I have been raising chickens,turkeys,& pheasants for a very long time now,but I have never raised Seramas'. I am inheriting a flock very soon & I will appreciate any info on raising them. I have read that they can't tolerate temperatures below 40. Anything else I should know?
That's misinformation about what they handle for temps. Acclimation is the key. They are a smaller bird so they won't be able to continuously do temps 20 or below for extended periods but I've had it get down to 17 above overnight several times and all mine have been fine with just a wind break. And that's without acclimation, and most of my birds are small (only a couple C's, most are A/B). They eat about 1/2 of what a normal bantam will eat in a day. They're small so you can fit more into a space. Can be easily housed in breeding cages as pairs. Are friendly, very personable. Most cocks will not fight continuously after an initial battle, I have several that are housed together. Occasionally one will be an outcast or too aggressive but that is rare. Their crow is much quieter than the average bantam generally. Some you can hardly hear crow, on a select few you wonder how they belt out that loud noise out of a little body. Hens make good broodies and will often set their own eggs if allowed to do so. They can really fly high and long distances. They can free range with large fowl if allowed enough room and hidey holes to get away from aggressive birds. What else can I say about them other than they are a great little bird. In nearly 7 years, I've tried and abandoned several different bantam breeds, but the Seramas will always have their permanent place here with me. They are truly a bantam like no other. When starting chicks, the biggest issue is finding a crumble small enough for their tiny size. They hatch out not much larger than a quail chick, so in the beginning, I like to use a gamebird starter and no-drown waterer designed for quail. Or, you may have to grind your crumble just a bit smaller in the first couple of weeks of their life.
I put my chick starter in the blender and grind it in small amounts to keep it fresh.It also works on scratch and pellets for young birds
I used my little black and decker food chopper to do mine. Worked perfectly and the chicks did wonderfully.
I agree on the cold issue. I have never had any trouble with mine down in the teens. I wouldnt put them out in -20 but teens to 20's wont hurt over night. They also incubate best about a 1/2 degree hotter than normal. I dont have the luxury of a serama specific incubator though, so I still run them at 99.5 with the others and still do alright on them. A side from that, they really arent much different than any other bantam Good luck with them
