Java Thread

[masked rider]

I will try to get some better photos today with the sun.

 

[JWEBB]

As for what to do with him? I would just keep him and love him up!

Let him mature, this is a breed slow to mature. I know the Auburn Java is not in the APA SOP, but they are a rare heritage breed and they are not easy to come by and I would feel like I got a treat to get one in my blacks. I'm just learning about Java and I do want to have Auburn and Black flocks.

Another thing I just read last night. You need the red gene carrier in the Black Java to keep that beetle green sheen going. If the red gene is completely bred out you won't get the nice beetle green sheen any longer. Let me go back through my history and I'll find the article and post the link. It was really easy to understand and wealth of info.

And just my opinion, you can get blacks a heck of a lot easier than you can get Auburns

 

[JWEBB]

As for what to do with him? I would just keep him and love him up!

Let him mature, this is a breed slow to mature. I know the Auburn Java is not in the APA SOP, but they are a rare heritage breed and they are not easy to come by and I would feel like I got a treat to get one in my blacks. I'm just learning about Java and I do want to have Auburn and Black flocks.

Another thing I just read last night. You need the red gene carrier in the Black Java to keep that beetle green sheen going. If the red gene is completely bred out you won't get the nice beetle green sheen any longer. Let me go back through my history and I'll find the article and post the link. It was really easy to understand and wealth of info.

And just my opinion, you can get blacks a heck of a lot easier than you can get Auburns

Masked, you might send a email with a few pics of your roo over to Lyle Behl. He could tell you most probably whether you have a red headed Black Java or a Auburn there. Heres one artcile written on the Auburn by Mr.Behl http://www.javabreedersofamerica.com/javas/auburn/
It gets deep for me to understand some but you will get the idea.

In this link Jim Ward discusses the black plumage that shows some red feather: http://www.javabreedersofamerica.com/javas/black/

"In contrast to white feathers, red feathers in the hackle of black javas are somewhat desirable if only present in a few of the birds in the black java flock. Early on when I started breeding chickens, I was told by a breeder of black sumatras that the occasional red feather in the hackle was linked to black chickens having excellent beetle green sheen. If a “red” hackled bird wasn’t used in the breeding pen every once in awhile then the sheen would be lost, and the birds would start appearing dull. I don’t know if this is true, but since only a few of my chickens have red feathers in their hackles I have never discriminated against it. Obviously for exhibition purposes a solid black chicken with excellent sheen is preferred to birds with traces of red. Often an off-colored feather can be pulled before a bird is shown."

Your cockerel looks to be a very big boy already. Talk to some of the founding fathers in Javas and see what they can tell you.

 

[suncatcher]

Nice to see some folks are posting on the Java thread! Looking forward to pictures of your Auburn Java!

 

[masked rider]

Masked, you might send a email with a few pics of your roo over to Lyle Behl. He could tell you most probably whether you have a red headed Black Java or a Auburn there. Heres one artcile written on the Auburn by Mr.Behl http://www.javabreedersofamerica.com/javas/auburn/
It gets deep for me to understand some but you will get the idea.

In this link Jim Ward discusses the black plumage that shows some red feather: http://www.javabreedersofamerica.com/javas/black/

"In contrast to white feathers, red feathers in the hackle of black javas are somewhat desirable if only present in a few of the birds in the black java flock. Early on when I started breeding chickens, I was told by a breeder of black sumatras that the occasional red feather in the hackle was linked to black chickens having excellent beetle green sheen. If a “red” hackled bird wasn’t used in the breeding pen every once in awhile then the sheen would be lost, and the birds would start appearing dull. I don’t know if this is true, but since only a few of my chickens have red feathers in their hackles I have never discriminated against it. Obviously for exhibition purposes a solid black chicken with excellent sheen is preferred to birds with traces of red. Often an off-colored feather can be pulled before a bird is shown."

Your cockerel looks to be a very big boy already. Talk to some of the founding fathers in Javas and see what they can tell you.

Nice to see some folks are posting on the Java thread! Looking forward to pictures of your Auburn Java!

suncatcher... LOL I am not even sure it is a Auburn Java at this point, maybe be just a sport of a black Java with red hackles!.. But I am hopeful..

 

[suncatcher]

Nice to see some folks are posting on the Java thread! Looking forward to pictures of your Auburn Java!

suncatcher...   LOL  I am not even sure it is a Auburn Java at this point, maybe be just a sport of a black Java with red hackles!..  But I am hopeful..
[/quote]


Maybe it is split for Auburn?? Is there such a thing?

 

[masked rider]

I will try to get some better photos of him today and post them. Javas are interesting, and when birds like this guy come out of no where, well it makes it fun to have them.

 

[JWEBB]

It is fun! I didn't see anywhere in the SOP for black java that they are DQ'd for red hackle. But white feather yes. Will be fun to see how your boy matures. I'm going to set a bunch of Auburn eggs end of the month! Very excited!

Looking for some nice blacks. Whites would be fun too. Can you tell I'm retired? I have some nice breeds to grow this year but my main focus is Java and Russian Orloff. Since they are slow growers I have some others to keep me occupied

 

[bigzio]

This whole discussion has been talked about earlier in this thread....big medicine had some good input earlier....one has to wonder some, and be amazed somewhat.

bigz

 

[bnjrob]

It is fun! I didn't see anywhere in the SOP for black java that they are DQ'd for red hackle. But white feather yes. Will be fun to see how your boy matures. I'm going to set a bunch of Auburn eggs end of the month! Very excited!

Looking for some nice blacks. Whites would be fun too. Can you tell I'm retired? I have some nice breeds to grow this year but my main focus is Java and Russian Orloff. Since they are slow growers I have some others to keep me occupied

Red feathers will be a DQ also.

Some old literature swears by periodically breeding in birds with the red feathering to keep the black feathers from turning to a matte black, other literature says do not breed these birds period. We know the genes for some other colorations are present in Javas, but by breeding a bird like this, it will keep that gene for the red coloring more at the forefront of the genetic sequencing, so a breeder will have to do even more culling of offspring for color when using a bird with the red feathering in a Black or Mottled flock.

These birds with red feathering also tend to have more pink colored feet as well as reddish/orangey colored eyes. So in breeding them back to Black females (this coloring and the "straw color generally show up in the males more easily), the breeder will need to look at working on offsetting this foot/eye color problem by using mates with good yellow feet and dark eyes. Some of the offspring will still have feet too pale or pink and the wrong color eyes, but if a breeder hatches enough birds, there will eventually be some darker eyed, yellow footed offspring that they can choose from to get back to the correct SOP color.

Of course breeders need to be looking at size and type before they look at color. Color is important in Javas, but shouldn't be the main focus. It's can be challenging to decide who to breed and how to balance out things like foot/eye color issues, comb flaws, pinched tails, etc. while still trying to keep the right size and type going.