I have to build up my flock of Seramas (or "ayam cantik") again after losing 5 of them to a python last month. I have always hatched my chicks naturally. Serama hens always go broody after laying around 9 or 10 eggs. However, this time I have to let a first time hen sit on the eggs. My reliable hens died last month because of that python.
The picture above is the latest addition to my flock - a 5 week old baby chick. I was hoping for more but things were just not meant to be. The hen laid a total of 7 eggs, but I removed 3 as I noticed that the hen had trouble sitting on all 7 eggs. Of the 4 eggs, only 2 hatched and only 1 chick survived. The other chick had trouble breaking out from its shell. I tried helping but the chick was just too weak. The lone surviving chick actually looks a little weak too during the first 7 days. But luckily it survived.
In the past, I let the chicks roam freely around the back garden with the mother hen. But this time, I am caging it up in a 1.5 feet x 3 feet cage. My baby chicks have actually gone missing before previously due to rats, stray cats and maybe even snakes. I will let the chick roam freely once it is bigger.
4 days ago, another hen has just started sitting on 6 eggs. I hope I have more success this time and perhaps more hens too. We keep the serama for eggs and nothing else. Their eggs are a little small but I find the seramas easier to keep. They seldom fall ill and appear to have a longer life span.
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