Serama
Feature by Toni Marie Graham
Classification: True Bantam Rare
Origin: Malaysia
Eggs: 80-160 brown to white
Colours: Any colour combination
Appearance
Serama’s are a true bantam meaning they have no large counterpart and are the smallest breed of chicken in the World. They are only 15-25 centimetres tall and are the result of crossing Japanese bantams with Malaysian bantams. Unlike other breed standards, Serama's can have any colour combination! They are very upright little birds with a small neat comb, they shake their wings, pose and walk with pride. The breast is high and pushed upwards with the wings almost touching the ground, giving the impression that they are standing to attention and the tail is held at 90° so that it almost touches the back of the head.
Cormack bred by Alex Dickson
(Photo: Ian Wileman)
Origin of the Serama
Serama originate from the Malaysian state of Kelantan, apparently through the crossing of Japanese and Malaysian bantams. Other stories of the birds derived from a gift of some small chickens by the King of Thailand to a local sultan in ancient times. Small chickens have always been popular pets in this area of Malaysia and are often referred to as "ayam katik" meaning pygmy chickens and "ayam cantik" meaning pretty chickens. Seramas were first imported into the UK in 2004. Birds were imported from both America and directly from Malaysia. The foundation Serama flock in the UK consisted of only a few dozen birds. It was 2005 when a small group of Serama owners and enthusiast decided to form the "Serama Club of Great Britain", the first Serama club in the UK. They brought about the standard for the Serama breed for the UK and in 2008, the club was officially recognised as the affiliated breed club of the "Poultry Club of Great Britain".
Serama make fantastic house chickens and are one of the most popular pets in America as they are friendly, confident little birds and love to be with people. The cockerel’s crow is much quieter than that of a larger breed which makes them an ideal house pet but cockerels shouldn’t be kept together to avoid fighting. Serama can be housed outside in an enclosed run or free-ranging but like other true bantams that carry their wings low they will not be able to tolerate muddy / wet conditions, good amounts of shelter and dry ground is highly recommended. They do originate from tropical climates and can be quite hardy little things, but they do need to be protected from the cold and alot of breeders and enthusiasts choose to keep their Serama within sheds and outbuildings for this reason. A few of our members breed Serama and they suggest that they can be suitably housed within large Guniea Pig like cages and rabbit hutches, they can be flighty so a covered run would be a good idea. When it comes to feed, some members use a layers mash and others use normal pellets. There are no special dietary requirements for this breed.
How to keep Serama
Seramas are still relatively rare and expensive in much of mainland Europe. The Netherlands probably has the largest number of Seramas outside of the UK. Most of the stock in the Netherlands are descendent from birds/eggs imported from both America and the UK. In France and other European countries they are increasing in popularity. There are no written standards for the Serama in their native country. However, they do now have an overall guide on scoring and judging for competitions in Malaysia. Many breeders have a style or type that they breed to, but often breeders keep several "styles". These styles are often names given by breeders to describe a blood line of a champion, but may also be more general shape, characteristics or behaviour e.g. slim, submarine, and dragon. Therefore there is quite a lot of diversity in Malaysia, but an overall theme of a small brave chicken with a persona of fearless warrior or toy soldier. They compete against each other in open table top competitions often described as "beauty contests" and scored by several judges. The prize for the winning birds can be quite a large sum of money.
Copper silkied male bred by Karen Griffiths
(Photo: Ian Wileman)
Esther bred by Karen Griffiths
Breeding Serama can be very difficult as they carry the Japanese Bantam “lethal gene” which means that around 2% of embryos fail to hatch or that some chicks will die shortly after hatching this means you need to set larger numbers of eggs when incubating. Members have recommended that only the freshest of eggs (up to 5 days since laid) are used as they do not do well being sent in the postal system. For Serama the incubation period for their eggs is shorter than most other breeds with the eggs hatching after 19- 20 days. People have wildly differing tricks and tips, some dry hatch, some raise humidity above normal. Karen Griffths uses the humidity and temp as recommended in the incubator's instructions – and it works fine for her! According to breeders the creeper gene, or also known as the “leathal gene” as mentioned above is no longer a breeding issue here in the UK, however If they die in the shell then ultimately it wasn't mean to be. They're delicate birds and if they don't make it then you just have to keep trying. The limited gene pool has led to some health issues here in the UK and like all breeds it is reccomended that you never breed from a weak or unhealthy bird and always try to use hens rather than pullets so any issues have manifested themselves first before breeding.
Once hatched please be wary that these are quite possibly the smallest you'll encounter and bear in mind that the usual brooder set up needs some adjustments made. Our member and Serama breeder Karen Griffiths recommends that an electric hen is used rather than a heat lamp, as they can chill quite easily. Karen also uses a stuffed toy within the brooder to encourage climbing levels so that the chicks can get warmer and closer to the electric hen. Please note that Red Mite can manifest under an electric hen rapidly and can quite easily kill these small chicks, checking daily can help prevent an infestation. Even chick crumb is a little too big for these little chicks, so grinding the crumb for the first few days is advised, and be sure to put marbles inside the water tray in your drinkers to help prevent any drowning. It takes around 16–18 weeks for the chicks to mature and reach the point at which they themselves can begin laying eggs. As soon as they can they can fly so bear this in mind, and also look for any signs of your cock birds pestering the pullets. This behaviour can make the females quite down and depressed, so as soon as you see this happening be prepared to separate your birds. How about this for a fun fact: Serama eggs come in a range of colours from pure white to dark brown and it takes 5 Serama eggs to equal one large graded egg! For those who like to let nature take it's course Serama hens do go broody and according to our breeder members, they make the most wonderful mothers – infact the word families was used. I have been told that on occasion one breeder has had a flock of 4 broodies who share their offspring no matter how many hatch, even the cock bird takes his turn in sharing the responsibilities!
Overall Opinion
So who wouldn't want a chicken that house-shares? With the Serama being so small and easy to care for there are an awful lot of positives for those who simply love their chicken companions. They don't take up a lot of room, they don't eat an awful lot of feed and the cock birds have a significantly quieter crow than larger breeds. They come in a chocolate box variety of colours, you can even pick up frizzled and sizzled varieties now. They are charismatic feathered friends who are ideal for families with small children, with plenty of attitude as well they can also be integrated into a mixed flock. Lets not pretend that their eggs will have you dinning on omelettes, but the tiny eggs you do get will make you smile nonetheless. Breeding Serama comes with its complications just like any other breed lets be honest, and I would always recommend buying your parent stock from reputable breeders. Type and weight are the two most important attributes for any Serama breeder, and mixed with the risks involved in hatching be prepared for hard work. Regardless of this, I have been told that the little flappers are incredibly addictive!
Some of our members Seramas
If you are considering adding Serama to your flock why not get in contact with The Serama Club of Great Britain where you will be able to find breeders closest to you. Also, if you keep already keep Serama and fancy giving showing a try, you will receive the best advice from the club members.
