Serama Chicken

Serama Chicken

Seramas are one of the worlds’ smallest recognized breeds..the smallest chicken in the world! A full-grown rooster is about the size of a pigeon. Seramas have a very tame and gentle disposition, making them great pets since they are easily handled. Once you see these cute little beauties you won’t be able to resist. Seramas are one of our specialty breeds here at the farm – this means they need some specialized, or custom care beyond what a “typical” chicken would have.

Since the birds are tropical in nature in the Winter they might need supplemental heat – if 40 degrees or below. Here in Vermont we get temps below that and provide them with heat, otherwise they will not survive. Some keep them indoors in the Winter or year-round since they are so tiny. They are docile, friendly and like human interaction. They can be trained; it is really fun and tabletop competitions are great! They love to show off, are chatty, both the hens and the roosters. Predator proof housing and runs are a must because of their size.  The roosters make wonderful companions are full of personality and make great pets or can integrate with other flock members. The hens tend to go broody and love to be spoiled. We find too many roosters and not enough hens may cause dominance conflicts so make sure to have enough hens to rooster ratios. You can also separate them out, we have had all roosters live together or pairs, trios. Since they are small it is easy to create many living areas. They can also be kept in the home as pets, using guinea pig cages, etc. Internet has great ideas or ask us we would be happy to help.

The babies when hatched are very fragile and need some extra care, we don’t sell any babies under 3 weeks of age. They need to be watched constantly for any issues with heat, pasty butt. We don’t recommend having them in the same brooder as bigger birds. Because of their fragile nature, we will no longer be shipping chicks until they are 3 weeks of age or older, they are available for farm pickup at 3 weeks of age. We will have fully feathered available and hatching eggs for shipping.

Seramas do not breed true to any one particular color. Seramas come in over 2000+ varieties of colors. Part of the fun is not knowing what you will hatch, they are considered a landrace breed. Babies can be different sizes when hatched, there are micro Seramas, full size and anything in between! We have the frizzle, silked and smooth feathered varieties and many color patterns. Their eggs are white to a variety of shades in between and light tan.  Our birds are Non-GMO and vaccinated for Marek’s Disease. Seramas, we find tent to be prone to Mareks Disease. We have the American Standard Seramas with some having the Malaysian in them. Ours are TRUE Seramas. What does this mean? Many of the folks who have Seramas, unfortunately dont’t actually have a true Serama, they may be mixed with Japanese Bantam or another breed who looks very similar, just be aware of this.  True Seramas have all the qualities of the breed – this means they are fragile, not cold tolerant and require specialized care. This also means body, shape and feather patterns are amazing!

History

Seramas originated in Malaysia, where they are the number one house pet, outnumbering dogs and cats. The rooster crow is adorable! Seramas were brought to the USA in 2001, so they are relatively new to the USA!

The complete ancestry of the Serama is uncertain and there are many claims and myths regarding it’s origin. Some theories date as far back to the 1600s and to the Thai King Sri Rama, although there is no documented evidence to prove this. The creator of the modern Serama bantam is Wee Yean Een. In 1971 he began a breeding program that would see Ayam Kapans crossed with Japanese bantams and Silkies.

Feed Recommendations: we recommend starting baby chicks out with Sugar Feather Farm chick starter for the first 3 weeks, then switch to our Chicken Grower. Use the Grower Feed until they hit maturation (which is when they start to lay) then switch to Sugar Feather Farm Adult Feed. 

We highly recommend using the Oil of Oregano in their water daily as a supplement to aid with digestion and overall health.