Has anyone noticed the difference in their young Serama from small chicks to month olds to 4 months old and how their personality changes at these ages?
I've noticed mine really blossom as far as personality at 4 months or there about. I never thought about it until I noticed how much more confident my cockerel was when he hit that age. Brooster was always pretty confident but a bit more antsy when taken from the rest and put on the table top. Not scared, just wouldn't stand still or notice me as much. He's far more confident and calm now and this was the first time I had put him up and tried to teach him to pose. He had been handled and put on a table with me trying to snap a decent pic but he wouldn't just stand there like he did this time and he responded so well to me stroking him under the chin and pushing him back a little to get him in pose position then he held it, not a long time but enough for several photo's. He is less worried what his cage mates were doing and seemed to pay better attention. I'll continue to handle him and work with him to pose and do table top practice. We sold the last of our Texas Heeler pups last night and there was a room full of people here so I brought him out to show off and he was as comfortable with the crowd as he is with me just out in the garage. I'm hoping he turns out nice enough to show next year
An issue that keeps popping up in my head is life span for the Serama. I know there are a lot of different causes for any chicken to die young but I still wonder if there is anything that might correlate with an average sized, healthy Serama that dies younger than others.
My thoughts are that some causes are 1 - genetic and may even run in some bloodlines 2 - Size related, the teeniest are obviously at higher risk for dying young. But what about other causes other than disease and injury? Brooster seemed to mature very young in appearance and when he started breeding. I've had hens of different breeds that were very early to very late when they started laying and it didn't have anything to do with the time of year they were hatched. I have an Araucana hen that was past a year old before laying her first egg. I was told by a breeder that this hen would live longer and lay longer than a hen that was mature at a much younger age, some started laying at 6 months. So, that makes me wonder. Is there a genetic reason for some maturing younger? Is it caused by the way they're raised? as in keeping the lights on till they're older so they eat more or less 24/7 like in battery caged poultry? Anyone have other thoughts??
I've noticed mine really blossom as far as personality at 4 months or there about. I never thought about it until I noticed how much more confident my cockerel was when he hit that age. Brooster was always pretty confident but a bit more antsy when taken from the rest and put on the table top. Not scared, just wouldn't stand still or notice me as much. He's far more confident and calm now and this was the first time I had put him up and tried to teach him to pose. He had been handled and put on a table with me trying to snap a decent pic but he wouldn't just stand there like he did this time and he responded so well to me stroking him under the chin and pushing him back a little to get him in pose position then he held it, not a long time but enough for several photo's. He is less worried what his cage mates were doing and seemed to pay better attention. I'll continue to handle him and work with him to pose and do table top practice. We sold the last of our Texas Heeler pups last night and there was a room full of people here so I brought him out to show off and he was as comfortable with the crowd as he is with me just out in the garage. I'm hoping he turns out nice enough to show next year
An issue that keeps popping up in my head is life span for the Serama. I know there are a lot of different causes for any chicken to die young but I still wonder if there is anything that might correlate with an average sized, healthy Serama that dies younger than others.
My thoughts are that some causes are 1 - genetic and may even run in some bloodlines 2 - Size related, the teeniest are obviously at higher risk for dying young. But what about other causes other than disease and injury? Brooster seemed to mature very young in appearance and when he started breeding. I've had hens of different breeds that were very early to very late when they started laying and it didn't have anything to do with the time of year they were hatched. I have an Araucana hen that was past a year old before laying her first egg. I was told by a breeder that this hen would live longer and lay longer than a hen that was mature at a much younger age, some started laying at 6 months. So, that makes me wonder. Is there a genetic reason for some maturing younger? Is it caused by the way they're raised? as in keeping the lights on till they're older so they eat more or less 24/7 like in battery caged poultry? Anyone have other thoughts??
