Java Thread

[Life is Good!]

Look what I found in my incubator...intentionally set 7 Black Java eggs from our flock in a Brinsea mini. 5 hatched, 1 was infertile and 1 died about 17days old.




Here's a picture of just two of them peeking out from under their Brinsea Ecoglow 50...I last used this ecoglow with 25 Cornish Cross chicks - mercy, these little 5 chicks are teeny-tiny in comparison!



I hadn't planned on hatching this early in the year (we're in N. Illinois, so it's cold outside). But I calculated that if I hatch now, they'd be nearly laying by the time of Garfield Farm's Rare Breed Show...which means I'd know how many cockerals I had hatched, and how many new chicks I'd need. Although, last year, three of my hens went broody the week AFTER the show - so I was flooded with chicks! What a happy problem! However, in a strange twist of fate - nearly ALL the chicks (purchased and hatched) were cockerals! So I'm hoping this year for some pullets!

 

[aoccl]

I have mottled and black javas right now. I think I am going to sell the black ones and just keep the mottled. Such a pretty breed.

 

[Ralph Moyer]

These may be "Mutts" but they are nice gentle chickens.

 

[bnjrob]

These may be "Mutts" but they are nice gentle chickens.

They look like Mottled Javas. Have they been crossed with another breed to make them "mutts"?

 

[Ralph Moyer]

No. These came in an hatchery mix of 50 rare breed special , but the Texas Hatchery does not have any Javas on their breed list.

 

[bnjrob]

No. These came in an hatchery mix of 50 rare breed special , but the Texas Hatchery does not have any Javas on their breed list.

Hmmm. That's interesting.

If their true color is black (as opposed to the slight brownish tint the photo shows that looks to be related to the lighting), then they bear a strong resemblance to Mottled Javas. Not necessarily show quality but these photos still have me thinking they are Javas.

If there is no problem with the lighting and they really are slightly brown, then my other thought is that they are poor specimens of Speckled Sussex which should be a mahogany color.

I'm seeing slatey blue on the legs of these guys along with yellow, which are disqualifications for Sussex. But Mottled Javas should have "leaden blue" and yellow legs and yellow feet.

There's also the thought of an Ancona, but from these photos, the cockerels don't look like they have right back/rear end shape for an Ancona and the girls overall shape isn't quite right for an Ancona. These are also mising the white earlobes that Anconas should have.

I'm still thinking Mottled Java from these photos.

If you go to my profile, there are some photos of my Mottleds you can look at and see how yours look compared to mine. Mine are known Javas from old breeder stock.

What hatchery did these come from?

 

[MagicChicken]

Between the brownish coloring and the long red earlobes, I would guess hatchery Speckled Sussex. Even though the leg color seems off.

 

[Ralph Moyer]

The feathers are black and white, no brown. the pictures were taken in bright sunlight. Some of the black feathers do have a metallic shin.

 

[Ralph Moyer]

They came from Randall Burkey Company, Boerne Texas

 

[bnjrob]

They came from Randall Burkey Company, Boerne Texas

Hmmm. Don't know what to tell you. I know that Ideal Hatchery, which is not too far from Randall Burkey, at one time was supposed to have Javas. I don't know if Randall Burkey hatches their own chickens or if they get their from somewhere else and acts like a distributor. Randall Burkey IS aware of Javas existence, as they give a small discount to members of the Java Breeders Association. Wonder if they are starting to get into Javas and just don't advertise them yet....

To me, these look more like Javas. I figured it was the lighting making them look brownish. If they were Speckled Sussex, they are quite poor specimens in my opinion. Based on these photos so far, they look an awful lot like Javas to be mere mutts.

Added:

I found some notations online that Randall Burkey gets their chickens from other hatcheries. And I remembered that I ordered a few things from them last year, that didn't actually come from them, but instead came from a third party. When I got the package, it had not been mailed from TX and had a different company listed on the box - but it was indeed the item that I had ordered from Burkey and had received a notice that the item would be shipped separately from the things that DID come directly from them.

Soooo, I'm thinking that although they don't state they sell Javas, those chicks probably came from a hatchery that does, and got thrown in there as part of that rare variety pack.