Serama coops and housing.

What chicken coop is best for Serama bantams?

I many ways bantams do not generally require anything different from standard breeds of chicken. The same coop that is good for any other chickens of any size will suite Serama bantams just fine. You can easily fit two bantams into the space required by one standard bird and since they like to fly, building upwards with plenty of perches will accommodate them well.

Can Serama mix with other chickens?

I have kept Japanese bantams and Serama with both other bantams and large fowl and have never had any problems. The size of a chicken is in the eye of the keeper and not the hen. The cockerels will happily try it on with hens 5 times their size and the hens don't seem to notice the size difference.

You are less likely to have any problems with happy chickens that have plenty of space. Cramped or hungry birds will fight regardless.

If you decide to mix your bantams in with standard breeds just watching them for a while will make sure they aren’t getting picked on because of their size.

Mine mix in with the standards and I have found them very adept at evading and manoeuvring between the larger girls. They will readily fly up and out of the way if they feel threatened in any way.

Below: A common practice with small chickens like the Serama is to cover the inside of the coop in reed matting to stop the birds getting caught in the mesh.

This also helps keep draughts out.

There are a few considerations you need to keep in mind when housing small bantam chickens, they have a large surface area to their body size and get cold very quickly and take longer to warm up.

Since they are small they have a higher metabolic rate, these little birds do feel the cold more than larger hens would. Japanese and Dutch bantams as well are noted as not being cold tolerant.

Oriental Bantams also do not possess the thick soft feathering that most European types enjoy to keep themselves warm.

The usual requirements for adequate chicken housing remains, it must be dry, draft and predator proof. All poultry require housing that is sized for the number of birds that will be living in it.

You will need to pay careful attention to the mesh size with Serama and other tiny bantams, they can get their heads out of holes that bigger chickens can not and it may get them into bother.

Frizzles varieties will probably need supplemental heat in cold weather.

I keep a Serama rooster and hens with my mixed free range flock of Barnevelders. They are just a tiny version of a big chicken and behave just like my other breeds.

How much space do Serama need in a coop?

Large fowl need at least 1 foot of perch, 4 square foot of coop space and 8 square foot of run per bird. Bantams require slightly less space. Several sources state 1 sq.ft for each bird, but 2 sq.ft is preferred in the coop with 4 sq.ft in the run. If you are unsure then err on the side of caution and go larger if you can.

Bantams take a lot less room than their larger counterparts already! If you can provide lots of perches at different heights, maybe even a small tree and some bushes, they will make excellent use of them.

Bantams are usually good flyers and love a good flutter about. If you plan to keep them in a coop, make sure they have high perches and places they can fly up to if they want to. If you wish to keep them confined to that area the run will need to be covered. This will also prevent predation by hawks or owls.

Do you need a separate coop for Serama bantam chickens?

Only if you want to breed them or you need to keep them separated for any special reason.

I use a separate coop for my Serama when I need to breed them and make sure the eggs are pure. 

Bantam coop tips:

1. Serama and other bantams can’t take the cold as well as bigger birds. These birds come form a warm climate and have hard Asian type feathering .It may be that over time they will becoming cold-tolerant and mine can withstand 0 C with no trouble at all. Just give them time to adjust.
2. Serama have poor fertility as a rule and this is sometimes seen in other small bantams. A small coop that can be moved around on fresh ground might help.
3. They are actually quite good layers of 25 to 30 gram eggs, about 1oz and can lay about 5-6 eggs per week. They eat much less because they are so tiny(300-400) grams and don't need that much space. You still need a couple of nest boxes.
4. They will destroy flower garden just like their larger cousins but due to their tiny size it will take them a bit longer.
5. The thing you really need to make sure of is that you get the right size of chicken wire on the run.It needs to be is so tiny you can't stick your pinky or little finger through it.

It has a good size run for about 4-5 Serama, perfect size coop with a ramp, two perches inside, a slide out cleaning bedding pan, two nesting boxes, two slide open air vents covered with chicken wire to let some air flow and automatic push shut coop closing door! This thing is a bantam dream house