Serama HElP!!!!

[R1V3R20NG]

Im going to get a few Seramas soon! I need a bunch of tips considering for the fact that i have never handled bantams at my home and i have large chickens currently. Im planning on getting a rooster and two hens as chicks and still deciding who i want them to have as their mother, if one goes broody. Im deciding between Roasted Marshmallow, a salmon favorelle, and Whitney Henston, a small polish whose size is between a full size hen and a bantam. Neither has raised chicks and whitney has never gone broody but is fairly small and light weight and overprotective. Should the seramas live with my big chickens in the coop or in their own coop, have a separate feeder and water that isn't so deep, vents in their coop, how often does it need cleaning, how should i protect the rooster from my current rooster, should i have a heat lamp or hot pads in the coop, and what is the best way to have them bred? If you can see i dont know how to raise this guys and keep them alive and healthy. OH and what sort of feed would be best?

 

[Pyxis]

I'm not a serama person, so I can't help you much in terms of specific care for seramas, but I can give you some advice on some of the things you asked

For starters, how will you know the genders of the chicks? Seramas are extremely tiny, and vent sexing them is dangerous because of that. I don't know of any hatchery that carries them, and even if a hatchery did carry them hatcheries don't sex bantams with the exception of MPC - again, because bantams are so small attempting to sex them can kill them, and isn't very accurate.

Your polish is not likely to go broody. I won't say it'll never happen because I've had birds of breeds that supposedly aren't broody go broody, but statistically it's not likely. Your faverolles may go broody, they are a broody breed, but you can't make her go broody, so how will you make sure you have access to day old serama chicks at the right time when she goes broody?

Those are just some thing to consider For your other questions, you may want to ask in the serama thread: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/american-serama-thread.415294/

 

[R1V3R20NG]

I am NOT getting the seramas from a hatchery! I am getting them from a friend who does this all the time.

 

[R1V3R20NG]

I just took a look at that thread and it is wayyyyy too long

 

[Pyxis]

How do they sex the day old chicks? Just curious, since they're so small it must be very hard to vent sex them.

You don't have to read it all, although reading through when you have time would be a great way to learn more about the breed. That's what I do when there's a breed I'm interested in - I educate myself by reading about them. But, you can just post your questions in there so people who are familiar with seramas can answer you.

 

[R1V3R20NG]

I don't usually think of vent sexing them anyway. Just using the wing method. less dangerous in my opinion. And I'm hoping for maybe six day old chicks so that they are a bit larger and able to do better with the mother.

 

[MillersFarm]

I have my standard size chicken separated Away from my Seramas.. All of my bantams and Seramas have their own coop and space for them, If you want to keep Seramas I greatly recommend to separate them from your standard size. Wing sexing only works on sertain breeds.. Not Seramas.. Seramas are also Heat hardy not cold. So you have to have a well insulated coop and probably more seramas to keep them worm. You need to take the time out to read the 'Too long' thread Pyxis recommended and ask some questions there. Again Seramas need extra care then Most standard sized chickens do so before you get any I want you to ask yourself if you have the proper penning and care to raise Seramas

 

[MillersFarm]

Note: You really want to introduce chicks when they're under 3 days old. The hen may still except them but the chicks most likely wont and try to get away from the hen.

 

[Pyxis]

I don't usually think of vent sexing them anyway. Just using the wing method. less dangerous in my opinion. And I'm hoping for maybe six day old chicks so that they are a bit larger and able to do better with the mother.

As MillersFarm said, wing sexing doesn't work on seramas, unfortunately. And they need to be two or three days old max for them to be successfully introduced to a broody.

 

[LilJoe]

Wing sexing doesn't work for most chickens and vent sexing Seramas is dangerous and challenging, even with standard breeds. I would not let a standard sized hen brood them. Because of their size, a silkie could even crush them, but I would rather use a broody silkie than a Salmon Faverolle or a polish. Even when the Seramas are adults I would keep them separate from the others. Since you don't have any bantams I would raise them in a brooder with a heat lamp for warmth.