very wee and loveable.

I've also heard of people renting out their ducks and chickens as lawn care or even lawn ornaments for parties. I guess if you have the equipment to move lots of birds around, that's a pretty sweet gig. I wonder what kind of rich area you have to live in.. I couldn't even get people to pay my gas when I was doing reptile education seminars in the town we used to live in. Couldn't get a cent from someone to have their photo taken with a tame green anaconda, but to plop some chickens on their yard for an hour could be a business?? Dang!

My cochin eggs went in the mail monday and still haven't arrived. If they don't arrive tomorrow, I'm gonna have to assume they went missing in the mail. Second box of eggs to go AWOL in a month. I'm also now searching for muscovy duck eggs... poultry fever has taken me. Someone stop me before I get a dang emu egg or something

 

[RockyRose]

Wow everyone has been very busy! Just a short note today, will TRY to follow up with pics (best intentions get side tracked as my day unfolds).
The last 2 eggs in the bator have finally pipped, a day later than others. The NN did hatch, she's a cutie and a keeper (once again pic is still on my phone and I need to transfer pics). Got one more splayed leg (now have 2, was 3, one passed after it had appeared to be doing so well). Had to assist on 4 of the saddle shaped air cell eggs, one chick was breach and others were malpositioned in other ways. A couple of very long days done...I can breathe today and get a final count later. total is about 40 healthy chicks, so I won't post 40 separate pics!

Still not sure if I am getting the Serama pair from WA state. Told the lady about this past week's good weather in advance but there was a major storm system to our north, so she may be waiting...and I'm still leery about anything going through ATL USPS hub.

Well pump replacement turned into replacing pressure tank as well, system still not working right and my son is sick. So dealing with low water pressure until he can get things fixed. Replacing those two things messed up other plumbing, now toilets are running constantly...troubles seem to never end. But I do have water.

Will catch up with y'all soon, with pics

 

[Skink]

@RockyRose I am glad you had plenty of chicks hatch! I hope stuff looks up for you soon and comes together. Super happy you had a NN hatch! My eggs with the NN cochins went in the mail on Tuesday and still haven't arrived.. if they ever do show up, I kind of doubt they'd be viable. Fingers crossed I can get some replacements if they don't show, they were kind of expensive

Here's my most recent batch of babies! They all turned out cute as heck. I think one might be silkied! I gotta hatch some silkieds and frizzles...



Chip is the first serama I hatched, and I remember posting about it on this thread. It had been pretty disheartening then, since he was 1 of 18 eggs, but golly is he ever handsome now.

 

[RockyRose]

Beautiful babies and beautiful Chip you have there @Skink !
Thanks for the encouraging words, on the chicken end things are going well considering how many hatched. Got a 2nd NN, this one is a silkie and is black so it's really funny looking. The first was from a NN/millie pen so she has lighter skin with a kind of dark stripe on her neck, yellow down with black spots. ALMOST got pics downloaded today and got waylayed, of course.

Still 3 in medical ward...one with splayed leg I don't think is going to make it, been hand feeding and watering her but she's giving up....she is light as a feather. One has splayed leg but is much heavier, healthier, hopping about, eating and drinking. Got to figure out how to get her from hopping to walking....maybe giving more space between her legs? The 3rd is a runt that had a problem with her navel, she is healing, eating and drinking but keeping her separate so she doesn't get picked on. Her belly is slightly extended and has been since birth so it may be mushy chick...never dealt with this before so I am guessing. I wouldn't think she would be thriving still if that is the issue. I suppose some would have culled these chicks but I don't have the heart to NOT try to save them.

I don't even have a final count of healthy chicks...I made lots of notes during hatching but now they look like Greek to me! I did decide that I will sell most if not all that are from my own stock, and keep the ones from purchased eggs. That's still 20 or so birds that need a new very big coop! Of course I know I will sell some as they grow and I can determine sex but with silkies that could be a looooong time.

Also still having water issues. My poor son is banging his head against the wall, even his plumber boss doesn't know what to do, so going to call in a well expert Monday. Water pressure keeps dropping, or the pump runs and won't stop, and other weird stuff driving us crazy. I was told not to run the dishwasher. Time to get out the plastic and paper and pretend I am camping I guess.

Have a very busy week coming, if I get some downtime I will download some pics. I'd better not make promises I can't keep

 

[Bama1]

Ended up with 18 chicks. Incubator cleaned. Set 14 eggs today from the adult Serama's I bought last month. Here we go again!!!!

 

[Bama1]

Whats the going price on pet quality Serama's ? I traded off some of my Sulmtalers on Saturday for some Serama's but none of them are anything I would want to put into my breeding program.

 

[RockyRose]

@Bama1 Yay! Beautiful chicks, 18 of them, wow!

Good question on going price of pet Seramas...I'm guessing it may have to do with where you are and availability. Around here they would likely be high (for birds not shipped).