Serama Hatch-A-Long!!

[Naliez]

It's day 6 here on my incubation. Things are looking pretty great so far. Out of 12 serama eggs, 11 have veins and there was one blood ring egg, which I tossed.

Of the non-serama eggs, a few looked like they may have veins, others looked clear and one (an ee egg) was too dark to see anything. It's a lot harder to see what's going on in those large brown eggs so I left everything in besides the blood ring egg. 

Humidity is looking good. I've been keeping it around 54-55rh. I calculated for a weight loss of 13.5% by day 19 and so far the weight is on track, whew!  

I can hardly wait for hatch day(s)!

Sounds like a great start! Are the Serama eggs yours, or did you order them?

 

[formerchickenlass]

Sounds like a great start! Are the Serama eggs yours, or did you order them?

They're mine. I'm totally new to this, just purchased a small flock (5 girls and 1 roo) two weeks ago. Collected their first dozen eggs, bought an incubator and put them in.

 

[darkbluespace]

It's day 6 here on my incubation. Things are looking pretty great so far. Out of 12 serama eggs, 11 have veins and there was one blood ring egg, which I tossed.

Of the non-serama eggs, a few looked like they may have veins, others looked clear and one (an ee egg) was too dark to see anything. It's a lot harder to see what's going on in those large brown eggs so I left everything in besides the blood ring egg.

Humidity is looking good. I've been keeping it around 54-55rh. I calculated for a weight loss of 13.5% by day 19 and so far the weight is on track, whew!

I can hardly wait for hatch day(s)!

I am so glad your eggs are doing so well! That is exciting!

I haven't candled my girl's eggs... haven't braved the blackberries, but I did take her food and water today. I assumed she's been getting off the nest to eat, but I haven't seen her do it. She ate a whole bowl of food so maybe not. I'll have to keep a better eye on her. I'd like to get her out of that spot but I'd have to cut her out after dark ; ) She did pick a protected spot!

 

[formerchickenlass]

I am so glad your eggs are doing so well! That is exciting!

I haven't candled my girl's eggs... haven't braved the blackberries, but I did take her food and water today. I assumed she's been getting off the nest to eat, but I haven't seen her do it. She ate a whole bowl of food so maybe not. I'll have to keep a better eye on her. I'd like to get her out of that spot but I'd have to cut her out after dark ; ) She did pick a protected spot!

Smart henny. I don't know a lot about broodies. Started reading up on it last night as we have a girl who was hanging out in the nest box all day/night. She came out this morning when I brought treats so I'm not sure whether she is feeling some kind of motherly way. There weren't any eggs in the nest either (I usually have one or two girls who lay by this time in the morning). I'm not sure what's going on.

Back to incubation, do you (or Naliez) do anything to orient your eggs upward for hatching? On an old SCNA forum post Jerry mentioned using the turning racks in his hovabator to set the eggs large end up for the hatching so the chicks position and pip correctly. I'm using a brinsea so it has these rail things instead. I'm wondering whether I should buy some turning racks for a different incubator and try cutting them to fit mine (assuming they're larger since those incubators hold more eggs). Or maybe there's another material that'd be okay to use?

 

[darkbluespace]

Smart henny. I don't know a lot about broodies. Started reading up on it last night as we have a girl who was hanging out in the nest box all day/night. She came out this morning when I brought treats so I'm not sure whether she is feeling some kind of motherly way. There weren't any eggs in the nest either (I usually have one or two girls who lay by this time in the morning). I'm not sure what's going on.

Back to incubation, do you (or Naliez) do anything to orient your eggs upward for hatching? On an old SCNA forum post Jerry mentioned using the turning racks in his hovabator to set the eggs large end up for the hatching so the chicks position and pip correctly. I'm using a brinsea so it has these rail things instead. I'm wondering whether I should buy some turning racks for a different incubator and try cutting them to fit mine (assuming they're larger since those incubators hold more eggs). Or maybe there's another material that'd be okay to use?

Since you have a Brinsea and they are already upright, I wouldn't worry about doing anything else at all. Curiously, the only people I ever hear who have Seramas popping out of their shells are usually hatching in a Brinsea.

Seramas are seriously broody birds. Hanging out in the nest box day and night is a good indicator even if they don't have eggs. They should get up daily for food, etc. so if she goes right back to the nest she probably is going broody. I give, or try to give my broody a private area to sit on their eggs with their own food and water so that other birds aren't laying eggs on theirs and disturbing her. I move them and their eggs at night and that usually works. I also like to have that private area near/in the coop so that when chicks are born they integrate right into the flock. Although, these days I have so many birds that I usually leave the broody in the coop and let her do her thing, but mark the eggs so I know which ones she is sitting on.

 

[formerchickenlass]

We checked our eggs again last night. Removed several backyard hen eggs that were clear and 1 serama egg that looked to have died sometime after our last check. We're down to 3 backyard hen eggs (1 full cochin, 1 cochin/buff orp and 1 unknown) and 10 serama eggs. Weight is still on track.

In the meantime we brought our broody serama hen Charlotte in the house and she's now sitting on 7 eggs. Such morning grumps when she comes out to eat!

 

[Naliez]

So... I'm pretty sure that I hatched 6 Serama pullets and one cockerel. What are the chances?!

 

[darkbluespace]

So... I'm pretty sure that I hatched 6 Serama pullets and one cockerel. What are the chances?!

It can happen, just thank your lucky stars : ) From my own birds, I have had hatches where I got four or five pullets and one or no roosters but then my hen hatched out 4 roosters and just one pullet. From my own eggs, I find it usually evens out eventually. Funny, the girls that are raised without a rooster don't have much tolerance for them! I really can't blame them.

 

[darkbluespace]

We checked our eggs again last night. Removed several backyard hen eggs that were clear and 1 serama egg that looked to have died sometime after our last check. We're down to 3 backyard hen eggs (1 full cochin, 1 cochin/buff orp and 1 unknown) and 10 serama eggs. Weight is still on track.

In the meantime we brought our broody serama hen Charlotte in the house and she's now sitting on 7 eggs. Such morning grumps when she comes out to eat!

How many days left do you have?

I have two chicks hatching under my little broody and three more eggs. I am hoping for 4 or 5 because someone wants to buy a couple but I want my hen to have at least 2.

 

[BBQJOE]

I have never heard of the Serama before. After doing some image search, I have to say between the PHX and the Serama, it's a real toss up!