Serama

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 200-500 grams & males 300-500 grams. The Serama are characterized by their vertical tail feathers and wings, full 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 .

Serama 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. Serama are very small so they need to be kept safe from predators, and also kept warm. I highly recommend letting your birds range in a confined area during the day, because I have found that this boosts fertility and general health tremendously. The birds love it, and are more content, 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.

Serama eat regular chicken feed of 20% protein, 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.

Most Serama breeders have yet to breed them "true" meaning two things. Some pairs of Serama can produce 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, because you never know what you will get! Serama breeder also have not reached the point where they are breeding them 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 or B.

Although Serama are not your common everyday chicken, they are no harder to raise then any other quality bantam.

External links

• National Serama Club and Registry
• Serama Council of North America