Java Thread

[haTHOR]

i have only had one roo, but i can tell you that he is absolutely gentle, kind, courageous, and generous to a fault with his girls. he sits on eggs if there are no girls around sometimes. he will only eat a bite when all 9 of his harem have eaten first, and he redistributes food so the lower status hens get some too.

my 2.5 yr old toddler has been around him (with me, of course) for the last 1.5 yrs, and i feel good about that (after MUCH observation over time). he is just generally gentle. he never hurts the girls or pulls out their feathers. he takes no for an answer from the hens yet we still have 100% fertility.

there has never been the slightest indication of aggression from him toward anyone, no matter what we are dong in the pen or to his girls. he doesn't hop up in my lap or anything, but he is neither scared or me nor do i have to watch my back or be overly aware of where he is and what he is doing while i am working. he has a healthy respect for me and i for him.

can you tell i am totally infatuated with my malcolm? from this hatch, i am adding one of his sons to our flock so that he has a helper, and in case something happens to him.

 

[haTHOR]

Quote:
here's my minerva, who went broody in the hottest part of the summer. it was over 100 every day here in arkansas at the time, and hotter in the coop of course. she looked terrible--worse than usual, i mean, for a broody. after ten or twelve days i had mercy on her and put day old FCBMs under her (at night--when she woke in the morning she thought they were hers.). she was the BEST mother. she wouldn't take them out of the coop for a full week! i figure she'll probably go broody again next year and i'll try to be ready with a few BJ eggs to put under her.

my absolute FAVORITE thing about BJs is that broodiness hasn't been bred out. you can truly have a sustainable flock, in the worst case scenario, with several BJ hens and a roo in the yard.

 

[javachick]

Quote:
I love the photos you posted. Looks like super healthy bright eyed Java chicks.
Don't you just love the hardiness of Javas?

I love Java roosters they are such gentlemen. However like any breed you can get that one...

 

[javachick]

An update on my old Black Java Trio:

The two Black Java hens started laying after their molt this fall and I borrowed a Black Java rooster from a friend who had a son of my original bloodline rooster. The hens age being @ 3 & 4 or 4 & 5 years old with the rooster @8 years old.

1st week of eggs (6) non-fertile
2nd week of eggs (10) 8 non-fertile & 2 fertile and developing
2.5 week of eggs (2) both fertile and developing
3rd week of eggs (7) 2 appear non-fertile and 5 developing
4th week of eggs(12) just put in the incubator yesterday

37 eggs from two old hens in 4 weeks just coming off of their molt, I'm happy.

My daughter-in-law took some photos of my Black Java Trio and I will post them after she sends them to me.

lol We had beauty treatment day yesterday, brought the birds in the kitchen, washed their faces, combs, wattles, ear lobes, legs and feet; checked for any problems (sore feet, cuts, bugs etc); and rubbed lotion in their combs, wattles, ear lobes, legs and feet. Then put them on a towel on the washer to take pictures.

Mind you, this Black Java rooster has hardly been handled at all and he was gentle as can be, 4 inch spurs and all.

I do have a problem. One of the hens has a very bad habit of plucking the neck feathers of any rooster she is with. I don't think it is a deficiency as much as an old habit. She is in a chicken tractor on the ground, I feed a 20% protein Purina flock grower and 9.5% protein Rockin Rooster 5 grain scratch, throw in a handfull of ground osyter shells weekly and we checked for & found no bugs during our beauty treatement day, so I think it is an old habit I need to break her from. She herself is beautiful and she doesn't peck feathers from the other hen. I am going to try the spray I have heard about to stop the feather picking and add vitamins to her water.
Has anyone any experience with the spray?

javachick

 

[haTHOR]

one of my bj babies has quite a lot of the charcoal in his bib, rather than a lot of white...and his/her growing wingtips are dark instead of white, too. is this a normal variation javachick? have not see it before! will try to get pics...i can't find him in the pics above.

javachick, i have not heard of that problem...hmm. sounds like there is plenty of protein. i would also think habit! maybe roos pulled out her feathers too much when she was young and like a lot of us mature women she is determined not to be oppressed again by any man, oops, i mean roo.

your fertility and development rates are AWESOME for the ages of your flock. i am very impressed and excited--good record keeping is sop important for those of us trying to bring back this wonderful breed.

 

[Chickielady]

Quote:
So how did the eggs do that you got out of the eating (refridgerated) carton do ?
Did they hatch ?
Curious...my refridgerator is about 40...that is pretty cold !

 

[Chickielady]

Quote:
Yes, and the have said that one of the things that determines a heritage breed is it's slower growth and developement, leading the bird to form a much stonger skeleton, unlike new "engineered" birds.
I don't know anout that, my Marans took 7 months to develope and lay (they are not hatchery birds) and my RIWs are taking time also...very strong birds.
I am going too start the Java lockdown tomorrow !!

 

[Chickielady]

Engteacher, I can't waite to hear posts on how that hatch goes !
It will indeed show how hardy and determined the Javas can be !
And Joy, Minerva is still beautiful deep in Motherhood.
My only other broodies have been home-grown Buff Orps, and that at 7 mo old...and my Brahmas, which I have kept for just that purpose, they are big, some hens going to 8 or more pounds, with super fluffy bottoms, awesome moms, this one in my avatar when mad would stand straight up at 3 feet tall and chase off any threat, she hatched and brooded 25 eggs all by herself last summer...she has a huge powder puff behind !

Good Luck to Engteacher !

 

[javachick]

" one of my bj babies has quite a lot of the charcoal in his bib, rather than a lot of white...and his/her growing wingtips are dark instead of white, too. is this a normal variation javachick? "

Yes, very normal. This baby will always be very black.

" maybe roos pulled out her feathers too much when she was young and like a lot of us mature women she is determined not to be oppressed again by any man, oops, i mean roo. "

LOL Yeah, I think it is a female going after male thing with this old girl!

Oh I picked names for my two hens: Trixie and Quinn. Trixie is older and has three points in her comb and Quinn is a year younger with five points in her comb, which is more correct. Quinn is the rooster feather-picker and was a 4-H Fair Production Grand Champion in her younger days, although she would be tough competition today too. Trixie might be older than I think because she has what I call old hen spurs. I have seen spurs on hens of different breeds before and that's not what I am talking about. It seems like with older Black Java hens they have these little tiny, maybe 1/4 inch long flexable spurs ( flexable in that they can be moved around like a tiny toe). I freaked out the first time I saw them, but realized they were only on hen 5 years or older. We took some photos of these spurs on Trixie and I will post them when I get them. Is this unique to Javas? I don't know but I have only seen them on older Java hens. It might also be genetic to certain Java bloodlines. I will keep an eye on Quinn to see if she developes them.

javachick

 

[bigzio]

Evening All...great to hear all the good reports about your javas. I'm hoping I'll have a broody in the spring too...I love the brahmas too, and just had to have some black javas. My pullets continue to be just the sweetest nicest girls. I agree that they are super hardy, and just love to forage.
Have Fun... ~ bigzio