Java Thread

[LyonsZoo]

Pullet or roo?

 

[CathrynK]

How old?

 

[Life is Good!]

Broody report!
What's your broody count?
Out of 20 Black Java hens, this year we have 11 broody's!

Two momma's already hatched their clutches - 1 Auburn chick and 7 Black Java chicks - I am beginning to think the Auburn roo isn't doing his job - was hoping for a few more auburn chicks. We'll see who hatches out of the remainder of the broody's. Hopefully they'll be done in a week or so. With so many, it's hard to remember who began sitting when!

 

[Bullitt]

Broody report!
What's your broody count?
Out of 20 Black Java hens, this year we have 11 broody's!

Two momma's already hatched their clutches - 1 Auburn chick and 7 Black Java chicks - I am beginning to think the Auburn roo isn't doing his job - was hoping for a few more auburn chicks. We'll see who hatches out of the remainder of the broody's. Hopefully they'll be done in a week or so. With so many, it's hard to remember who began sitting when!

Your hens are black. I think the black is dominant with the Java. You will have to breed any autumn hens you get to your autumn rooster and then you will get lots of autumn chicks. It is good that you are at least getting some autumn chicks.

It is too bad the APA does not recognize the autumn or the white Java. Autumn Javas helped create the Rhode Island Red.

 

[Elemes]

I have 6 Java hens and 0 broody but one tries every so often.

 

[Jillette]

Someone was attempting to crow today, they are with 6 buffs and I know they are all girls. These two are my only wild cards. Thoughts? They have petite feet. Four and a half months old.

 

[MagicChicken]

It was a sad day today. My favorite Black Java cockerel - the one I was planning to breed next year, who was strong and sturdy and heavy and wide and had great feather quality - was dead in the coop this morning. I suspect he flew off the roost in a panic and slammed head first into a narrow support behind the poultry netting, breaking his neck. What a weird accident.

This was a gorgeous bird. He was the only bird I've ever had who hit standard weight by the time he was six months old. Most of my birds are underweight. The few who are at standard weight took nearly a year to get there.

The remaining cockerel has a longer back, okay chest, better coloring, and is a much calmer bird. And I still have three older cock birds I can use, even though I had planned to retire two of them. All is not lost.

The deceased bird was flighty and was starting to get aggressive when defending his hens. He was respectful of me the rest of the time. I'm sorry he's gone but maybe it's for the best. Deep down I have to admit I prefer a calm flock that doesn't quite meet breed standard, rather than a flighty flock that does meet the standard. The universe is providing a calmer flock. And I will still breed toward the standard. Even if it takes a little longer to get there.

RIP #362. Thanks for the lesson reminding why it's good to keep more cock birds than you think you're going to need. You never know what weirdness is going to happen.

 

[bnjrob]

It was a sad day today. My favorite Black Java cockerel - the one I was planning to breed next year, who was strong and sturdy and heavy and wide and had great feather quality - was dead in the coop this morning. I suspect he flew off the roost in a panic and slammed head first into a narrow support behind the poultry netting, breaking his neck. What a weird accident.

This was a gorgeous bird. He was the only bird I've ever had who hit standard weight by the time he was six months old. Most of my birds are underweight. The few who are at standard weight took nearly a year to get there.

The remaining cockerel has a longer back, okay chest, better coloring, and is a much calmer bird. And I still have three older cock birds I can use, even though I had planned to retire two of them. All is not lost.

The deceased bird was flighty and was starting to get aggressive when defending his hens. He was respectful of me the rest of the time. I'm sorry he's gone but maybe it's for the best. Deep down I have to admit I prefer a calm flock that doesn't quite meet breed standard, rather than a flighty flock that does meet the standard. The universe is providing a calmer flock. And I will still breed toward the standard. Even if it takes a little longer to get there.

RIP #362. Thanks for the lesson reminding why it's good to keep more cock birds than you think you're going to need. You never know what weirdness is going to happen.

If it's not one thing it's another. I'm glad you at least have some backups. You're right about the flightiness though and perhaps you'll be happier in the long run even though it may take you longer to get the birds up to SOP size. I've got the two different bloodlines and one is flightier than the other and it annoys me. I'm still trying to give them a chance, but I dislike that flightiness in them, since I can see the difference between them and the non-flighty bloodline.

 

[MagicChicken]

If it's not one thing it's another. I'm glad you at least have some backups. You're right about the flightiness though and perhaps you'll be happier in the long run even though it may take you longer to get the birds up to SOP size. I've got the two different bloodlines and one is flightier than the other and it annoys me. I'm still trying to give them a chance, but I dislike that flightiness in them, since I can see the difference between them and the non-flighty bloodline.

The timing was especially annoying because I had just culled last year's best of breed cockerel. I used him for breeding this year and every one of the chicks he sired is tiny. They are the smallest birds in the flock. Not sure what is up with that. Maybe some recessive runt gene? At any rate, former best of breed guy was from the flighty line. Even though he was a relatively calm bird for that line I never warmed up to him. So he went into the stew pot a few days ago. And then his replacement did himself in a couple of days later.

At least I'm eating well.

 

[Aji Dulce]

Wow that is great and I hope you all do well, the mud/feces etc is a breeding ground for worms and diseases, you can't tell the health of a flock from pictures. From a picture you can only see the conditions they are raised in and go from there. Also, Mottled Javas are supposed to have yellow/slate colored legs by APA standard which I don't see from the picture. JMHO

Sharon

I am new in BYC and having a heckuva time navigating and understanding the layout. When I am reading your posts I don’t see the photo that you are talking about. Is that something that I need to adjust in settings to enable?