American serama thread!

[serama mamma]

My girl just started laying, but we are located in Upstate NY, 20 miles south of Albany. unfortunately I don't ship, but if anyone can pick them up, they would be free. I expect to have 6 or 7 by next week.

We are not anywhere near NY but thanks for the offer. Will you tell people that we are looking for fertilized eggs.

 

[LittlePeck]

You're going to get a mixed bag of answers when it comes to how to treat a serama in winter, so this is just my 2 cents: If any of them are frizzle, you're going to want to bring them indoors no matter what.

My seramas aren't frizzles, but I do have some banties that are. Are you saying that the frizzles need protection in winter as well? (I haven't had them through a winter yet.)

 

[froggiesheins]

My seramas aren't frizzles, but I do have some banties that are. Are you saying that the frizzles need protection in winter as well? (I haven't had them through a winter  yet.)

Frizzles do NOT have enough feathers to keep them warm in the winter. They do need either heat or in the house if it gets below 40 by you.

 

[MadamPoofyBrow]

My frizzled have no problem staying warm and seem more toasty then my Refualr chickens. Frazzles do need protection but most people don't ever have to work with a frazzle. I've never heard of them being less cold tolerant. Mine seemed fine last year and the year before and it was in the negatives.

 

[MadamPoofyBrow]

This is my first year with Seramas. They're smooth. I can put them in the coop that has a heat lamp...they could winter with the teens.

 

[Skink]

Trapping air under their feathers and against their bodies is how basically all birds stay warm. Frizzles can't do that on top of having reduced feathering, increased surface area, and the curl of their feathers means cold air is able to get right up against your skin. At minimum you can expect frizzles to eat much more than non-frizzleds in chilly weather. Larger frizzles can survive, people have proven that, but none of them are able to handle it as a non-frizzle would. That's very literally impossible. Serama are tiny so frizzles are lacking even more defense. It would be a massive stress and potentially lethal on its own, but you can basically guarantee that bird is burning a ton of food and has a suppressed immune system.

It's not a problem until it's a problem, and then it's already too late. The bird is dead. Best to go with caution, imo.

There is a difference between surviving and thriving, just because birds can survive it doesn't mean it is best or good for them. You couldn't pay me to keep a frizzle serama outdoors in the cold. Like I said, lots of different answers and those are my 2 cents.

 

[Tolbunt]

Hello,

I gave my seramas to a good friend of mine. I am looking to rebuild my flock. I have some questions before I start up my flock again. I have not had a good hatch rate with my birds. I had five hens and 2 roos and out of 100 eggs I had about 15 hatch. I had them in my incubator with several other eggs. I also don't get broodies very often but I did set a clutch under one and got 1 egg out of 5 to hatch. Am I doing something wrong with the incubation processes?

I am going to a poultry swap this weekend and will be willing to buy some Black mottled, Blue mottled or solid, Lavender mottled or solid, and Koi streaming serama. Its supposed to be red white and black mottled almost like a Millie Fluer patterning.

 

[SJchickens]

Has anyone ever experienced a hormonal imbalance in their seramas? It appears as though my "cockerel" laid an egg last night, and he's been hanging out in the nesting box all morning today. It's possible that one of my silkie pullets started laying early, which was what I was assuming last night. I find it odd though that he is spending all this time in the nesting box like he wants to lay an egg.

 

[artsyrobin]

can you post pics?

 

[artsyrobin]

Trapping air under their feathers and against their bodies is how basically all birds stay warm. Frizzles can't do that on top of having reduced feathering, increased surface area, and the curl of their feathers means cold air is able to get right up against your skin. At minimum you can expect frizzles to eat much more than non-frizzleds in chilly weather. Larger frizzles can survive, people have proven that, but none of them are able to handle it as a non-frizzle would. That's very literally impossible. Serama are tiny so frizzles are lacking even more defense. It would be a massive stress and potentially lethal on its own, but you can basically guarantee that bird is burning a ton of food and has a suppressed immune system.

It's not a problem until it's a problem, and then it's already too late. The bird is dead. Best to go with caution, imo.

There is a difference between surviving and thriving, just because birds can survive it doesn't mean it is best or good for them. You couldn't pay me to keep a frizzle serama outdoors in the cold. Like I said, lots of different answers and those are my 2 cents.

x2

none of my seramas are kept outside- my personal preference- but especially silkieds and frizzles would be at risk with weather changes- and they are a meal just begging to be taken