Thanks for the links!!! My first hatch of seramas are over a week old now, nice wings beginning to come in. The mottleds are darkening. The littlest mottled, Tux, is now a whopping .46 ounces. For comparison a quarter is .21 ounces. He can stand on a quarter. Somebody stepped on his wee self and he's having a rough day - cries to be picked up a lot, so I am typing one handed. He's pretty much the size of some hummingbirds I've rescued.
It will be work to get these guys up to snuff but they're sweet and they don't eat much - while I try and sort out the genes I have. I'm getting rid of the excess Roos now so what's growing up has more space. Not that five serama babies take up much space but I'm growing out sizzles and silkies too.
He's so small he still sleeps in my fist curled and isn't big enough to peek out. He's a favorite, but so is the little brown from the same hatch, his wings already have attitude, he's bigger though. I got two mottled blacks, two ohmygodwhoknows colors, and a brown or chocolate - time will tell, two toned brown down, no black, no white, no yellow. All wicked cool.
I just love watching them change colors as they get older!
I had 2 dark chipmuck looking babies hatch out and now they are both black w/white and on their necks is white birchen. Now tell me how weird is that! LOL
You're welcome. I would hope that these articles would help at least one person. If so, then mission accomplished.
I'm not sure why there is a continual gag about trying to get proper identification and breed specifics about Seramas on BYC. It's very frustrating for those of us with a lot of experience and knowledge about this breed when we're gagged from making corrections and trying to enlighten people on what a true serama is. All too often, people are taken every day by something someone calls a serama when it isn't. I agree that there is a right and a wrong way to go about it, but I do wish BYC moderators would allow a little more leniency when something so wrong is being put out there. I have other breeds that I like to discuss on here and share with others. And that includes when it comes to making corrections and preventing someone from being taken by a serama scam. The problem with Seramas is it's a landrace, still too new here for the most part to really and truly moderate with the best interest of the breed at the heart of the [moderation] issue. It seems it's more about people's feelings even when they are trying to rip someone off with something that isn't what it's claimed to be, or make false claims. My question is, what about those who are going to get taken by someone like this, what moderation can BYC have to help stop this other than those of us in the know being able to speak up without fear of being shut down?
I'm not trying to ruffle anyone's feathers. But I do wish there would be a happy median here.
And I would appreciate this concern not being moderated but taken into consideration.
Thank you for the informative articles....I have 9 Serama babies and some more in the bator. It is nice to see articles written that can be understood. I realize there are people out there making outrageous claims and as mine grow, I will look back at this thread for information...yes the chicks I have now were from an auction on an egg site, the ones under broodies and in the incubator are from BYC members. Being new to the breed, thanks for the info!
I realize that some people might not have true Seramas, do try to cheat people and its wrong of them to lie just for the money. I definitely applaud each of the breeders trying to improve on the breeds.
But I have a question about the statement 'A serama is a living work of art. Anything less than that and you just have a bantam chicken'. I have watched a lot of the Serama breeders sell their culls on here. Most of which have faults, so they are not kept for breeding...too long in the back, wings not quite right, a little large, etc. They don't charge as high of prices for these birds as they do their more 'perfect' stock, of course. But how come the breeders of those birds still considered them Seramas, but the ones we have that aren't perfect either are merely bantams?
Many people selling their Seramas on here, have bought eggs, culls or what they could afford from respected breeders and then sell their own chicks. Resulting in many of us not getting those perfect, chesty, tiny 'works of art'. While I am sure everyone would love to have the most perfect Seramas in the world, is it fair to make us feel bad for not having them? Or to say we don't have Seramas at all?
I think that is where BYC is having a problem and why you are being kept from correcting people. While it is great to educate people, there is a wrong and right way to do it. Making others feel bad just so you can feel better about what you have, is not the correct way. I'm really not trying to get on anyones bad side here, but you have to stop and see things from other points of view.
That being said...I love so many of the Seramas I have seen on the 'real' breeders websites here and would give anything to have any of them. But I also love the little imperfect Seramas I own and they are still Seramas. Just like my huge Golden Retriever was every bit a Golden Retriever, even though I bought him from a Menonite family for $300 and didn't pay $2000 for him from an AKC breeder w/ papers.