06/12/2026
This is very good info for those who breed seramas or any breed really! I don't breed my birds who start to show any weaknesses. They are simply pets here now. Breeding for strength in any area of poultry is a BIG 🔑 for a great line. If you've ever seen a yard ornament over here it's because it does not fit into my program. Now they are cute yard ornaments. 😍
Breeding for longevity is super important in a breed. If we breed weak birds the breed will not stand up to the test of time. You can’t forward a breed with weak birds.
This little guy here was being bathed and dried for a bird for a youth. His comb turned black. The comb of a bird is a window into their health.
Bright red: healthy.
Purple to black: circulation issues…heart.
Pale yellow: organ failure or anemia.
This is not a mulberry comb (gypsy faced). If it was his beak would be black as well, not yellow.
I have heard people say: “Breed the heck out of them before they die.” I don’t do that. I wait until they are at least a year old before I put them in a breeding pen.
Why?
I want strong genetics. If I breed a bird at 5 and 6 months of age and the bird does of heart issues at 9 or 10 months I have just bred a bird that will pass on genetics for a weak heart.
Serama are known to have heart issues because they are so small. When we breed for money instead of breeding for longevity and strength of the breed the breed itself becomes weak over time.
This particular bird will live his days as a shoulder bird here with me. If giving him a bath stressed his heart to this point he will not handle shows or live very long. That is a heartbreak I will bear. I will not pass that heartbreak onto a child.