How do I tell Seramas From Japs? HELP

[Jeff9118]

I have a pair of pure Seramas but they are not the best. I have looked at many pics of this breed and visted a farm that has hundreds last summer. A friend of mine has japs and jap mixes. To me the mixes could easily be Seramas. He is not trying to pass them off as such though. I want better Seramas but want to make sure I am not buying Japs or jap mixes. Is there any way to tell for sure? I know that they come in A,B and C sizes but some of his OE jap mixes I think would pass as size A as they are very small and built just like a Jap but in colors I have not seen in Japs. I may be wrong but dont think color matters with Seramas. All you Serama people, How do I know I am really buying Seramas and not mixes? Is there anyway to tell by looking? Anyone can say they got them from that Jack guy. But what I have learned from ordering eggs for another breed, sadly not everyone is honest about thier stock.

 

[Poulets De Cajun]

Seramas are nearly half the size and usually have longer legs.

 

[Jeff9118]

My OE and my friends are from the same line and each year we always keep the smallest with most being much smaller as adults than any seramas I have seen. I'm sure we are not the only people that do this. I also had some dutch bantams that were very tiny last year too. I have seen thousands of bantams and know what small is. So who's to say somone didnt cross a jap to a very small example of another breed. This could easily produce longer legs and small size and still be built like a jap. Then again they could always say size B or C. This it what worries me about puchasing them as this breed can get expensive.

 

[Poulets De Cajun]

There is a distict difference in the appearance of a Serama and a Japanese. Perhaps try to read the standard on each to learn the differences. If you are comparing a true Serama to a true Japanese there shouldn't be any question. If you have to toil over whether each is true and purebred or not, then you probably dont want them anyway.

 

[Jeff9118]

Thanx. Thats good advice but some mixes can be very deceiving. Looking more like another breed that either of the parent breeds. I dont know, its just confusing to me.

 

[Poulets De Cajun]

Its all about education and knowing the breeder you are buying from. Dont be afraid to ask for references either before you buy. Any self respecting, responsible breeder who sells birds should give out references freely.

 

[Jeff9118]

Also good advice. The pair I have now are probaly from the most popular line in the US. I do not wish to say because I dont want to hurt anyones rep but you can probaly guess. Anyways I went with a friend to pick his up from the post office and they were size B and very good examples. The 2 I have are from eggs they have laid and are much smaller but I would think they were Spangled OE if I seen them for sale. Some of the others he hatched looked the same as mine now and he paid $250 for the original pair. This is why I say they are poor examples.

 

[Chickenaddict]

Quote:
What i have learned with the seramas is that you get alot of poor quality birds and very few that are up to par with the standards for the breed, what you got was probably someones culls, meaning pet quality. Japs and serama both have the upright tails yes but the serama legs are longer and i believe their wings are too. Japs dont stand with their wings pointed straight down, the seramas do. Its a shame alot of people out there are cross breeding the serama with japs or oegb and pass them off as true malaysian seramas so when purchasing this breed be very careful and definately study the breed standards before you buy them, ask ALOT of questions. As far as difference in temperment the japs to me are more fleighty and the seramas just melt in your hand like butter, craving human interaction and are very tame overall. The serama chicks mature at an astonishing rate, within 2 weeks you can usually tell what sex the chick is gonna be and they feather out really fast compared to other breeds.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

When you are purchasing birds or eggs that are So-and-So line, you need to ascertain whether you are purchasing from that breeder, or from someone who has birds from that breeder. There can be a difference. Not everyone selects breeding pairs/trios/whatever the same. Not all eggs that hatch produce show or breeding worth chicks. A chick may be healthy & happy and perfect in every way for yard candy, a pet or as part of your egg laying flock, but not be worth anything as far as exhibition goes.

You also need to be upfront in what you want--if you want a bird for showing or breeding exhibition birds, you need to state that, and you need to know what the standards are and what you are looking for. You need to ask questions, one of which would be "why are you selling this/these birds?"

 

[SeramaLife]

Can we see pictures of what you want to buy?