Serama Hatch-A-Long!!

[Bryam]

Thank you . Do you mind posting any pictures of your birds? I would love to see them.

Thanks! He had a fit and then he seemed to calm down!

 

[shahtir101]

Thanks! He had a fit and then he seemed to calm down!

I'm glad he settled down.

Seems like he must have had a little temper tantrum. haha

 

[formerchickenlass]

I just sold a bunch of pairs and lost some to a family of raccoons : ( Everyone is a bit stressed right now.

Aww, that's heartbreaking news, I'm so sorry to hear that.

 

[formerchickenlass]

My Serama chicks are 5 days old and their is one that is highly aggressive. He has pecked at one of the Serama chicks eye so much it is bleeding. He goes around ripping the feather from the other chicks heads. What should I do??

I had a roo chick do the same thing recently. Pecked one at the eye and was just bullying everyone. That said, he's the sweetest roo in the hand. Go figure. I've currently got him in with 3 larger fowl chicks and he's fine. I tried moving him back with the serama chicks today and it was nuts. Back with the big chicks he went. Those big ones will go outside in a few weeks tho, I'll have to figure out something else for him then.

To the more experienced breeders, do you keep all your chicks together or separate by sex?

 

[Bryam]

I had a roo chick do the same thing recently. Pecked one at the eye and was just bullying everyone. That said, he's the sweetest roo in the hand. Go figure. I've currently got him in with 3 larger fowl chicks and he's fine. I tried moving him back with the serama chicks today and it was nuts. Back with the big chicks he went. Those big ones will go outside in a few weeks tho, I'll have to figure out something else for him then. 

To the more experienced breeders, do you keep all your chicks together or separate by sex? 

Interesting! I had a similar situation! Only it started with an eye infection and then all the chicks started attacking this one poor chick and then each other, so I separated the chick with the eye infection and everybody settled down! I also hatched my first naked necked silkie!!

Boy I had a poor hatch rate from my 15 fertile Serama eggs only 7 hatched and I had to help 4 out! They pipped and never zipped and it was a gewey mess! I had to eventually rinse sticky yolky guck off of their backs and butts. What went wrong?? Was my humidity too high? It was 45 most of the incubation. Never had so many chicks die in the shells around day 16-18. Serama chicks certainly are a challenge to hatch and then keep alive!

Can anybody identify how to tell if a Serama chick is silkied, frizzled or straight feathered?

Thanks!

 

[formerchickenlass]

Interesting! I had a similar situation! Only it started with an eye infection and then all the chicks started attacking this one poor chick and then each other, so I separated the chick with the eye infection and everybody settled down! I also hatched my first naked necked silkie!!

Boy I had a poor hatch rate from my 15 fertile Serama eggs only 7 hatched and I had to help 4 out! They pipped and never zipped and it was a gewey mess! I had to eventually rinse sticky yolky guck off of their backs and butts. What went wrong?? Was my humidity too high? It was 45 most of the incubation. Never had so many chicks die in the shells around day 16-18. Serama chicks certainly are a challenge to hatch and then keep alive!

Can anybody identify how to tell if a Serama chick is silkied, frizzled or straight feathered?

Thanks!

Hi Byram, I can tell around a week in whether they are normal or silkie feathered. The silkie feathering comes in differently. At first it sort of looks as if those chicks aren't feathering in as quickly as their mates. As the feathers grow longer they stay narrow and like streamers rather than spreading out like a normal feather. Mine get some semi-normal feathers too on wings and tail but they're shredded at the ends.

Here's a two week old silkied:


I don't have any frizzles but I've seen frizzle cochin chicks and again you could tell around 1 week old, the feathers were curling outward noticeably. I don't think you can get any frizzles though if none of your breeders are frizzles. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

I'm on day 16 of my current batch of eggs. I set 23 and so far have 17 left. I've been hand turning and haven't missed a turn, haven't goofed up humidity... I think seramas are just really hard to hatch. Even my broody serama only hatched 4 of 7 eggs I gave her. There are just so many variables... I think data can be collected and the process can be optimized but as newbies starting out, neither of us should feel too bad about hatching ~50% of the eggs we set. Anyway, my first hatch I got 50% and my second I only hatched 2 of 34 eggs so if this next hatch I get 50% again I'll be pleased. And I'll be stopping for the winter because this is way too many chicks to have at once!

I have some die late in the incubation but haven't yet had any that pipped but didn't zip. At day 17 I set my eggs large end upright in turning racks for quail eggs. I bought the ones for the Little Giant turner and cut them to fit inside my Brinsea. It might be something to try if you keep having no zippers.

How long do you give them to zip after pipping before helping out?

 

[Bryam]

Hi Byram, I can tell around a week in whether they are normal or silkie feathered. The silkie feathering comes in differently. At first it sort of looks as if those chicks aren't feathering in as quickly as their mates. As the feathers grow longer they stay narrow and like streamers rather than spreading out like a normal feather. Mine get some semi-normal feathers too on wings and tail but they're shredded at the ends. Here's a two week old silkied: I don't have any frizzles but I've seen frizzle cochin chicks and again you could tell around 1 week old, the feathers were curling outward noticeably. I don't think you can get any frizzles though if none of your breeders are frizzles. Someone correct me if I'm wrong. I'm on day 16 of my current batch of eggs. I set 23 and so far have 17 left. I've been hand turning and haven't missed a turn, haven't goofed up humidity... I think seramas are just really hard to hatch. Even my broody serama only hatched 4 of 7 eggs I gave her. There are just so many variables... I think data can be collected and the process can be optimized but as newbies starting out, neither of us should feel too bad about hatching ~50% of the eggs we set. Anyway, my first hatch I got 50% and my second I only hatched 2 of 34 eggs so if this next hatch I get 50% again I'll be pleased. And I'll be stopping for the winter because this is way too many chicks to have at once! I have some die late in the incubation but haven't yet had any that pipped but didn't zip. At day 17 I set my eggs large end upright in turning racks for quail eggs. I bought the ones for the Little Giant turner and cut them to fit inside my Brinsea. It might be something to try if you keep having no zippers. How long do you give them to zip after pipping before helping out?

I usually help on day 21, about 20 hours after the first ones hatch. Especially if I see they had pipped at the same time!

 

[darkbluespace]

Thank you

. Do you mind posting any pictures of your birds? I would love to see them.

Here are a few of my boys... the last two have grown up to be beautiful guys, black and brown crele/barred coloring.







Some of the hens I lost : ( but I have their daughters and a couple of them are tiny frizzles...





I have a few dominant white hens that I think I will put with a couple frizzled roos so at least half the white chicks will be frizzled : )

 

[darkbluespace]

I had a roo chick do the same thing recently. Pecked one at the eye and was just bullying everyone. That said, he's the sweetest roo in the hand. Go figure. I've currently got him in with 3 larger fowl chicks and he's fine. I tried moving him back with the serama chicks today and it was nuts. Back with the big chicks he went. Those big ones will go outside in a few weeks tho, I'll have to figure out something else for him then.

To the more experienced breeders, do you keep all your chicks together or separate by sex?

I keep all my chicks together. I have noticed that the pullets raised without roosters are much less tolerant of them later. I really can't blame them, but I do want my eggs fertilized.

 

[darkbluespace]

Aww, that's heartbreaking news, I'm so sorry to hear that.

Thank you, it was a rough week. Just when I thought it was all over I lost my most beautiful Silkies that were only 5- 6 months old, so no eggs yet.

I think I have everyone locked down, of course I thought I did before too. I still have my Silkie showgirls and a few black Silkies and one paint left, so I am lucky. I will just have to hatch some for new years.