Life is Good! :
Java's are considered a 'heavy or large' breed. They're big. They appreciate more room than not. 30sq feet meaning indoor coop or outdoor run? Indoor min. should be 4sq'/bird....but I've doubled that due to their large size! They just seem less cramped in their coop with more space. Outdoors should be minimum of 10sq'/bird - again, I added extra space - as some of the outdoor 'stuff' to play on takes up room too!
Search this site (above, to the right) for Java and you'll find a thread on the 'breed' pages in the forum. That will help answer some of your questions.
You don't mention where you are - to the best of my knowledge, there are Java's all over the U.S!
I like the breed - have been planning for over a year for them, received them this spring and am very glad to have started this adventure! We have kept 6 Black Java chicks (1 cockeral, 5 pullets) from Garfield Farm Museum in LaFox, IL. Mine are active, curious, interested in EVERYTHING, allow us to handle them as much as needed, follow our voices and accept treats from our hands. I don't find them flighty or jumpy.
Garfield Farm allows theirs to free-range (literally!) and the roosters do protect their hens. I liked that. The Black Javas are beautifully feathered with a purple and/or green sheen to their black feathers. The White Javas are also very beautifully shaped with quite large combs. I just saw Auburn Javas this May - they are incredibly beautiful birds - Lyle Behl has been working on developing this type of Java. I've not seen a mottled Java. No experience there.
Bewarned though, these little ones can EAT! We started with 11 chicks at 5wks old. They ate a 50# bag of feed in about 17 days. Yes, they had forage in the run (grasses and clovers) and bugs and treats and grit and and and.... When got to be 11wks old, they were going through a bag of feed in 9 days. I returned 5 roosters to Garfield Farm and now they're back down to using a bag of feed about every 2 weeks. As I've never kept other breeds, don't know if this is typical or not.
Are you going to be breeding? Do you have any of the Garfield line? I just contacted them about getting some eggs or chicks.
Java's are considered a 'heavy or large' breed. They're big. They appreciate more room than not. 30sq feet meaning indoor coop or outdoor run? Indoor min. should be 4sq'/bird....but I've doubled that due to their large size! They just seem less cramped in their coop with more space. Outdoors should be minimum of 10sq'/bird - again, I added extra space - as some of the outdoor 'stuff' to play on takes up room too!
Search this site (above, to the right) for Java and you'll find a thread on the 'breed' pages in the forum. That will help answer some of your questions.
You don't mention where you are - to the best of my knowledge, there are Java's all over the U.S!
I like the breed - have been planning for over a year for them, received them this spring and am very glad to have started this adventure! We have kept 6 Black Java chicks (1 cockeral, 5 pullets) from Garfield Farm Museum in LaFox, IL. Mine are active, curious, interested in EVERYTHING, allow us to handle them as much as needed, follow our voices and accept treats from our hands. I don't find them flighty or jumpy.
Garfield Farm allows theirs to free-range (literally!) and the roosters do protect their hens. I liked that. The Black Javas are beautifully feathered with a purple and/or green sheen to their black feathers. The White Javas are also very beautifully shaped with quite large combs. I just saw Auburn Javas this May - they are incredibly beautiful birds - Lyle Behl has been working on developing this type of Java. I've not seen a mottled Java. No experience there.
Bewarned though, these little ones can EAT! We started with 11 chicks at 5wks old. They ate a 50# bag of feed in about 17 days. Yes, they had forage in the run (grasses and clovers) and bugs and treats and grit and and and.... When got to be 11wks old, they were going through a bag of feed in 9 days. I returned 5 roosters to Garfield Farm and now they're back down to using a bag of feed about every 2 weeks. As I've never kept other breeds, don't know if this is typical or not.
Are you going to be breeding? Do you have any of the Garfield line? I just contacted them about getting some eggs or chicks.
