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A Discussion of the American Serama

Since it’s arrival in the USA, the Serama has generated much controversy. Many see it as nothing more than a “chabo cull” or just a crossbreed. There is some truth in both of these, but they are not quite accurate. While the Serama was developed from chabo and crosses with many other breeds, it is a true breed. However, it is not a “breed” by Western standards. That is to say, it is not set into one type nor is it set into color varieties. It is the type of breed called a “landrace”,

which is a group of birds sharing common traits, but also still segregating many other traits.

The importation of landraces from Asia into the West has occurred several times and most of our modern breeds are descendants of such imports. Once in the West, these landraces have then been refined into breeds, varieties, etc. In other words, refined, to suit Western tastes. The Asiatics (cochin, Brahma and Langshan) are classic examples of just such events. In the East, they are not separate breeds, and are more regional variations of the same thing. Those original variations were refined into separate varieties and breeds in the West.

This process is now beginning with the Serama.

With the Malaysian Serama being a landrace and not a consistent and refined breed, the question arises, “So what do we do with them?” This has been my focus of research: to determine what genes they have that are useful, what genes are not useful, problem traits and strong points. Amongst their greatest traits is the wonderful and calm personality seen in many Serama. Amongst their bad traits is the fact that the majority of Serama seem to lack the basic desirable “chicken traits” ( good production/reproduction traits, high fertility, strong hatchability, etc). As well, there are type traits desired in Malaysia (where there are at least four styles of Serama) that are extreme and detrimental to a balanced, productive and graceful bird.

So what do we seek to make in the American Serama? What are the traits to discard and what traits are to be intensified? In what ways do we seek to change the Malaysian Serama to make it an American Serama?

As past SCNA Chair, I have had the privilege of working with the other members of the Governing Council of SCNA to formulate a desirable standard that can correct the faults of the Malaysian Serama and refine it into a breed as recognized in the West. In writing this standard, our first concern was to establish one type, rather than four or five different types, as in Malaysia. To do that, we chose the “slim” form and combined it with the “apple” breast. Why? The slim type gives several desirable traits. These include a longer back (which allows more space for internal organs and promotes better reproduction/production), longer legs (which allows the wing to not drag the ground, which is one of the major faults in most Malaysian lines of Serama), a longer neck (which keeps the wattles off the breast) and the ability to have a very high held tail. The apple breast then gives much more developed breast muscling, allowing the extra culls to be usable for food, gives more muscle mass to the bird thus creating more resistance to disease and more durability and better cold weather tolerance.

To people who are used to one or the other of the Malaysian types, the American Serama type may seem odd at first, neither one form nor the other. However on closer inspection (especially when evaluated by a poultry man or a geneticist) the difference are not arbitrary. They are designed to create a better, more durable and sustainable/reproducible type. This can thus create a Serama that has consistency. Let us look at the parts of the bird and the points attached to each.

There is no point emphasis given to any size class. This is to de-emphasize size, which has been focused on far too heavily in the US, to the detriment of the breed. Size ONLY defines the category in which the bird falls and should have no effect or reflection on market value, with type and temperament being the basis of the market value of the American Serama.

Type receives 25 points, and is the highest number of points given to a single trait. That is because type makes the breed. The type of the Serama (both Malaysian and American) should be very distinct from any other breed, and a bird that looks like a “chabo cull” or an “old English cross breed” should not be considered a Serama, as they do not have type (which is the general silhouette). The overall type of the American Serama is a compromise between the “slim” form and the “apple” form. That general outline is a large V with the foot as the apex, the breast as the front line and the back of the tail as the back line of the V.