American

The body type of American and Traditional Serama are identical. The only difference, is American refers to the colors accepted by the ABA (American Bantam Association) and therefore can be shown at most “in cage” shows which are ABA sanctioned, or 4H/Fair shows which incorporate ABA standards. As of 2019, the American accepted colors are white, black and exchequer. More on the standards can be found here. Traditional has the same type as American, but can only be shown table top, or entered in cage shows as AOV (All other Variety). 

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         Ayam    

Ayam or Malaysian style Serama have a different, more “extreme” body type and are only able to be shown in Table Top Shows.  Maintaining the balance of type that the American Serama exhibit, the Ayam Serama hold a more extreme pose. All parts of the Ayam Serama should flow together in balance. Wings aligning with eyes, head pull affecting the extremity of tail angle.

 Traditional

Traditional Serama are any other color that is NOT American colors (white, black, exchequer) blue and splash are pending ABA approval.  Traditional, Colorful Serama- Identical body type to the American Serama. Balanced structure. Wings align with eyes and legs. Tail is held moderately upright. 

No, Serama are not required to have feathered legs. Booted Serama do exist and will pop up every now and then as a mutation. However, Booted Serama are not currently recognized as variety of Serama in exhibition showing.

WHAT IS REQUIRED FOR A GOOD BOOTED SERAMA

Shanks – the front and outside covered with feathers which are short at the top and gradually increasing in length toward the bottom, stiff and turning horizontally outward, with their ends curving backward.

 Toes – plumage, outside toe covered in same manner as shanks, middle toes bare.

   The original Captain Cocoapop was bred by Jerry Schexnayder. Cocoapop is a “rooster color” which comes in several variations. Original Cocoapop was silver based with red enhancers (autosomal red and mahogany), some choc others black based. Cocoapop is now used for the dusky-pattern of lacing, so there are different variations such as Gold Cocoapop, Silver Cocoapop, Red Silver Cocoapop etc.

The American Bantam Association defines squirrel tail as when part of the tail is projecting in front of a perpendicular line drawn through the juncture of the tail and back. With Serama having an upright station and upright tail, one should be able to draw a straight vertical line through the eye, wing, and center of leg. If a bird is not properly posed and crouching forward, it will be hard to make a proper determination of squirrel tail.  AS OF 2019, THE SQUIRREL TAIL IS A DQ  Notice in this illustration the vertical line through the eye, center of the wing, and leg. This is a proper pose or “station” for the American and Traditional typed Serama. Before any proper evaluation is to occur, one should first make every effort to make sure that their bird is in proper pose. Birds that are leaning forward, hunching, or walking in their natural environment are more likely to give a false appearance of having squirrel tail when that is not the case in reality. In exhibition, the judge is to make every effort to give the bird the benefit of the doubt. Light touching may be permissible to ascertain if a bird that is perhaps leaning or hunching does in fact have a squirrel tail.

  Exchequer Description- Black and white, evenly distributed The white color on the surface in the form of a wide blob as distinct from v-shaped ticking. Wings and Tail, white and black evenly distributed. The black feathers of the hackle, back, saddle, sickles and wing bows of the male should have a rich beetle green sheen. The black feathers of the female should also show some brilliance of feather in the head, hackle, back, cushion and wing bows.

Defects- V shaped ticking on black feathers

Mottled Description- Mottling is a white tip to feathers. Usually the area behind the white is intensely black and on a black bird this shows up as not having green sheen.  As birds age mottling usually develops bigger white spots and on more feathers. The genetics and statistics of the mottled gene applies to all mottled poultry; including all colours of mottled (blue, black, chocolate, lavender, red, buff) Exchequer Feathers, solid black and solid white feathers. Blobbing expected, but no tipped feathers. See Below.                                         Mottled Feathers, black feathers tipped with white. See Below.          

No they are not. Silkied feathering is a feather mutation which can show up in many breeds of chickens. Silkied Seramas are certainly bred as pure, the first Silkied Serama showed up after the original 2001 import at Jerry Schexnayders place. Here is a quote from Jerry Schexnayder regarding the first Silkied Serama to show up in his flock, “My first silkied showed up in my flock, unexpectedly in December 2002, (i gave it away (Gene Adams) because it didn’t meet the standard), they continued to show up and I finally took an interest in them and started sharing them with others. Think about this. The silkie has 5 toes and black skin. How many of the silkied serama we have today, numbering in the thousands have 5 toes and dark skin? 5 toes and dark skin can’t be bred out in 15 generations”.  Beware of sellers who mix the 2 breeds and sell them as pure. Pictured below are silkied chickens, far different in type than Serama.