I was reading the Poultry Press the other day and in one column the writer was confessing that she has NES or Next Egg Syndrome - Each egg is sort of like a little gift or surprise - you never know what might pop out - so you just keep putting them in the incubator. I have next egg syndrome too, especially since the Seramas come in an endless variety of colors and patterns- but I really have to stop collecting eggs for hatching because I can really only handle about twenty new chicks at a time. And my hens are starting to set. One after the other. I have a D'uccle hen setting on six Serama eggs in the shop. I have a wheaton Serama hen sitting on three eggs in a separate pen, and Queenie, one of my first Serama hens, just plopped herself in a nest and started sitting on one egg. I saw her there in a nest today and then I found two more eggs in a seperate nest and stuck them under her.
Thats it! so help me. I have eight hatched out so far. 15 in the incubator, and 12 under hens. I don't expect all to hatch
.
I bought three new roosters this year, and two new hens. I wanted to try them out before fall just to see what they might produce. I had to throw out at least two dozen eggs that were not fertile, and I was beginning to wonder what was wrong.The new small black /silver rooster didn't produce any fertile eggs, so I gave up on him and moved him to a pen by himself. He is the only black Serama I have. I have never had a black chick so far, but the other day, SURPRISE! a small black chick, with a black bill and black legs hatched. Where did he come from? Good thing I write on each egg as I collect them- the date I pick the egg up, the parents - if I know -the date it goes in the incubator- the 18th day -the 21st day- and the slot where it is placed in the incubator. Each egg has written on it all the info I need in case it gets misplaced. And this chick hatched from the only fertile egg that this black rooster produced - I didn't even know he had a fertile egg. But his name is on it! So he can do it. So thank goodness for next egg syndrome. YEA! I was beginning to wonder. A real surprise popped out of that egg!
Do you subscribe to the poultry press? Helpful articles and nice pictures and lots of advertising in that paper. I look forward to mine every month.
