Serama breeding

[little chick-y baby mama]

it's my first time breeding chickens and I'm breeding seramas. Is there anything I should do or tips anyone has? how much should I sell chicks for or should I raise them into adults for more $? Thanks!

 

[Emelyn]

it's my first time breeding chickens and I'm breeding seramas. Is there anything I should do or tips anyone has? how much should I sell chicks for or should I raise them into adults for more $? Thanks!

I don't breed chickens but I breed ducks. I recommend you don't let siblings breed since they may cause some defects in the babies.

 

[Dinoroar]

I don't breed chickens but I breed ducks. I recommend you don't let siblings breed since they may cause some defects in the babies.

This is not accurate.

 

[Emelyn]

This is not accurate.

Are you a duck breeder? If not I'll explain if you want why it's not good

 

[Emelyn]

This is not accurate.

This hopefully won't sound inappropriate but here's my explanation. Imagine a human did what I said was bad for ducks. The offspring can have a mental defect or something else wrong with their body. Sure ducks can't have mental disabilities but they can have physical disabilities and if you continue letting the siblings mate it will get worse and worse over time (I see why you think it's not accurate though many people may disagree) if you would like though I can call in other breeders from here on BYC to see if I'm correct or not.

 

[ColtHandorf]

As someone who actually breeds Seramas...

They can be a bit tricky to hatch in an incubator. Usually broody hens do better with them. Chicks may need their crumble crushed even finer. The breeder I got mine from mixes crushed mealworms into the feed as well. I've offered boiled egg finely chopped and dried mealworms to chicks.

Pricing is going to be determined by supply and demand as well as the quality of your birds and the variety of color patterns you can get from them. I sell pairs for $50. Some very good-looking pairs may go for more. I rarely sell chicks as most people will kill them trying to raise them. If you're looking to make a killing with them, look somewhere else. Seramas are highly seasonal layers and may take breaks for months at a time.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with line-breeding. Keep in mind when pairing closely related birds, both defects and good traits will be magnified in the offspring. I usually breed in pairs or trios. I'll be trying a small, mixed flock for the first time later this year. In general males don't over-breed hens and are very gentle.

@Faraday40 breeds Seramas and may have some more helpful tidbits to share.

 

[little chick-y baby mama]

As someone who actually breeds Seramas...

They can be a bit tricky to hatch in an incubator. Usually broody hens do better with them. Chicks may need their crumble crushed even finer. The breeder I got mine from mixes crushed mealworms into the feed as well. I've offered boiled egg finely chopped and dried mealworms to chicks.

Pricing is going to be determined by supply and demand as well as the quality of your birds and the variety of color patterns you can get from them. I sell pairs for $50. Some very good-looking pairs may go for more. I rarely sell chicks as most people will kill them trying to raise them. If you're looking to make a killing with them, look somewhere else. Seramas are highly seasonal layers and may take breaks for months at a time.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with line-breeding. Keep in mind when pairing closely related birds, both defects and good traits will be magnified in the offspring. I usually breed in pairs or trios. I'll be trying a small, mixed flock for the first time later this year. In general males don't over-breed hens and are very gentle.

@Faraday40 breeds Seramas and may have some more helpful tidbits to share.

very informative

 

[Faraday40]

We have a small flock of seramas. Not kept for sales or show. Just spoiled pets and we like to hatch. Serama eggs can be tricky or can hatch with ease. Using a good incubator or bantam broody increases your chances of a good hatch. Size Bs breed, lay, and hatch easily. Size As can sometimes have poor results..... but people go crazy for "tiny." There's also some with a short legged gene (like the Japanese) which can cause death in shell if bred to another short legged serama. If eggs develop but several die in shell, it could be a genetic issue. Just something to be aware of when selecting breeders.

You can line breed chickens but best to avoid first degree relatives - like siblings. Better to use birds not that closely related. Line breeding is a carefully selected kind of inbreeding that can increase desirable traits but can also make genetic defects more prevalent.

I have made a few mistakes. One was selling day old chicks. I wish someone had warned me that Serama chicks are more delicate (like quail). They are extremely sensitive and that 1st week can be challenging. I sold 2 to a lady who already raised chicks and was familiar with chickens. Her family was very excited and wanted to bond with chicks right away. I called the family about 24 hours after hatch. I saw the chicks eating, drinking, and running around the brooder. Appeared healthy, with no herniated navel or other concerns. That afternoon the chicks were picked up. By 9pm both chicks were dead. Kids were very sad. I felt terrible.

Since then I never sell seramas under 1 week old. (Other LF breeds like my Orpingtons - not a problem) Even when raised here, I have seen a serama appear OK at hatch, but fail to grow. If a chick is not growing at the same rate as its siblings (even if eating/drinking/acting normal), it should not be sold. Sometimes with TLC and special care, a runt may pull through; other times there's nothing that helps.

Prices are all over the place. Right now in our area on Craigslist I see a woman selling young cockerels for $75-150 and pullets for $50-75. I see another person selling 2-4 week old seramas for $5 each. A 3rd person is trying to give away a serama cockerel.

The general demand at any given time fluctuates. Some times I sold out in a day and had a waiting list for my next hatch. One time I had 10 serama chicks for a month with almost no interest.

The males are wonderful to their hens. I rarely get feather damage from over-mating - even when I have one male with just 2 females. I really enjoy how much personality, curiosity, and intelligence these seramas have. The strange jungle noises are also fun. Some males like to crow a lot, but it's squeaky, high-pitched, and doesn't travel miles away.

 

[little chick-y baby mama]

We have a small flock of seramas. Not kept for sales or show. Just spoiled pets and we like to hatch. Serama eggs can be tricky or can hatch with ease. Using a good incubator or bantam broody increases your chances of a good hatch. Size Bs breed, lay, and hatch easily. Size As can sometimes have poor results..... but people go crazy for "tiny." There's also some with a short legged gene (like the Japanese) which can cause death in shell if bred to another short legged serama. If eggs develop but several die in shell, it could be a genetic issue. Just something to be aware of when selecting breeders.

You can line breed chickens but best to avoid first degree relatives - like siblings. Better to use birds not that closely related. Line breeding is a carefully selected kind of inbreeding that can increase desirable traits but can also make genetic defects more prevalent.

I have made a few mistakes. One was selling day old chicks. I wish someone had warned me that Serama chicks are more delicate (like quail). They are extremely sensitive and that 1st week can be challenging. I sold 2 to a lady who already raised chicks and was familiar with chickens. Her family was very excited and wanted to bond with chicks right away. I called the family about 24 hours after hatch. I saw the chicks eating, drinking, and running around the brooder. Appeared healthy, with no herniated navel or other concerns. That afternoon the chicks were picked up. By 9pm both chicks were dead. Kids were very sad. I felt terrible.

Since then I never sell seramas under 1 week old. (Other LF breeds like my Orpingtons - not a problem) Even when raised here, I have seen a serama appear OK at hatch, but fail to grow. If a chick is not growing at the same rate as its siblings (even if eating/drinking/acting normal), it should not be sold. Sometimes with TLC and special care, a runt may pull through; other times there's nothing that helps.

Prices are all over the place. Right now in our area on Craigslist I see a woman selling young cockerels for $75-150 and pullets for $50-75. I see another person selling 2-4 week old seramas for $5 each. A 3rd person is trying to give away a serama cockerel.

The general demand at any given time fluctuates. Some times I sold out in a day and had a waiting list for my next hatch. One time I had 10 serama chicks for a month with almost no interest.

The males are wonderful to their hens. I rarely get feather damage from over-mating - even when I have one male with just 2 females. I really enjoy how much personality, curiosity, and intelligence these seramas have. The strange jungle noises are also fun. Some males like to crow a lot, but it's squeaky, high-pitched, and doesn't travel miles away.

this is SO helpful. Thank you!

 

[thisshouldbefun]

We have a small flock of seramas. Not kept for sales or show. Just spoiled pets and we like to hatch. Serama eggs can be tricky or can hatch with ease. Using a good incubator or bantam broody increases your chances of a good hatch. Size Bs breed, lay, and hatch easily. Size As can sometimes have poor results..... but people go crazy for "tiny." There's also some with a short legged gene (like the Japanese) which can cause death in shell if bred to another short legged serama. If eggs develop but several die in shell, it could be a genetic issue. Just something to be aware of when selecting breeders.

You can line breed chickens but best to avoid first degree relatives - like siblings. Better to use birds not that closely related. Line breeding is a carefully selected kind of inbreeding that can increase desirable traits but can also make genetic defects more prevalent.

I have made a few mistakes. One was selling day old chicks. I wish someone had warned me that Serama chicks are more delicate (like quail). They are extremely sensitive and that 1st week can be challenging. I sold 2 to a lady who already raised chicks and was familiar with chickens. Her family was very excited and wanted to bond with chicks right away. I called the family about 24 hours after hatch. I saw the chicks eating, drinking, and running around the brooder. Appeared healthy, with no herniated navel or other concerns. That afternoon the chicks were picked up. By 9pm both chicks were dead. Kids were very sad. I felt terrible.

Since then I never sell seramas under 1 week old. (Other LF breeds like my Orpingtons - not a problem) Even when raised here, I have seen a serama appear OK at hatch, but fail to grow. If a chick is not growing at the same rate as its siblings (even if eating/drinking/acting normal), it should not be sold. Sometimes with TLC and special care, a runt may pull through; other times there's nothing that helps.

Prices are all over the place. Right now in our area on Craigslist I see a woman selling young cockerels for $75-150 and pullets for $50-75. I see another person selling 2-4 week old seramas for $5 each. A 3rd person is trying to give away a serama cockerel.

The general demand at any given time fluctuates. Some times I sold out in a day and had a waiting list for my next hatch. One time I had 10 serama chicks for a month with almost no interest.

The males are wonderful to their hens. I rarely get feather damage from over-mating - even when I have one male with just 2 females. I really enjoy how much personality, curiosity, and intelligence these seramas have. The strange jungle noises are also fun. Some males like to crow a lot, but it's squeaky, high-pitched, and doesn't travel miles away.

May I ask how you house your pairs? I have 10 seramas and I'm looking for the best way to keep them.