Tiny Seramas

ZZs I forgot to tell you, remember I just sent you a pic of my roo Starburst. Well yesterday I went in to seed all the birds and he was lying stone dead in his cage. I examined him and it looked like he just layed down and went to sleep. Nothing disturbed in the cage and no marks on him anywhere. I hate losing him as he was the only one with four colors like that...Hay

How very sad!

So Sorry Hay!

Oh I'm so sorry Haystack! He was so beautiful.. well, you gave him a good life for the short time you had him.

I have lost two of my hens in the last three weeks,not a clue as to what happened to them unless they were wore out from laying as they are the sex-link breed and were three years old.

I hate it when one dies and you never know why. It's always sad but the not-knowing makes it worse.

Soo sad!!! Did you by any chance have a sudden drop in temperature?

I'm so sorry to hear that, Hay! Gosh it's hard to lose these guys. Who knew it was possible to get so attached to our chickens?

Hi Eufaula, No, no real change in temps and all the others in the coop are doing fine. The only recent change for him was I gave him two girls for which he appeared happy about, and they were mating and the girls acted as though they were happy to have him in with them. At first I thought maybe they had attacked him but there were so signs of that at all. He was just eight months old. Thats a first for me to lose one like that. He was very active and a beautiful bird. I know birds can have heart attacks and the such so I take it as one of those things that are internal and thats just the way it is...Hay

So sorry you guys lost birds. It's such a hard thing and worse if you can't figure out why. I lost a couple and did necropsies on them. One was snake bit but i never did figure out what happened to the other one. Makes you worry for a while that you may start to lose them all to some kind of silent killer.

Those SLs are laying machines. My Mom had a few that were 5 or 6 years old and still laying when she gave them to my aunt. They still lay for her too. LOL I had 4 of the BSLs and was anxiously awaiting them to start laying. Then the stray dog episode took place. Lost them all. Found 1 the next day with a bad wound on her breast. no skin left on it. I thought sure only a miracle would save her with a wound like that. I just knew infection would set in and it was right at the height of fly season. I put her in a VERY small cage and doctored her as best i knew how. Gave her a few doses of antibiotic. Couldn't find my chicken antibiotic so I gave her horse penicillin. I also sprayed her wound with "purple spray" and kept it coated with sulphuer salve. Long story short (if it's not too late :) ) I got my fist egg from Miracle a few days ago. She has healed completely. One of the other SLs ended up in my neighbor's yard across the road and i was able to catch her. Never did find the other 2 and some of my EE crosses.

Those Seramas are too cute. I think jaughnty (sp?) describes them well.
I have a small Bantam roo and a couple hens but they are way bigger than those little guys. My roo was bred down from a Blue Spanish Muff fighting cock. I have never seen another bantam like him. He has a rose comb. I'll try to find a pic of him to post. He is a cocky little rascal. :)

Are the lavenders seramas? I love the color, I wouldn't care what kind of bird it was. I understand the orpingtons come in lavender.

Went back and looked at the lavender hen. She is a beauty. Is she an Ameracauna?

Yes, Cajun, they are Ameraucana. I have bantam and large fowl.. I really love em!

I have a new baby to go in with the 2... The mom laid eggs for days and days after the first one was already broody.. I could get babiez for days... LOL I hope not.. I don't want anymore till the weather changes and they can stay with the broody. I had to find out what these would look like though.. it was a question of keeping the roo or not.. which I can't see me letting him go.. no matter what he throws!

ZZ how wonderful you saved that horse. He sounds like a fun one to have lol

Hay I am so sorry. I hate not knowing what happend.

I think the Sermas are beautiful too but no more room for new breeds. DH is going to blow his top when he finds out he is going to have to build another pen for the D'Uccles and Polish. I am going to use my grandsons swing we built out of 4 x 4's they never use when they are here. Cartoons, computer, and going out in the boat is all they want to do.
The Coronation, Lights, and Splits Sussex will be going into the Marans coop & run. Also plan to get some Speckled Sussex Hens too that will go in with them

Make a pen out of a swing? This I've got to see!

Donna, Oh boy do I know what you mean. I have spent so much time and money building swing set's and club houses for the kids and all they want to do is ride the quads and play on the computer...Kids!!!!!!!!!But I sure do love having them around...Hay

As the lavender trait is recessive it is possible to have lavenders appear when both parents are carrying it - hidden by other colors. I'd love to see a picture.

Haystack, Do you think that your Starburst was with his ladies long enough to give you some of his fertile eggs? He is still here if that is true! You may get a new little Starburst with another incu hatching then!

I have a bantam hen going broody. I keep taking her egg. No chicks now!

Now there are 3.. :) I'm still keeping my fingers crossed for Struggles, the lil cripple.. The newest chick is the lightest color.. So I have a large dark, a medium light brown partridge color and a very blonde teeny tiny.. ;)

ROFL Hay. The one here is just a stand up swing, tire swing, and regular swing. But they got the one with Club House and all the extras for Christmas last year. I found great plans on line and bought all the swing items piece by piece over the year. In Nov. I bought all the wood needed, screws, nuts, and bolts and delivered too DD. Told her you and your friends will be building this for the boys for Christmas lol and handed her the directions. Save me $1000 from what they sell for at Lowes and is bigger and better. If I had quads they won't even be on the puter lol

Yes PP it will be a large A-Frame coop & run, you know like the chicken tractors but twice as tall. It is made from 4 x 4's not metal swingset. It shouldn't take me but 3 sheets of OMI board(chip board) because I want the coop wall to run to the ground to I have a dry area for feeder. 4' will be covered and 4' will be open air and 1 maybe 1 1/2 rolls wire.

Scratch her being a lavender I took a good look at her, she has a black head and darker tail feathers. She has settled in the big mutt pen with everyone, now if she would start laying again, I would be happy.

Good question Eufaula, The answer is yes, I took four eggs from one of the new hens that he was with just before he died. They have been in the bator now for five days so time will tell. The problem really is that as you know they don't often throw those same colors. We'll just have to wait and see...Hay

Eufaula have you lost any of your roo's or has it just been hens?

MsJestr, she is a blue. I didn't want to pipe in and say she wasn't lavender, but I didn't think a lavender would come up at random.. The blues are just as pretty, and in some cases, more so.
So she is a beautiful blue EE and sounds like a real winner!

That's cool Haystack.. chances are good you will get one, and even if you don't... the genes are there and may come out somewhere else.
I got a Lois look alike from one of her babiez.. I'm so glad.. I loved Lois so much! Now she is safe and warm at Catsy's house. :)

Oh ZZ please feel free to pop up at any time.... Oh Great wise Lady....

Hay, I lost the first three Serama babies within 3 days of each other when they turned 4 weeks old , last spring. So I m not sure if they were roos or pullets. Then two Hens to Predators, then the little Hen last night to unknown causes.
I traded three of my Spring hatch Roos for three new blood strain roos, selling one . That leaves me with two young Roos and one old man...( still the tiniest and the best). the old lady ( Chickopea) Who hasnt given me anything but infertile marble sized eggs since Spring..... (Mother of the Three that died ) She is also an A sized Hen, which tells me a lot. She was I believe a show Hen, she is table trained and will pose, not flighty and lovesto be held, definitely a keeper , but obviously no breeder.
I have 2 Snow White baby Pullets in the Brooder, but I dont like their backs so far..... look too long. Hopefully as they mature they will upright more!

I have read that Seramas carry what was referred to as a "diluted lethal gene" which accounts for failure to hatch or death in the first 24 hours. I wonder if there is another that gets them at a later date? Since the gene pool is so small a recessive trait would be paired frequently.

Sounds like Mareck's to me... or maby Cocci? Either way, it's terribly sad, and I'm sorry for your loss Eufaula.
You can loose them quick to Cocci when they are moved outside from a brooder. That is another reason I always put a clump of grass with dirt and roots in the brooder.. it helps to expose them a little.. I don't have problems with Cocci or pasty butt at all since I started doing that.

You are such a love MsJestr..:)

That is true Porkpal, even some that pip very small will sometimes die before hatch. Most that die before hatch seem to do so in the very last 2-3 days before hatch. After you examine the egg enough times you can become very good at seeing just what is happening. Any eggs that don't hatch I go into the egg to see what has taken place and before long you become really good at understanding whats going on...Some don't yet really know about the lethal gene and think they are doing something wrong but it's not what there doing it's in the genes...Hay

I agree to a point... I haven't had much more loss in Seramas than I did any other breed.. (in home laid eggs) The lethal gene is from the Japanese Bantam that was used in the development of the breed, and is indeed distant by now.

I am having problems with this batch because the hens started laying and brooding almost immediately.. I should have never allowed that. I know they need to lay a few months to get their cycle going before using them for hatching. I've seen deformities and problems in hatching eggs from a newly laying hen before. I will not do that again. If I didn't intervene this time, I would have lost all of them.

Heres my little old Lady "Chickopea". Im afraid she is a waste of laying mash! Since none of her babies ever live and now she isnt laying anything but "marbles". ( Sorry didnt mean to scare any body----really bad photo)

So Im down to this Little Pullet, ( yep those are Guineas with her) and I have two too many Roos now! This little girl and her sister ( the one that died this week ) raised these two guineas from the time they were a week old.

Here is the Roo that will father every baby I get this coming Spring! I even have two baby Girls that are all white growing to add to his Harem!

One thig about "Chicopea" She did make a fantastic Broody! Plus she is so affectionate! A great Pet!
Hmmmmm, I'm thinking about making a pair of earrings out of her eggs! LOL!!

wow those eggs are tiny

Donna normally her eggs would be the size of Quarters.

Here is "Green Leg", I hope she grows out of this long back! So far she doesnt stand straight up at all.

ZZ and Hay , please post some photos of your youngsters . I would really love to see what I need to look for!

Those look like parakeet eggs.

Eufaula, I love that pic with you and Chicopea. Two very pretty ladies I might add. I have some eggs from some of my seramas that are only half that size. Even if she is only a pet she has great value. I'll take some pic's tomorrow and post the youngsters so you can see what I have...Hay P.S. that long back bird will not change and I would refrain from breeding her. Unfortunately she is a cull bird that I would only keep as a pet or I'd get rid of her so she doesn't accidentally get bred...