Java Thread

[haTHOR]

anyone care to comment on the white earlobes thing i mentioned in my last post?

 

[javachick]

Hi haTHOR

I scrolled back to earlier post looking for the photo of the Black Javas you commented about with the white ears and it is just my opinion but I would think two things: 1. the angle of the photo reflecting light, maybe... but 2. I would assume the hens are not laying. I have seen Black Java hens who are not laying have particially white ear lobes or all white when they are not laying, more of a cloudly white rather than a bright white like a white egg layer.

I can usually tell who is laying or just about to lay by the hens' red ear lobes.

javachick

 

[haTHOR]

javachick, thanks for the reply! have been scratching my head over this.

i do not think it was a trick of the light in the picture of the large flock...in my browser they are on page 4 of this thread--post #32. but to hear that some pullets have white earlobes before they start to lay...i'm surprised that this would be a disqualification if it's normal! food for thought.

may i ask if you have ever had a pure BJ pullet whose comb and wattles stayed small and black for the whole juvenile period (before point of lay). one of my hatchlings (now 5 months) is making me concerned...i have not see that before; have you?

 

[javachick]

Hi bigzio

Thanks the welcome.

I am not real worried about the fertility of the older Black Java rooster. His father was fertile at 9 years old. I am more worried about predators. I think if you can keep Javas healthy and predator free they would be one of the few breeds who could reach double digits in age and still be very productive birds, just my opinion.

Yes, I love my Black Javas. lol

javachick

 

[javachick]

Hi haTHOR

OK that is the photo I thought you were talking about. I am not talking about just pullets but hens too when they are in full molt will have a more white ear lobe, but if you look closely you will see the very bottom of the hens' lobes are a very soft pink and because it is a photo you don't see more pink in the folds or behind the ear lobe.

Any hen with whitish color in her ear lobes you would not be showing yet until her ears come back to full red because she would not be laying. Well at least in the production class and in an exibition class she would not do as well as a hen who is laying, so you would leave her home and choose another hen who is laying with her bright red ear lobes, just my thoughts.


may i ask if you have ever had a pure BJ pullet whose comb and wattles stayed small and black for the whole juvenile period (before point of lay). one of my hatchlings (now 5 months) is making me concerned...i have not see that before; have you?

YES. Do not worry I have seen this and when she gets closer to laying her comb and wattles will get red. Another easy sign to figure out which pullet is getting ready to start laying. I love BJ hens.

javachick

 

[haTHOR]

very good!

in your birds, what kind of age have you seen as an average for POL? i know all heritage birds can be a bit slower to mature (this is a growth pattern seen in longer lived animals, so that makes sense to me, given the fact that we can expect our BJs to live and prosper much longer than the 3-4 years common with non-heritage birds).

would love to see more pictures of birds at different ages in this thread!

 

[javachick]

Hi haTHOR

POL (point of laying) humm... honestly it depends on when the pullet hatched, fall, winter, spring, summer and what the weather conditions are light wise and what they are eating. I know that sounds vague, sorry. If conditions are normal: early spring hatch lots of fresh air, growing room, no older hen picking on her, nest box ready, she will start to lay late fall but I have also seen them wait till the following spring. Some Javas are late bloomers, some early, just watch the girls when you see the combs and wattles start to pinkin up and the ear lobes too, they are getting ready to lay, also an older Java rooster knows. He will not really pay any attention to younger pullets (as long as he has mature hens with him too) until they are close to laying. But watch the hens they love to put younger pullets in their place. Don't count on a younger rooster, you know they like to jump anything just for the practice, but again that is not always true either.

I have seen where a young rooster was raise with the pullets and his first instincts are protection then when the girls are ready to start laying he becomes a Romeo. I often wondered if it was a change in how the female smells to the male???

I have seen where two rooster raised together work the flock together. One will stand guard, the other will walk with the girls and eat and later they will switch places. When the one standing guard makes a certain call sound they all go for cover or just get very still and squat down. If you look up you will see the air predator the first guy was fussing about or ground predator.
I have seen a Java rooster use himself as a target for the predator, running away from the hens with the predator chasing him to save his girls.

LOL my youngest son tells people to not get me started talking chicken.

My thoughts: just watch them and they will tell you when they are ready.

javachick

 

[bigzio]

Evening Everyone...good accurate post jc...yep the flocks are all somewhat different in someways. I tend to feel that early spring hatched birds tend to have the most vigor. I also have a couple pullets that aren't laying yet at 24 weeks. They don't have the color in the combs and waddles yet either.
The pullets are really nice birds for sure, and the eggs from the layers are nice and dark brown.
Hope everyone 's flock is happy like me...

~ bigzio

 

[bigzio]

Good Evening All...Finally have my own copy of the APA Standard Of Perfection. It took a while, and that's another story. Need to comment on the comment made by TMC in regards to the eyes on my cockerals. Actually the dark eyes are a disqualification....making theirs correct...just sayin....

The pullets are just as nice as can be. The eggs are always in the nest boxes like a good hen. Some other breeds take longer to learn where to lay.

~ bigzio

 

[haTHOR]

what post was that, where a discussion of eyes occurred? also, would you mind quoting the part of the standard re: eyes...i have read so many times that dark dark eyes are preferred. interested to learn more.