Miniature Chickens

The Serama are characterized by their vertical tail feathers, near-vertical wings, full breast, and short legs. The Serama is a relatively new breed to the United States, being recently imported from Malaysia in 2000. As of now, they are still a work in progress, and need much more work before they will be accepted by the American Poultry Association or the American Bantam Association.

The main difference between a Serama and a regular chicken is both their tiny size and friendly temperament. Serama are very small, so they need to be kept safe from predators, and to also be kept warm. If they are allowed outside access, they should be give a suitable place to use for shelter. This can be a coop, a shed, or a partition of a building. The inside should be warm, dry and free from parasites. Wood shavings make good bedding, as the birds do not ingest them, they are easy to clean, and they last a long time. The Serama is a very personable little bird, and thrives on human interaction.

Serama can eat regular chicken feed of 20% protein, but they tend to do better on crumbles or mash than on pellets. They may also have free choice grit and oyster shell. Some appropriate treats include grapes, bread, corn, and meal worms.

Most Serama breeders have yet to breed them “true”, meaning two things. Over all Serama can produce any of over 2500 documented color varieties, with single pairs possibly producing offspring much different from themselves in color and pattern. Breeding a black bird to a black bird does not mean one will get black offspring. Serama breeders also have not reached the point where they are breeding them true to size, meaning that if one takes a Class A bird and breeds it to another Class A bird, one could get birds that are either Class A or B.

The Serama makes a beautiful pet and companion, both indoors and outdoors. Their small size requires very little space and a pair or trio can comfortably be caged in a 24 inch by 18 inch enclosure. Seramas should only be let out of their cages when they are safe from predators such as dogs, cat and birds of prey. Seramas usually raise a racket when an unfamiliar animal or object is sighted and are safe on their own as long as there are people within earshot who can recognize when they are under threat. They make great companions while gardening and enjoying the mornings/evenings on the porch. Their regal appearance and natural beauty adds to the splendor of any garden or home. They are inexpensive to rear as each Serama consumes only about one pound of feed per month.

Male Seramas must be caged individually as young as possible to prevent disfigurement and confidence loss from fights. Adult roosters must never be penned together as the dominant rooster may kill or disfigure the weaker rooster. Show quality females should, likewise, be individually penned.

Show training should begin as soon as the confidence of Serama chicks begins to emerge. This can be seen in the way the chick carries itself and the bright red in the face and comb. Chicks also tend to chirp incessantly when their confidence is high. Training is carried out by catching and holding the chick with both hands and placing the chick on a table. It is likely that new trainee will squat and refuse to move for the first few times. Leave the trainee as long as necessary until they stand and move around. Once they stand, stroking lightly on the throat underneath the wattles of the chick encourages the chick to “pose” with its head held regally high and perpendicular to the ground. Once they get use to the routines, posing with a regal stance becomes natural for most Seramas.
 

Serama Facts:
The Serama is a new breed of bantam, having been developed within the past 15 years.

The complete ancestry of the SERAMA is uncertain. However, it is believed the Red Jungle Fowl, the Common Malaysian Village Bantam, (a hodge’ podge’ of many breeds), and the Japanese Bantam contributed. There is also a school of thought which believes the Silkie, played a roll along with a few other ’secret’ genes.

The downsizing of the Serama is still on going with a few specimens coming in at 6ozs for cocks and 5ozs for hens as current breeding methods continue. Serama mature at 16-18 weeks.

Incubation period for Serama eggs is 19-20 days.

The Serama carry a ‘diluted’ lethal gene (Japanese Bantam Ancestry), which means 1 to 2 percent of embryos will develop fully but fail to hatch or the chick will die within 24 hours of hatching.

Serama are not color bred, nor do they breed true to any one color. It is not uncommon to hatch as many different colored chicks as there are eggs that hatch.

Serama do not breed true to size. Out of a clutch of 10 chicks, one can expect 1 or 2 to be very small, 2 or 3 to be rather large and the remainder to be within thermal size range for Serama.

The color of Serama eggs range from the purest white to the deepest brown, with dozens of shades in between.

Fun Serama Facts: Serama make excellent house pets. The crow of the cock is one third the volume of a regular chicken. It takes approx. 5 Serama eggs to equal the volume of one Grade ‘A’ Large egg. Serama are year round layers and have no particular laying season. Although, peak fertility and egg production occurs during the months of November, December January and February. Serama are in a continuous molt, dropping a few feathers each day. Serama are tropical birds and need to be protected from cold temperatures. The Serama is the most popular household pet in Malaysia , surpassing both, cats and dogs in numbers. In Malaysia , “Serama Specialty” Shows are held each weekend throughout the year averaging 300-400 entries.