Uhoh. Abandoned serama chick.

[Badhbh]

Forgive any errors- typing one handed while cuddling a teaspoon sized chick.
One of our seramas laid eggs up in the loft somewhere, and we didn't realize it. One of the big girls went up and sat on them, hatching out two. One was malformed, and the other fell out of the loft. My husband found it and brought it in the house, upset and not knowing what to do - she was still wet. An incubator and 48 hours later, and shes standing up, walking, and yelling at us.

Now I haven't had chicks in years. Once my health started to go, we decided no more chicks, and intended to let the girls live out their years kid free. And then this lol. I no longer have a proper brooder or lamp, and its 2 weeks till payday. I've gotten her started on wet mash and water, but shes still living in the bator. She is super teeny so that might be ok until I can find something more suitable.

She will only stop peeping if I'm holding her. This wont work so well. I have to go pee some time. My questions are these:

• Will she be ok in the bator for a few days? Its an rcom, so I can set temp and humidity. 95 degrees and about 45% is what I have it on now.
• How does one deal with a chick that is solo? We don't even have a broody I can put her under.
• Am I going to be able to reintroduce her to gen-pop at some point?

Our Seramas up till now have been mama raised. Suggestions? I have heard the feather duster method, but don't have one at the moment. I can pillage the barn and search for feathers tomorrow.

Help. I'm way too rusty at this.

 

[Badhbh]

Fell asleep finally.

 

[Judy]

For the feather duster, some people use stuffed animals. I imagine something like a stuffed sock would work as well, especially if it's a little lumpy. You should be able to improvise something. However, at this point, the chick is probably imprinted on you.... For a brooder, if it were mine,. I'd just set a table lamp with an incandescent bulb over a cardboard box, or something similar. Actually I've done just that. Years, ago, we raised chicks in an outdoor brooder in cool weater under one 100 watt bulb. It certainly wasn't 95 degrees, but evidently it was warm enough. It will tolerate reducing the temp once it is fully dry, eating and drinking. In this weather it shouldn't need supplemental heat for long. It's much better for them to be a little cool than a little warm. The usual instruction is not to try integrating them into a mature flock until the chick has grown to adult size. But it should integrate with other chicks its size just fine for up to a month or so. Honestly, if it were mine, I'd either try to find someone who had new chicks to give it to, or try to find another chick for a companion. Good luck!

 

[Badhbh]

Thanks, Flock. I have a cat carrier with a mesh top that may work a bit better - we have cats. Good idea. I'm HOPING that someone goes broody in the next couple of days, and I can slip her in, but only one of the serama's ever goes broody. I have an isolation cage out in the barn that we use for various go-to-your-room uses. I'm thinking that I can use that as a midway when introducing her to the older ones. They have some pretty distinct cliques of their own. I so wish I still had silkies. One silkie would solve all of it lol.

 

[SD fun feathers]

I have been looking for someone who raises the little seramas. Can you give me any help??? Good luck with your little one...really cute!

 

[Badhbh]

Unless you're in Southern Indiana, I'm no help. I got these eggs shipped to me from a BYCer several years ago, and just kept them going on my own.

 

[SD fun feathers]

Ic, are they the very small ones? Do you know who may have some on here? Or where do I go to find someone.?.?. Sorry so new here!!!