How do I keep my Little Serama's warm in the winter?

[R&JChickenshack]

Hey anyone,

I have a couple of young Serama pairs and I have a little hutch for them but, I don't Know how to keep them warm in their homes. The serama site that we found said that they will start to get too cold at about 40 degrees, is this true? Also do I need to worry about them having a spot to actually let them get down on the ground to scratch and move around? We are planning on having them raise some babies for us to sell.

 

[VI KING RANCH]

R&JChickenshack :

Hey anyone,

I have a couple of young Serama pairs and I have a little hutch for them but, I don't Know how to keep them warm in their homes. The serama site that we found said that they will start to get too cold at about 40 degrees, is this true? Also do I need to worry about them having a spot to actually let them get down on the ground to scratch and move around? We are planning on having them raise some babies for us to sell.

Where are you from? This will help us know what your tems will reach and such. I have a insulated coop for my moderns and If it goes bellow thirty the heater comes on.​

 

[R&JChickenshack]

i am in Oklahoma and the temps here reach in the negatives. We already have a heat lamp on them cause it is reaching down in the 40"s at night.

 

[lilchick]

The serama site has people that know how to raise and care for them. And most keep them inside a garage or shed with a heat source.

Please realize they are not as hardy as other breeds of chickens.

 

[CapricornFarm]

Maybe knit little Serama sweaters? Worked for my little dog:-D

 

[nop169]

Seramas are more cold sensative but in my experience my healthy adults do well with moderate cool temps here in SC as long as they have adaquete shelter and wind break. However, my young birds up to 1 year old are sensative to the cold and require supplemental heat. I have found that modifying rubbermaid storage containers and adding a 40 watt bulb in the containers suffices for my young birds unless our temps dip to the teens. I simply took the rubbermaids and cut a "cat sized door" in the bottom for entrance. I then add shavings to the floor & drill holes in the sides for roosts to anchor into (the roosts are placed at varying heights toward the rear of the rubbermaid). I then drilled a hole in the removeable lid to run my light cord through & after installing the lamp assembly I silicone the hole around the cord. I usually tie a knot in the cord (not a tight knot) and use the knot to anchor the light to the lid with a electric zip tie. A 40 watt bulb generally keeps them warm enough. I do not use a thermastat so I have to pay attention to them to insure they are comfortable in colder weather. I like this method as it is easy to clean and the restricted space is easier & less costly to heat. The roosts keeps everyone off the floor & clean. Typically I use the medium size storage containers - about the size of a child's toy box. They are also easy to store in the summer if not in use as a brooder for teenager chicks.
I developed this idea the first year I raised Seramas when I lost some of my first year hatch and lost 4 beautiful young adult pullets during a 32 degree night. I had not been informed nor read anything about their cold sensativity and was shocked when I found them dead - as normally in our mild area poultry are hardly affected as long as there is a wind break.

 

[Nicole01]

I don't have Serama's, but I have a sweet beautiful D'Uccle. Our temps get as low as -22F or more. I have a nice radiator heater that I'm putting under the roost. It has a tempature setting, so we will keep it low as possible. It works out for us, since our roosts are shelves. We keep the food and water under the roosts to save space. We have two roosts/shelves in the coop.

Our chickens prefer to pile together, so that is the reason we have the shelving in the first place. We thought about hanging a ceramic heat emitter, but I've heard they could start fires. Our coop is fully insulated(besides the ventilation) and our run is covered with plastic. We get a ton of snow as well. Too deep to let them out in the winter.

Here is our heater.

 

[Laurafm73]

Can anyone share the serama website with me? Thanks in advance!

 

[fred99]

Look up American serama association