Serama

The Serama is a truly unique breed where posture is more important than color. Unlike most bantams, they are evaluated through tabletop judging, meaning they are assessed while freely walking on a table rather than sitting in an exhibition cage.

It features a broad breast carried very high and forward. From a side view, the head, neck, and breast create a clear S-shape silhouette. The wings are carried vertically, often just clearing the ground, and should ideally obscure the view of the legs from the side.

• Posture: The eye, wing, and legs should align in a perfect vertical line.
• Comb: A medium-sized single comb with five regular points.
• Feather Types: Beyond the standard smooth feathers, the breed is also officially recognized in silkied and frizzled varieties.
• Leg Bands: Official ring sizes are 11mm for roosters and 10mm for hens.

The Serama is primarily an ornamental and exhibition breed. Due to its tiny size, the eggs are also very small, typically weighing between 0.5 - 1.2 oz (15 - 35g).

Hens are known to be good layers for their size and often go broody, making them excellent mothers despite the fragile nature of their chicks.

While both sexes share the vertical posture, the rooster displays a much more dramatic S-curve. The rooster's main tail feathers are long and sword-like, extending about 1 inch (2.5 cm) above the head. The hen has a shorter back, often described as a narrow U-shape, and her tail is touched by the back of her neck due to the extreme posture.

Instead of a single target weight, adult Seramas are commonly categorized into three specific weight classes: Class A (Roosters 8-12 oz / 225-350g, Hens 7-11.5 oz / 200-325g), Class B (Roosters 12.4-17.6 oz / 351-500g, Hens 11.5-15 oz / 326-425g), and Class C (Roosters 17.6-21 oz / 501-600g, Hens 15-18.5 oz / 426-525g).

Originating from the tropical climate of Malaysia, the Serama is not cold-hardy. They are considered delicate in cooler regions. Owners must provide a draft-free, warm environment, and many enthusiasts keep them in temperature-controlled spaces or even indoors during winter.

They are highly susceptible to frostbite on their combs and feet if exposed to freezing temperatures.

The origin of the Serama is shrouded in myth, but it is known to have originated in Malaysia, deriving its name from Sri Rama, a mythological Hindu King. The breed emerged around 1988 following years of cross-breeding local Malaysian bantams with Japanese Chabo bantams. In Malaysia, there are four traditional types: the ball, slim, apple, and dragon Serama. They are highly revered, and in provinces like Kelantan, some dedicated breeders even bathe their show birds in baby lotion!

When the breed was imported to North America, there were not enough birds to sustain healthy populations of the individual Malaysian types. To secure survival, breeders fused the 'Slim' and 'Apple' types into what is now recognized as the American Type. Today, they are beloved worldwide and have become a favorite in the American poultry exhibition scene.

Unlike most standardized breeds, the Serama does not have strictly defined color varieties that form part of the official evaluation. Breeders focus entirely on type, posture, and character. The official standard emphasizes that regardless of the color, the plumage should be as glossy as possible, reflecting the bird's excellent health. Furthermore, the breed is incredibly unique as it is also officially recognized in silkied and frizzled feather varieties.

The silkied gene is believed to have been introduced through crosses with the Japanese Bantam (Chabo). However, breeding silkied Seramas requires special attention. Their feathers are less soft and broad than those of a true Silkie chicken, making the wing and tail feathers prone to severe fraying and breakage. To maintain feather quality, experts recommend breeding lines consisting of roughly 1/3 silkied and 2/3 smooth-feathered birds.

Additionally, silkied Seramas often have a significantly shorter lifespan, sometimes dying just after their second birthday, which is likely due to their poorly insulated feathers in colder climates.

Breeding the Serama requires careful management of their extreme small size and unique biology. Hens are extremely prone to broodiness, often deciding to sit after laying just their 6th or 7th egg. Interestingly, if multiple hens have chicks, they tend to steal each other's eggs and raise all the chicks communally as one large family.

Unlike standard chickens that always hatch at 21 days, Serama chicks can hatch anywhere between 18 and 22 days depending on the ambient temperature. Research even suggests that their eggs do not strictly need to be turned during the first few days of incubation.

Breeders must actively select against the lethal 'creeper gene', which causes extremely short legs and mortality. Furthermore, adult birds must be bred strictly to fit within recognized weight classes (Class A, B, or C), with birds falling below 7.9 oz (225g) for roosters and 7.1 oz (200g) for hens being disqualified.

Overall, the Serama is a tough and resilient breed once past the vulnerable chick stage, and they do not show any specific sensitivity to Marek's disease. However, due to their tiny size, they require protection from extreme weather and regular deworming to maintain their immune system.

A unique condition sometimes seen in the breed is an ingrown comb, where the rear spike of the single comb grows backward into the skin. Breeders safely fix this by massaging olive oil into the skin to soften the built-up grease, allowing them to gently pull the spike free.

Another quirk is the swing tail (or wry tail), where the tail falls to one side. While normally a strict disqualification, some Seramas naturally grow out of this condition and will proudly hold their tails perfectly vertical by the time they are 1.5 years old.