Serama Mama - Need Serama Experts!

[MichelleKing]

Serama Experts -- Can you all give me advice on being a great Serama owner? I just hatched my first 5 seramas, all of them so absolutely adorable and I am smitten. I have ordered more eggs from a highly respected breeder and plan to have a flock of mini chickens. I love them.
So -

Any tips, tricks, advice, warnings, health advice, feed advice, coop design, how to keep them happy, any other misc anecdotes..... please send it ALL my way!!!

Ps also looking for good names for these cuties throw some out there

 

[HuffleClaw]

I love them! I’ve never owned them, but I love them! Yours are too cute!

 

[Bocktobery 10]

Oh are they so darling! So happy for you! Congratulations on your new chicks!

I am by no means an expert on seramas- I could use some info myself, I suspect.

I think the one thing that came to mind when you asked for advice was this: WATCH where you step at all times when around them- especially if you have a few whose coloring is very similar to the color of your bedding. My seramas are friendly and not at all afraid of me, but when I have a whole bunch at my feet, I have to be especially careful where I step. They have a tendency not to think you could step on them. I’ve seen small dogs and cats more aware of this fact. Perhaps you keep them where this won’t be a problem. Mine are in a coop shed- people sized, so it’s always something on my mind when I set foot in there. I also warn anyone else who might be going in there with me. The best way to walk around them is to shuffle the feet, keep them always close to the ground- don’t “step” around as normal walking would have you do. I stepped on one’s foot accidentally once...thank God the bedding was fluffy enough no damage occurred- just hurt them a bit tho.

Second thing that comes to mind...oh, the chicken math! *Sigh*. It’s real, and if you thought it was bad with standard sized flock, oh, with Seramas it’s worse....that tiny fluffy bodied pocketfuls of delight you’ve got there are mighty addicting! Mighty! You’ll be tempted to think you can handle a few more, that is until you realize have too many, and yet you will still desire the excitement of hatch day all over again! My serama hens seem like they are always broody. And they mean it! Come cold or hellish hot weather, they’re committed to the job, so keeping up with egg gathering is a must. My last batch was from me forgetting to collect under a hidden broody hen for 15 days- then I just couldn’t bear it to not let them gestate. But it’s just as difficult (for me at least) to give them to new owners. .....especially if there sweet and/or gorgeous....and all of them are always either/both gorgeous and sweet! It’s quite a dilemma!

...but that could just be me.

The rest is the same advice for regular chickens... Yet, there is the whole thing about seramas not handling the cold very well. I did have one suddenly die last year when we had a freak sudden near-freezing night. I now supplement them all with a heating pad that is hard plastic and marketed for outdoor dogs and cats. I would never advise a heat lamp (the danger of fire is too too too risky) but I’m not sure a heating pad is much better. Maybe more safe, I hope. ?

About freezing weather... I have emergency large plastic tubs turned into brooder/cages in our basement (they stack conveniently when not in use) for those darkest coldest days of winter when the temp outside is at 0 or below. I know others say they can handle it fine if used to it, but I couldn’t bear another loss, wondering “what if?”. I should note, our basement is not very warm or heated, so it’s not a drastic temperature change like it would be if, say, I had them in the heated parts of the house. It’s important not to take your birds in and out of areas where the temperature change would be drastically different. That can be very hard on your chook’s system.

Mine seem happy when they get treats every now and then. I like to give fresh mango, papaya, coconut milk, oats... occasionally. I feed the regular flock feed. The more space you provide them in the coop, I say the better. There is just less fighting this way, especially if you have more than one male. I spend time with mine. I have a few which seem like they want me to hold them all the time. The more time you spend with them at this age and the next few months the more (generally speaking) they will be extra lovey. I would never freerange my serama flock- there is too much danger. I will sometimes take one or two seramas out at a time and let them freerange at close range to me, but I’d never leave them unattended. We have too many stray cats, hawks, owls, foxes, etc around.

Oh, and one more thing—- the color they are now could drastically change by the time they are fully feathered. You’ve got beautiful little chicks there! Please update us on how they look when they are fully feathered. It’s always fun to see how different or similar they look from when they were babies.

Hope this helps some!

 

[Dkbahoo]

Since you are so into your seramas, I have a question for you. I got a little over two dozen seramas chicks from someone. I’ve been hatching a bunch of chicks and selling the surplus trying to keep one male and female of each lol trouble I know... anyway, I realized I sold my only black female, but I have several black cockerels. I have numerous mixed white females and mixed brown females. Is it possible to get a black female by mixing a white and a black seramas (frizzle) hen and rooster...

Oh are they so darling! So happy for you! Congratulations on your new chicks!

I am by no means an expert on seramas- I could use some info myself, I suspect.

I think the one thing that came to mind when you asked for advice was this: WATCH where you step at all times when around them- especially if you have a few whose coloring is very similar to the color of your bedding. My seramas are friendly and not at all afraid of me, but when I have a whole bunch at my feet, I have to be especially careful where I step. They have a tendency not to think you could step on them. I’ve seen small dogs and cats more aware of this fact. Perhaps you keep them where this won’t be a problem. Mine are in a coop shed- people sized, so it’s always something on my mind when I set foot in there. I also warn anyone else who might be going in there with me. The best way to walk around them is to shuffle the feet, keep them always close to the ground- don’t “step” around as normal walking would have you do. I stepped on one’s foot accidentally once...thank God the bedding was fluffy enough no damage occurred- just hurt them a bit tho.

Second thing that comes to mind...oh, the chicken math! *Sigh*. It’s real, and if you thought it was bad with standard sized flock, oh, with Seramas it’s worse....that tiny fluffy bodied pocketfuls of delight you’ve got there are mighty addicting! Mighty! You’ll be tempted to think you can handle a few more, that is until you realize have too many, and yet you will still desire the excitement of hatch day all over again! My serama hens seem like they are always broody. And they mean it! Come cold or hellish hot weather, they’re committed to the job, so keeping up with egg gathering is a must. My last batch was from me forgetting to collect under a hidden broody hen for 15 days- then I just couldn’t bear it to not let them gestate. But it’s just as difficult (for me at least) to give them to new owners. .....especially if there sweet and/or gorgeous....and all of them are always either/both gorgeous and sweet! It’s quite a dilemma!

...but that could just be me.

The rest is the same advice for regular chickens... Yet, there is the whole thing about seramas not handling the cold very well. I did have one suddenly die last year when we had a freak sudden near-freezing night. I now supplement them all with a heating pad that is hard plastic and marketed for outdoor dogs and cats. I would never advise a heat lamp (the danger of fire is too too too risky) but I’m not sure a heating pad is much better. Maybe more safe, I hope. ?

About freezing weather... I have emergency large plastic tubs turned into brooder/cages in our basement (they stack conveniently when not in use) for those darkest coldest days of winter when the temp outside is at 0 or below. I know others say they can handle it fine if used to it, but I couldn’t bear another loss, wondering “what if?”. I should note, our basement is not very warm or heated, so it’s not a drastic temperature change like it would be if, say, I had them in the heated parts of the house. It’s important not to take your birds in and out of areas where the temperature change would be drastically different. That can be very hard on your chook’s system.

Mine seem happy when they get treats every now and then. I like to give fresh mango, papaya, coconut milk, oats... occasionally. I feed the regular flock feed. The more space you provide them in the coop, I say the better. There is just less fighting this way, especially if you have more than one male. I spend time with mine. I have a few which seem like they want me to hold them all the time. The more time you spend with them at this age and the next few months the more (generally speaking) they will be extra lovey. I would never freerange my serama flock- there is too much danger. I will sometimes take one or two seramas out at a time and let them freerange at close range to me, but I’d never leave them unattended. We have too many stray cats, hawks, owls, foxes, etc around.

Oh, and one more thing—- the color they are now could drastically change by the time they are fully feathered. You’ve got beautiful little chicks there! Please update us on how they look when they are fully feathered. It’s always fun to see how different or similar they look from when they were babies.

Hope this helps some!

 

[Raptorchick]

Serama Experts -- Can you all give me advice on being a great Serama owner? I just hatched my first 5 seramas, all of them so absolutely adorable and I am smitten. I have ordered more eggs from a highly respected breeder and plan to have a flock of mini chickens. I love them.
So -

Any tips, tricks, advice, warnings, health advice, feed advice, coop design, how to keep them happy, any other misc anecdotes..... please send it ALL my way!!!

Ps also looking for good names for these cuties throw some out there View attachment 1561045 View attachment 1561046 View attachment 1561047 View attachment 1561048 View attachment 1561049

Omygosh your babies are adorable !! I love the apple for scale, soo cute!
O ps! Like stated above, their colors will really show in a few weeks, so I wouldn't name them per fluff color like I did for mine lol. My yellow Sunshine now is mostly lavender, my Cocopuff is now solid black then Lacey (silkie) turned out to be a boy, woops!