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Revision as of 23:56, 16 October 2005 by 66.82.9.87 (talk)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)Serama (also known as Ayam Serama) is a breed of chicken originating from Malaysia. They are the lightest bantam chicken breed in the world with hens being in the range of 6-12 ozs & males 8-16 ozs. The Serama are characterized by their almost-vertical tail feathers and wings, extreme shaped breast, and short legs. The Serama is a relatively new breed to the US 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 .
Seramas are actually very easy to care for, provided that you have the time, and willingness to do so. If you recognize that the birds health, happiness and well being must be first and foremost, then your enjoyment will come automatically.
The main difference between a Serama and a regular chicken is both their size and friendly temperament. Seramas are very small so they need to be kept safe from predators, and also kept warm. I highly reccommend letting your birds range in a confined area during the day, becuase I have found that this boosts fertility and general health tremendously. The birds love it, and are more contented, and better producers. Just make sure that when the weather is bad outside, you have a suitable place for them to go into. This can be a coop, a shed, or a partition of a building. Make sure that inside is warm, dry and free from parasites. I highly advise using wood shavings, 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. Make sure you spend some time with your birds, they and you will both love it.
Seramas eat regular chicken feed, but I have found that they do better on crumbles or mash, then on pellets. They should also have free choice grit and oyster shell. Treats may be fed in the form of grapes, bread, corn, and meal worms for example.
The Serama breeders have yet to breed them "true" meaning two things. Some pairs of Seramas, can producce any of over 2500 documented color varieties. Breeding a black bird to a black bird does not mean you will get black offspring. This is yet another reason why the Serama is so fun, becuase you never know what you will get! Seramas also do not breed true to size, meaning that if you take a Class A bird and breed it to another Class A bird, you could get birds that are either Class A, B, or C.
Although Seramas are not your common everyday chicken, they are no harder to raise then any other quality bantam.
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