Speak to me of Shamos

[A.T. Hagan]

I traded for a bird entirely new to me today and I'm hoping someone who knows something of this breed can tell me if what I have is worthwhile.

He's supposed to be a Red Pyle Shamo (or was it O Shamo?) cockerel. From looking at his spur stubs I don't think he's very old yet. His feet and legs are pretty big so if he grows into them he's going to be a big bird!

I seem to recall these game breeds are somewhat sparse feathered so I'm not sure if his feather covering is normal or not. I did not see any signs of mites or lice, but I'm going to treat him for it just in case.

While we're at it how do you pronounce the name? Is is Shamoo, Shaymoo, Shame-o, or what? The man selling them said Shamoo, but I've heard it pronounced Shame-o as well.

The family copy of the SOP is in the girls room and they are asleep so I don't want to turn on the light to go look for it. Are they are recognized breed as in showable? I bought him for breeding purposes, but I'd like to know.

Thanks much for any info you can give.

 

[welasharon]

You can google O shamo and learn quite a bit about them. The things that stood out to me the most are 1) they should not be fed too high a protein feed as they take up to two years to fully mature and you want them to grow slowly not to have leg/keel issues. They need low, wide roosts. 2) The males have to be kept from other males (of any breed) these fight till one is dead. 3) They are very people-y birds. They are hard feathered so need some possible heat in colder areas and there will be points where the feathers will not cover and the body shows through. The o shamo are the largest of the shamo. There are ko and cho I think are the others? Not positive. Mine are o's. Mostly....they are so cool!
sharon

 

[GotGame]

U have what is actually a pretty nice lookin bird. You have O Shamos, Chu Shamos, Bantam Shamos and Ko Shamos (biggest to smallest). I like doms myself, love the barring. Nice head, the sparse feathering is right on with game, especially the oriental birds, very hard feathered, you will see bare keel, and top point of the wings are bare very often. All in all he seems to be a nice young bird, the post previously made is good information, they do mature slowly, need low wide roosts, low so they dont hurt their legs jumping down, as they are still maturing and get big fast, and wide so they dont rest their keel on a narrow roost and because of their weight, will actually cause them to have a dented keel. Low protein is true as well....good luck with him, nice lookin bird...

 

[welasharon]

Gotgame thank you for extra clarification on the keel. No where did I read just what it did....just to not let it mess it up. I love this place. You can learn so much.

 

[GotGame]

Quote:
No problem...I am new to orientals myself, but there are a couple guys on here that I am sure will chime in that are old hands at the OG's....

 

[gumbii]

your bird is gorgeous... has barring to it too... very nice...

i recently got rid of all of my shamo chickens... they weren't for me... i had some blue laced red shamo... and spangles... very powerful breed...

good luck... oh, and i'm sure ilia will come in and give you some more info... she helped me out a lot...

 

[Illia]

Aha, and I found this thread.

The keel is the sternum of the breast, the center bit where it pokes out. It will be bare, however the less activity your male does, the less it will poke out. (activity increases muscle volume, which expands the skin between the feathers, and thus reveals the keel)


GotGame pretty much covered the essential basics. I personally think Shamos are definitely worth having, no matter the type/size or color. They're very powerful, very intelligent, and very friendly.

His feet and legs are naturally big, if he grows any, it will be overall growth. Shamos don't have much of any weird stages in life except when younger their feathering may be a bit slow, and for a while they'll look like a half naked raptor hybrid.

Shamos are indeed a recognized breed, however very few colors are recognized. So he'd just be an AOV bird, same with his offspring unless his white is incomplete and dominant. His feathering looks good to me except his head, which looks a little picked. It isn't that they are sparsely feathered, it is that they are hard feathered, meaning instead of being loose or fluffy, it is pressed firmly against the body, thus showing more skin and the true body shape.

If you're in a place with cold winters or cool summers, keep in mind that they like heat. The hard feathering especially is one reason why

 

[welasharon]

Here is an illustration of Illia's naked raptor look!

 

[Chris09]

Chu Shamo and O Shamo are simply different weight classes of the breed SHAMO.
O Shamo males weigh 4kg/ 8.8lbs or above. Females weigh 3kg/6.6lbs or above
Chu Shamo males weigh 3kg/ 6.6lbs or above, and under 4kg/8.8lbs. Females weigh 2.25kg/4.9lbs or above, and under 3kg/6.6lbs.
Above from Ultimantefowl Wikipedia

Red Pyle is a pattern and O Shamo is a type (size) with that being said, I think he is a Sport out of a Dom or a Pyle bred from a Dom by adding Dominate White.
If he is a Cockerel then I would keep him off the High Protein feed, I believe that 14 % is going to be best but you may want to send a PM to saladin here on BYC he will be able to help you better on the nutritional need of this breed.

Chris

 

[Redcatcher]

Nice looking Shamo. They will never really grow into their feet. They have to be big and powerful to offset their height and weight. They are used for fighting where it's still legal and it makes it difficult for them to be knocked off of their feet by their opponents.