when do you know?

[nataliewipf]

after serama chicks hatch how long before you can tell what the adult feathers will be/coloring will be?

i have 21 eggs due to hatch on the 11th and i have no idea what the parents looked like so the end result will officially be a christmas morning surprise!!!!!

 

[Ridgerunner]

I like those kinds of surprises. It's part of what makes a mixed flock fun.

The down will sort of give you an idea what the basic color will be like most of the time. But it doesn't give you details. You can often get what I'll call highlights that are different, often at the tail, neck, or wings. I've also had chicks with red down feather out black. You can get some real surprises.

You should see some feathers on the wings in just a few days. In a couple of weeks the body feathers should start showing up. Usually around 4 weeks they are fully feathered and you can pretty much tell what they will look like. They will go through a couple of juvenile molts as they outgrow their feathers and you can sometime see some changes, but these are usually pretty minor. So around 4 weeks you should have a good idea of what they will look like when mature..