When to lock down Serama eggs?

[bayoublues]

We have been incubating our Serama eggs for a couple of months now and currently have a batch on day 4. We have been uncertain about what day is best for lockdown. We have varied between day 16 & 17 [or 2-3 days before they're due] and we've had some mixed results. We apparently have a roo and hens with the short leg issue so we've actually been given some eggs from an acquaintance to help remove that genetic issue with fresh genes from the longer leg Seramas.

Anyway, I'm just hoping to get some input on when it's best to lock down our Serama eggs. I'm not sure if there's a Serama-specific forum but if there is I haven't been able to find it yet, if there is one, I'd appreciate a heads' up on where to find it.

Best of luck to everyone incubating and hatching right now!

 

[ChickenCanoe]

You can 'lock down' any time after two weeks. It won't hurt to stop turning early since the first two weeks is critical for turning but later they are moving into hatching position. If weight loss/air cell size is appropriate, all you have to do is raise humidity by day 16.

This is what I found for Serama threads.
Search results for query: serama | BackYard Chickens - Learn How to Raise Chickens

 

[bayoublues]

I meant to write this last night but got sidetracked. I just wanted to thank you for your response and let you know I appreciated your help!

I am not sure what is the best day for us because we have had a number of chicks that we've lost because of being malpositioned for hatching time, which caused them to struggle and stress, though I did manage to assist one and save the little cutie when I discovered that he/she had pipped and attempted to zip in the completely wrong area.

I just did a little assisting according to the thread on here, which was very helpful because I didn't want to cause harm, rather than help the chick. After just a bit of help with the zip the chick emerged healthy, albeit quite exhausted as it had been struggling for some time.

Anyway, sorry for the long aside, I just wanted to thank you.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Malposition can be from a number of causes. Those being: improper turning, eggs set small end up or horizontally, high or low temperature, high humidity, round eggs, old breeders, delayed embryo development, old breeders and nutritional deficiencies - especially vitamins A and B12.

Seramas have inherited a gene that causes developmental problems namely causing the embryonic legs to be short and not allow them to move into hatching position. You should expect a quarter or more of eggs not to hatch.

 

[Tonyroo]

I recently hatched mine out last week, 7 out of 18 eggs hatched, half was infertile. They went into lockdown on day 17 and all 7 hatched on day 20. I did turn them 3 times a day and candled them on day 7, 14, 17. Oh and I was using my forced air DIY incubator.