Serama pair lives inside my house, sitting in a clutch...questions!

[PhotoMom]

Hey everyone! I've been a lurker for a long time, but I haven't posted very much.

I'm not new to raising poultry, but I've always kept them outdoors.
I bought a pair of young (about a year old) Seramas last year. They are of course smaller than my tiniest bantams, and since they were used to living indoors, I created an enclosure for them in my house. They had already hatched one clutch at their old house, but I was told that after she incubated them like a champ, she killed them at 3 days old (part of me winners if it might have been the roo?).

A few months ago the hen laid eggs, but unfortunately due to abnormal circumstances, I never wrote down the date that she started sitting on the eggs so I had no idea when the three weeks (or so) was up. I candled them a couple times and they looked good, but, since I'm used to letting mother nature take care of everything I wasn't sure of the ages (even though I used every chart I could find). She sat on them for way beyond three weeks (likely 5. Eww)! The eggs didn't make it, and like I said there were extraordinary circumstances in my life so I didn't even do an eggtopsy.

Anyway, Miss Bennett and Mr Darcy created a new clutch of eggs, and miss Bennett started sitting on them on 6/5/15.

Whenever they are separated they get very stressed out, so Mr Darcy is still in the enclosure along with miss Bennett.

I'm an avid researcher and have not found much on this subject so I'm hoping to hear opinions/suggestions on this.

I only plan on candling the eggs around day 10 and 18. When I do candle them should I mark them? I know that's needed in outdoor situations where other hens might add, or take away, from the clutch randomly.

I've read that a mama that kills her chicks will likely always do it. Do you agree? I plan on taking the chicks away at one day old, just in case (I've always got at least one brooder going, so no worries there).

The Seramas currently drink from a small animal water bottle. I know the tiny chicks will need to drink from a chick waterer (at least in the beginning), but do you think I should've had a dish of water in their enclosure last time? I'm wondering if mama wasn't able to provide enough humidity for the eggs? (Everyone told me it was "fine" last time, but the eggs seemed to be around 18-19 days gestation when I candled them, and they never hatched...possibly eggbound due to low humidity?)

Also, what is your opinion on keeping Mr Darcy in the enclosure with the very broody miss Bennett? Should I risk stressing them out by separating them?

I plan on letting her do her thing for the most part. I'm just concerned in this situation because she has no access to outdoors to wet her tummy, etc, if needed, like the outdoor flock has.

Any other advice? Thank you so much in advance!!

 

[nchls school]

Hey everyone! I've been a lurker for a long time, but I haven't posted very much.

I'm not new to raising poultry, but I've always kept them outdoors.
I bought a pair of young (about a year old) Seramas last year. They are of course smaller than my tiniest bantams, and since they were used to living indoors, I created an enclosure for them in my house. They had already hatched one clutch at their old house, but I was told that after she incubated them like a champ, she killed them at 3 days old (part of me winners if it might have been the roo?).

A few months ago the hen laid eggs, but unfortunately due to abnormal circumstances, I never wrote down the date that she started sitting on the eggs so I had no idea when the three weeks (or so) was up. I candled them a couple times and they looked good, but, since I'm used to letting mother nature take care of everything I wasn't sure of the ages (even though I used every chart I could find). She sat on them for way beyond three weeks (likely 5. Eww)! The eggs didn't make it, and like I said there were extraordinary circumstances in my life so I didn't even do an eggtopsy.

Anyway, Miss Bennett and Mr Darcy created a new clutch of eggs, and miss Bennett started sitting on them on 6/5/15.

Whenever they are separated they get very stressed out, so Mr Darcy is still in the enclosure along with miss Bennett.

I'm an avid researcher and have not found much on this subject so I'm hoping to hear opinions/suggestions on this.

I only plan on candling the eggs around day 10 and 18. When I do candle them should I mark them? I know that's needed in outdoor situations where other hens might add, or take away, from the clutch randomly.

I've read that a mama that kills her chicks will likely always do it. Do you agree? I plan on taking the chicks away at one day old, just in case (I've always got at least one brooder going, so no worries there).

The Seramas currently drink from a small animal water bottle. I know the tiny chicks will need to drink from a chick waterer (at least in the beginning), but do you think I should've had a dish of water in their enclosure last time? I'm wondering if mama wasn't able to provide enough humidity for the eggs? (Everyone told me it was "fine" last time, but the eggs seemed to be around 18-19 days gestation when I candled them, and they never hatched...possibly eggbound due to low humidity?)

Also, what is your opinion on keeping Mr Darcy in the enclosure with the very broody miss Bennett? Should I risk stressing them out by separating them?

I plan on letting her do her thing for the most part. I'm just concerned in this situation because she has no access to outdoors to wet her tummy, etc, if needed, like the outdoor flock has.

Any other advice? Thank you so much in advance!!

I know of no reason why the eggs should be marked. I really wonder about the hen killing the chick at three days of age. Killing the chicks usually happens as soon as they hatch. I would leave the chicks with the hen and watch VERY carefully. The hen's body provides the moisture that is needed. I don't think a dish of water in the enclosure would do anything as far as humidity. Consider putting the rooster where the family can see each other but so the rooster has no physical contact with the chicks. Make sure your water dish is not too deep; possibly put marbles in it so the chicks can't be hurt by being drowned or getting wet and chilled.