The tiny serama; a Hatching adventure

[Antiocheggers]

Good Lord, that’s 115 degrees! I’d have a stroke…

Me and you both ! I can't handle 95 ° in Florida

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Spring's here . Proof in the form of Cruella's adoptive daughter faceplanting in the weeds:View attachment 3768900

We got down to -3°C last night here I suppose I shouldn't complain too much, though, that's still pretty warm for this time of year here.

 

[fluffycrow]

We got down to -3°C last night here I suppose I shouldn't complain too much, though, that's still pretty warm for this time of year here.

Oh no, that's very cold! Hugs from me and the birds to any peeps living in places where it gets cold

 

[Antiocheggers]

We got down to -3°C last night here I suppose I shouldn't complain too much, though, that's still pretty warm for this time of year here.

That's freezing here !

 

[2ndTink]

View attachment 3769254
That's freezing here !

Let me make it even colder for you, -3 C is 26.6 deg F I didn't mind the cold much with bigger animals but I sure worry about the chickens, they're so small

 

[fluffycrow]

View attachment 3769254
That's freezing here !

That's what I'm saying

 

[Antiocheggers]

Let me make it even colder for you, -3 C is 26.6 deg F I didn't mind the cold much with bigger animals but I sure worry about the chickens, they're so small

 

[fluffycrow]

OK welcome to fluffy's many rounds of hatching paranoia. Any and all hatching advice is hugely appreciated. Some questions to start it off. 1. When storing eggs, pointy side...? 2. When setting, pointy side down, but when putting them into lockdown, which way should I put the pointy side, down again? Last time I just set them on the hatching try, this time I'd like to try Pipd's way of putting them in a plastic egg carton, if I can find one. 3. Being that these guys are bantams, serama no less, do I need to candle on a different day? Actually, scratch that. Is candling them at all going to decrease the hatch rate by a 0.0000 something percent?

 

[2ndTink]

OK welcome to fluffy's many rounds of hatching paranoia. Any and all hatching advice is hugely appreciated. Some questions to start it off. 1. When storing eggs, pointy side...? 2. When setting, pointy side down, but when putting them into lockdown, which way should I put the pointy side, down again? Last time I just set them on the hatching try, this time I'd like to try Pipd's way of putting them in a plastic egg carton, if I can find one. 3. Being that these guys are bantams, serama no less, do I need to candle on a different day? Actually, scratch that. Is candling them at all going to decrease the hatch rate by a 0.0000 something percent?

Here are my thoughts:
1. Store pointy side down, giving a gently twist once a day and then alternating which end of the carton is propped up twice / day, store 55 to 60 deg, I hatched 2 1/2 to 3 wk old eggs like this.
2. My last hatch I had incubated pointy side down, I laid all eggs on their sides except the shipped eggs at lockdown, I put them in the cartons. I had one of mine not hatch and 1 shipped egg not hatch and 1 shipped egg pip the wrong end. So, I've done both, I think I will do the same again, local and my eggs will be laid down, shipped eggs in a carton. With the bantam eggs, you can get a happy medium as you can set them upright but a bit reclined. Have the lowest point of the air cell facing up. 3. In my limited experience the bantams can hatch early so that would point to quick development. I don't know of if it would harm them. I've stopped candling, like picking them up and candling, until D7, and even then, if I can touch a flashlight to the top of the egg and easily see growth, I don't pick it up. I don't know if this makes any difference but I'm really worried about harming the embryos. If I'm unsure on an egg, I'm still picking it up and gently taking a better look.

 

[Debbie292d]

The time has arrived, and you don't know how happy I am! Lady Gaga is back in with his serama girls!



I watched them carefully until I made sure he bred all of them, to avoid any potential discrimination when it comes to which girl gets to feed.



The plan is this: wait 2 more weeks for them to settle into a routine, have many successful matings, and give some more time for the girls to really up their laying game, after a winter of not laying anything. Then, for ten days I will be collecting eggs. Hopefully we reach at least 20 eggs, but my guess is around 15 or less (oh well, the pain of only having three serama pullets). That should bring us to about the middle of the first week of April, at which point I'll be setting eggs in my incubator, lovingly called Electric Lady. That's about it!

@TwoCrows @WoDia @tlcmurphy @2ndTink @Debbie292d @CoopBoots @Antiocheggers @SwampPrincessChick @Sally PB @Chive @ElfenLied89 @GreenJay @LTAY1946 @EEforMe come join peeps! I bet I've forgotten a bunch of you, so sincere apologies if I have

Albeit a short stint with a RIR and 3 Speckled Sussex, I have stayed solely with silkies and trying to upgrade my flock to being the most beautiful yard ornaments I can have.

That said, I've seen Seramas at the poultry swap every year and became enamored with them. I have a local "friend" that raises them too. If I were EVER to get another breed around here, it would be Seramas.

Thank you for the tag and I look forward to drooling often.