The Serama Bantam chicken is the smallest chicken breed in the world. So, why would you want to own one of these? What is the purpose of this chicken breed? Well, that is exactly what we are going to be taking a look at on this page!
Serama Bantam Facts at a Glance
| Eggs | ~120 per year |
| Egg Color | Ranging from white to deep brown |
| Use | Show |
| Comb Type | Single |
| Weight | Can weigh as little as 6 ounces (170 g). Breeders divide them in three classes: Rooster: Class A 12 oz., Class B 17 oz. and Class C 20 oz. Hen: Class A 11 oz., Class B 15 oz. and Class C 17 oz. |
| Temperament | Docile |
| Country of origin | Malaysia |
The Origins of the Serama Bantam Chicken
The origins of this chicken are a little bit clouded. Technically, the roots of the chicken can go all the way back to the 1600s. It was developed in Malaysia, possibly from Silkies and some native bantams.
However, we really do not regard it as originating then. This is because this is a chicken breed that has gone through a lot of breeding over the years.
The version of the chicken that breeders became ‘happy’ with didn’t appear until the 1990s. This means that not only is it the smallest chicken breed in the world, but it is also one of the newest chickens. They were brought to the US around 2000s.
Obviously, the whole purpose of this chicken was to raise a chicken that would be fantastic for chicken shows. It isn’t really that brilliant for much else.
Although, we do suppose that if you have one or two of these running around your yard, then they are going to look good and provide some sort of awesome talking point for people.
The Serama is a true bantam chicken, which means there is no large version of them. This is cool, we suppose.
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The Look of the Serama Chicken
Oddly enough, there is no standard look to the Serama Chicken. Well, there is. However, you probably will find it difficult to predict exactly what your chicken is going to look like before it hatches.
The color of the chicken is pretty much varied. The Serama Bantam chicken can come in several colors, and the parents do not seem to have a major impact on that.
So, you could get two parents who have the same color, but they could be producing a Serama Chicken that looks completely different to that.
The same with size. The chickens can come out in a variety of different sizes. However, they are never going to be taller than 10 inches. They are never going to weigh more than 7-8 oz (500 grams) either.
Beyond these unique characteristics, the Serama Chicken is pretty standardized. They carry themselves nice and tall, and they stand up straight.
They have a posture unlike any other chicken breed you will have seen before, with the head, breasts, and tail held nice and upright.
In our opinion, these are some of the most elegant chickens that you are ever likely to see in your life. It is no wonder that they seem to work so great if you are looking for a chicken for shows.
As a show chicken
As we have stated several times on this page; this is a chicken that has pretty much been designed for chicken shows. The vast majority of breeders are raising them as a show chicken breed.
In fact, because this was a breed that was pretty much almost wiped out a few years ago, it can be pretty difficult to get your hands on one unless you were breeding them yourself. This is the reason they are somewhat expensive.
If you can get one, and you are not planning on having it in shows, then a decent flock of these will look great in your garden.
Although, do bear in mind that these chickens are not that productive.
Serama Bantam as a Meat Chicken
This chicken is small. We can’t imagine that there are many people who are going to be rearing their Serama chickens for meat.
Obviously, this is because they are not going to be able to give off a whole lot of meat. We reckon that they could be quite delicious if you did that, but if you are looking for a meat chicken, then there are so many far better options on the market.
We can’t imagine that you would want to raise the Serama for this reason alone. It seems to be a waste of time for it to be raised purely as a meat chicken.
Serama Chicken Eggs
Surprisingly, the Serama hen is able to produce a decent number of eggs each week. You should be able to get at least three-four (ranging from white to deep brown).
The deep brown can be quite dark, so we have put this breed in the list of top 6 chickens that lay dark brown eggs (you should check it out!).
Although, of course, do bear in mind that the eggs are going to be quite small.
That being said, we know that there are a lot of people who are fans of the smaller eggs that the Serama Chicken is able to produce, so we have no issues if you are planning to raise the Serama Chicken as an egg layer.
Although, do bear in mind that the chicken may have the number of eggs it produces slow down over time, particularly during the winter months.
The Serama hens will brood and they make excellent mothers.
The Personality of the Chicken
A lot of people do claim that the Serama Chicken is a calm and friendly chicken. We suppose it is, to an extent. However, you must remember that this is a small chicken.
This means that it can be a little bit too skittish if you constantly hassle it. So, try to avoid sneaking up on the chicken.
In addition to this, the small size of the chicken means that it is more likely to be bullied by other chickens in the coop.
This means that you are probably not going to want to pair a single Serama chicken up with a coop full of massive chickens. We can’t imagine that this is something that is going to end well.
Other Care Tips
The size of the Serama chicken means that it can’t really deal with huge amounts of food. It tends to take its food a little bit more ‘ground up’ than other chicken breeds. This is why many people will raise the Serama chicken alone.
This isn’t really a chicken that tends to do well as a fully free range chicken either. It needs to be kept in some sort of gated chicken coop. It can have a run around, but it shouldn’t be allowed free reign of your garden.
many people in Malaysia keep this small bird as a pet in their apartment. Their tiny size and calm, friendly personality make them ideal as house pets.
Once again, this is going to be down to the size of the chicken. It is too small, which means that it can be picked up by predators rather quickly.
