Serama Hatch-A-Long!!

[darkbluespace]

Glad your serama mojo is back! I hope they threw some good babies for you. I haven't hatched a batch that size yet, it must be fun to stick your hand in to a swarm of wee fluffs! I hope they all do well for you, and that #15 hasn't fared too poorly. My first boy, I took him right out of the hatcher in to the brooder at seconds old since he was the only chick and went careening for a light bulb I hadn't properly chick-proofed. He's was ok! Dried faster, possibly.

The cochin bantams in the incubator have pipped. The millie fleur is zipping right now! I'm at a bit of a crossroads with hatching now because of it. I will be raising shipped chicks all of April and since they're my laying pets I'll want to give them my total attention, then going on a brief 4 day vacation at the end of May, so anything I set would be getting left unattended for the better part of a week or hatching when I'm not here. I know I want to hatch Muscovy, but I can't find eggs of the varieties I want, and I need to raise them alone so I have lots of time to spend with the ducklings so not until the girlsare 8 weeks soonest. I also want to hatch more serama though. My newest batch looks like 3 roos and a hen... I have been hatching two roos for every one hen. I need more hens and hatching seems to be the only way without paying for a $70 rooster I don't want, you know? At this rate I won't be hatching anything until June, and I don't know what to do next.

I need to sell my oldest roos, I guess. They aren't turning out great and I think they're beaten quality wise by what I've hatched since. At least I got my lovely blue hen Ping from that hatch.. I have no idea if she will type up enough to breed, but she is the sweetest thing since sugar. If I can move the boys fast enough, I'll have room to raise more Serama, and if not I guess I should plan to hatch summer Muscovy provided I can find the eggs.

14 are doing great... sadly #15 didn't make it and was a bit spraddle legged from being in the egg so long. They are all super fluffy and cute and eating a lot!

The whole rooster business is challenging. My oldest roos that I hatched are 9 months old and I have been finding that I cannot keep more than one in a coop. I still have 4 roos in one pen, all from my castle delight hatch. Sadly none of them are ones I really want for breeding. The black roo, I may put with my dark hen to get some black babies but I don't know what to do with the others. I don't have hens to sell with them.

I have 6 chicks that I have kept so far and 3 for sure are roos and of the other 3, I am just hoping for one or two girls... I think the littlest may be a roo too. I am not crazy bummed about it because I do want to hatch some smaller roos if I can and I have to let them grow out to see what I have.

What kind of Muscovy are you looking for? Just curious, we just have one Muscovy these days and she actually looks a lot like our Anconas. She is broody on a nest right now. I do like how quiet they are and I have only hatched Muscovy mix ducklings, but they seem so sweet and much less skittish than the Ancona ducklings.

 

[darkbluespace]

Congrates!

Thank you, I am feeling relieved. It would be a serious bummer if I couldn't hatch any of my own tiny eggs ; )

 

[Skink]

I'm sorry to hear #15 passed, that's terrible Sorry for your loss. At least there are 14 other babies to love!

I'm worrying over one of the bantam cochins right now. They pipped at the pointy end at about midnight last night. I got in there around 3pm today and widened their pip a bit to make sure they can't lose it, then did a full artificial zip, shell only. I put them back to rest (accidentally pricked the membrane and got a drop of blood so it isn't like they were ready) and I'm hopeful they will kick free when they're ready. I hope that pale beak I see breathing at the pip means it's a lavender and not a lav split!

The roosters are difficult! I get tons of interest whenever I post an add, but no one ever shows up, to the tune of spending many hours on answering questions, taking photos, and maintaining communication for nadda even when it's a same day pick up arrangement. I don't get it! They love the birds so much that they will call me and tell me they want them and beg me not to sell them, then go completely radio silence on me. Once I have my breeders and can have a steady supply of hens merely because of hatching volume, I do not see myself breaking the "don't sell hens seperate" trend at all. Pairs or bust, I'm happy to keep extra girls. I can't wait to have land so I can just build a big chicken barn for anyone who isn't a breeder or sold. Easier to raise lots of them to age and I won't have to worry about the additional crowing. I'd keep a million roosters in the house if I could, but my fiance won't have it.

 

[DRGLENNON]

Thank you, I am feeling relieved. It would be a serious bummer if I couldn't hatch any of my own tiny eggs ; )

That would be a bummer. That's what I'm worried about. I'm setting my first Serama eggs Thursday. I hope they are fertile. It took my little cockerel awhile to charm one of the girls so I'm pretty sure her first few are not but the others should be. I hope.

 

[DRGLENNON]

I'm sorry to hear #15 passed, that's terrible Sorry for your loss. At least there are 14 other babies to love!

I'm worrying over one of the bantam cochins right now. They pipped at the pointy end at about midnight last night. I got in there around 3pm today and widened their pip a bit to make sure they can't lose it, then did a full artificial zip, shell only. I put them back to rest (accidentally pricked the membrane and got a drop of blood so it isn't like they were ready) and I'm hopeful they will kick free when they're ready. I hope that pale beak I see breathing at the pip means it's a lavender and not a lav split!

The roosters are difficult! I get tons of interest whenever I post an add, but no one ever shows up, to the tune of spending many hours on answering questions, taking photos, and maintaining communication for nadda even when it's a same day pick up arrangement. I don't get it! They love the birds so much that they will call me and tell me they want them and beg me not to sell them, then go completely radio silence on me. Once I have my breeders and can have a steady supply of hens merely because of hatching volume, I do not see myself breaking the "don't sell hens seperate" trend at all. Pairs or bust, I'm happy to keep extra girls. I can't wait to have land so I can just build a big chicken barn for anyone who isn't a breeder or sold. Easier to raise lots of them to age and I won't have to worry about the additional crowing. I'd keep a million roosters in the house if I could, but my fiance won't have it.

Good luck with your hatch. I'd be willing to help with that barn raising and you could help with mine. lol I wish I had that kinda room.

 

[darkbluespace]

That would be a bummer. That's what I'm worried about. I'm setting my first Serama eggs Thursday. I hope they are fertile. It took my little cockerel awhile to charm one of the girls so I'm pretty sure her first few are not but the others should be. I hope.

Well, the beauty of hatching your own eggs is that you get a lot of opportunities to try and figure out what works right for your particular eggs in your particular climate. It is also nice that they will often go broody and hatch some for you!

 

[darkbluespace]

I'm sorry to hear #15 passed, that's terrible Sorry for your loss. At least there are 14 other babies to love!

I'm worrying over one of the bantam cochins right now. They pipped at the pointy end at about midnight last night. I got in there around 3pm today and widened their pip a bit to make sure they can't lose it, then did a full artificial zip, shell only. I put them back to rest (accidentally pricked the membrane and got a drop of blood so it isn't like they were ready) and I'm hopeful they will kick free when they're ready. I hope that pale beak I see breathing at the pip means it's a lavender and not a lav split!

The roosters are difficult! I get tons of interest whenever I post an add, but no one ever shows up, to the tune of spending many hours on answering questions, taking photos, and maintaining communication for nadda even when it's a same day pick up arrangement. I don't get it! They love the birds so much that they will call me and tell me they want them and beg me not to sell them, then go completely radio silence on me. Once I have my breeders and can have a steady supply of hens merely because of hatching volume, I do not see myself breaking the "don't sell hens seperate" trend at all. Pairs or bust, I'm happy to keep extra girls. I can't wait to have land so I can just build a big chicken barn for anyone who isn't a breeder or sold. Easier to raise lots of them to age and I won't have to worry about the additional crowing. I'd keep a million roosters in the house if I could, but my fiance won't have it.

I hope your little cochin makes it.

I only have a couple little rooster inside and I am about ready to put them out... as soon as I figure out where...

 

[Skink]

I hope your little cochin makes it.

I only have a couple little rooster inside and I am about ready to put them out... as soon as I figure out where...

They made it! They are a little lavender! There's one 50/50 nailed, now on to hoping they hit the right sex. Hoping for her and the millie to be girls

 

[darkbluespace]

They made it! They are a little lavender! There's one 50/50 nailed, now on to hoping they hit the right sex. Hoping for her and the millie to be girls

Awesome... love lavender!!

 

[darkbluespace]

Oh I forgot, I got my very first turkey egg today! I have been waiting and waiting and today there was a lot of chatter. I thought something was up and there it was when I went out this evening.. so stoked to hatch some turkey eggs. This is a little hard to believe, but I need more incubators! I have my cabinet incubator full of duck eggs!

Maybe something like this would be big enough ; )
http://portland.craigslist.org/clk/for/4956143566.html