Fine feathers make fine birds
BY ESTHER CHANDRAN
Metro, 8 Aug 2002

TO HOLD a chicken in one’s palm may be quite a feat as the bird may be undisciplined and will not stay put, but the well groomed and obedient ayam serama is indeed a fowl in a class of its own. 

Tagged as the “beauty queen” in the family of fowls, the petite and gentle ayam serama is able to respond to simple commands and stands proudly on one’s palm as if to show off its fine feathers. 

 

An ayam serama loves to show off its fine feathers.

Displaying the aptitude of a model, the ayam serama (bantam) is a picture of poised elegance and proud owners tend to their pets with tender, loving care as if they were prized possessions. 

Hardly surprising, as a good looking ayam serama can be almost priceless. The more contest titles it wins, the higher its price, some costing RM20,000 or even more. 

Of late, there have been more and more contests featuring the classy ayam serama and the latest was the Ayam Serama Beauty Competition 2002 last Sunday at Bandar Baru Ampang in Ampang Jaya. 

Owners of the small-sized chickens arrived with their hands full, some bringing with them as many as six birds with the intention of entering each of the six open categories. 

The categories were Serama A 370g and below, Serama B 371g and above, Serama male chicks, young serama, adolescent serama and female serama.  

Organised by Serama SP Enterprise, the competition drew nationwide participation, and keen owners from as far as Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu journeyed many miles to show off their prized possessions. 

A dark coloured ayam serama with splashes of red and orange.

Freelance director Sam Husny Hassan from Gombak said two of his chickens, named Sri Liam and Sri Candang, were shampooed, dried and fed before the competition. Owners also often coo loving words to the chickens. 

“By entering such competitions, I get to meet other ayam serama owners, discover the new categories and the latest judging techniques introduced by the council of judges,” Sam said. 

Wan Dzaharudin Mohd Nadzam, of Serama SP Enterprise, said points were awarded for posture, wing and feather layout, good health and the beauty aspects of the bird including its colour, feathers and body shape. 

“The way the bird thrusts forward its breast, the structure of its tail and the tip edge, the comb and its overall poise are some of the deciding factors that judges look at when awarding marks,” Wan Dzaharudin said. 

His business partner, Saiful Bahry Ismail, said this was the first time such a competition was being held in Ampang Jaya and he expected at least 300 participants (ayam serama) for the competition. 

“The response has been encouraging as there are many owners who have travelled from afar to be a part of the event. 

“The success of this event will help us decide whether to organise similar competitions because there is a growing number of people keeping them as pets,” Saiful added. 

The judges for the event were from the Kelab Pengadil Profesional Negeri Kedah.  

For more details on ayam serama, call 019-448 5965 (Saiful), 019-330 0788 (Wan).