Hello everybody. I haven't been on here in forever, life got crazy. Are there any Javas in Maryland? I've got a trio of black java, only one hen, though.
Java Thread
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Hi all. Back on track with raising and breeding Black Javas after a two yr hiatus for a move to the big city (friends, I don't recommend that).
So what's happening in the Black Java world? I found a flock of pure Garfield Museum birds from an old farmer here (a few hrs away) who doesn't ship anything, so I drove down and got several. Pretty happy with them.
I believe I have one pullet carrying mottled genes. I have not experienced this before. She has bay eyes, and has started showing some white ends on tail feathers. Mostly black.
So, if so, what do I need to do? If I hatch her eggs and not separate them, do I run the risk of messing up my Black Java program?
Under what conditions would an egg of hers hatch a treuly mottled appearing bird?
So what's happening in the Black Java world? I found a flock of pure Garfield Museum birds from an old farmer here (a few hrs away) who doesn't ship anything, so I drove down and got several. Pretty happy with them.
I believe I have one pullet carrying mottled genes. I have not experienced this before. She has bay eyes, and has started showing some white ends on tail feathers. Mostly black.
So, if so, what do I need to do? If I hatch her eggs and not separate them, do I run the risk of messing up my Black Java program?
Under what conditions would an egg of hers hatch a treuly mottled appearing bird?
The Garfield Farm birds are the original source flock putting out the *auburn* colored Javas, so the eye color could also be a result of having the reddish feathering gene . You'll have to watch out for that as well. The birds that have the reddish coloring generally tend to carry the pink foot gene, which is a disqualification for standard colored Javas.
Blacks have been showing up with white feathering since the 1800s - which is how the White Javas got started, as *sports* from Black Java flocks. So you may or may not have the actual mottling gene combo in their makeup. Of course you may be able to bring out the mottling if you were to breed the pullet and select offspring with white in them every time you breed. This is how the current *Auburn Java* was made - by selecting the birds with the red feathering for each breeding.
Yes, if you are trying to breed Black Javas to the color standard, you can mess up your Black Java breeding program if you incorporate the pullet into your main breeding flock. You'll get more birds with the incorrect eye color, which is not a DQ, but is still incorrect. If some of the auburn genes are hiding in there, you'll run a higher risk of the gene combo getting together and bringing out more incorrect feather colors and foot color in addition to the incorrect eye color for a Black. And you'll run a higher risk of getting more birds with white feathers, which is a DQ.
If you have room to keep separate, and the pullet looks good except for the color problem, you could do some test matings with her and see what happens with her offspring. Would give you a better idea of whether you're looking at just an aberrant feather, which can happen, or if you're seeing the beginning of a White *sport*, or a Mottled, or the red feathering genes. We've done this and found it helpful for seeing how the gene combos can work for or against us when using Javas with incorrect coloring.
Pretty much as I thought but I do appreciate the really detailed explanation. I had chosen to consider her a laying hen only but keeping her in pen with the BJ flock to keep a good ratio (I can tell her eggs very easily as they are MUCH lighter and a longer shape--has anyone else seen this in auburn or mottled bs black (all of the blacks I've ever had were rounded eggs in a light brown to pink brown, and hers is almost a tint). I believe I will send her eggs out for a test hatch since I don't have a space for that kind of experiment right now.
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The longer shape is an individual bird issue. A few of our more pinched tailed hens tend to lay longer eggs but every once in a while we'll get a long egg from a hen that normally lays normal shaped eggs. We get a range of egg colors from light tinted creams through to darker browns. Our Mottleds that are whiter at a younger age tend toward lighter colored eggs than those that have more black feathers on them, while our Blacks lay more from the mid-range beige to the darker brown side. Our color project Javas tend to have a darker color than the Mottleds, but not as dark as the Blacks.
I've been raising Java's from the Garfield line for the past five years and I've had several to hatch with heavy auburn colorations but none that were true auburn. Last year however I had four chicks to come white with willow colored legs. They wound up being three pullets and one cockrel. I plan to keep these and see if they will breed true. I would like to add some new blood to the black line if some of you have advise on the best way to do this I would be greatful.
That's great that you had some Whites pop up! Especially with the willow colored legs!
Urch/Turnland Poultry can ship and has Blacks. You can find them on standardbreedpoultry.com
This was to be a mottled java. What would you call the coloring?
That is not a Java. Javas don't come in that feather color, that is a blue feather color. Think there was an *oops* from whoever you got that from.
OK, Thanks. Apparently not a reputable source.
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