# ours are Java - anyone else raise them?



## joenkatie (May 8, 2016)

Hi - new on the forum! We used to get black sex links years ago. Didn't have chickens for several years, and this time, we met a breeder near us who raises Javas and Seramas. Love the big Java roosters, and the lovely, full bodied hens. Does anyone else raise Javas?


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Sorry, not me. As you can see by my avatar I focus was more the foo foo birds. 

I don't think I know anyone who raised them which means some pics would be nice.


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## seminole wind (Aug 22, 2015)

Hi and welcome! Can you post a picture of Javas? Aren't they one of the ancestors of Jerseys?


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## MikeA_15 (Feb 21, 2016)

Javas are an interesting breed and have been involved with ancestry of many American breeds like Plymouth Rocks.


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## zamora (May 26, 2015)

Welcome and pictures are definitely nice!


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## chickenqueen (Jan 9, 2016)

Hi and welcome back to life with chickens.I don't do Javas but I have Cochins.Like you,I love the big roosters and big,full bodied hens.Plus,they are feathered head to toe.Cochins are very docile and lovable,more pet than chicken.


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## joenkatie (May 8, 2016)

OK... let me see if I can figure out how to post pictures. I think I've got it! Should be 3 pictures. 

Java's are a dual purpose bird, with nice, full bodies, large brown eggs, and quite broody. Generally, all black, or with some auburn feathering. A recessive (?) trait will produce pure white, or auburn - our rooster has a lot of gold/auburn on him, and a couple of the hens have some auburn feathering. 

They love to free range, but we have ours in pens because of predator issues. We are going to enlarge their run soon, as it seems just too small for such big birds. 

One of the pics shows the guineas tormenting the chickens with their freedom! haha


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Lavender Guineas! My flock was lavender with a few opalines popping up here and there.

The Javas are not even close to what I was expecting. I guess I was thinking more along the lines of a game bird, those are anything but. Nice flock.

You know the Guineas will help protect them as long as the chickens are hanging close. I know mine did.


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## seminole wind (Aug 22, 2015)

Yea, me too. I was thinking about anything but something that looked like a Jersey!
Are they personable? How did you get interested?


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## joenkatie (May 8, 2016)

We were actually looking for some black sex links, but it was early autumn, and none of the feed stores could tell us where we might find a local source. Somehow found the Javas on Facebook, and discovered the farm was only a few miles from us. I like the idea of getting chicks in the fall, so that once they start laying in the spring, they will be nice, full sized eggs long before they molt for winter. They are fairly placid, but we never tried to make them particularly tame. The rooster is very bossy, and the girls don't like to get bothered if they are sitting in the nest - but that is true of any chickens. 

We have two pens, and only one rooster. The girls in the other pen seem a little unhappy that they don't have a rooster. We will have to fix that soon!


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

That's great that you found a local source. Birds that come from a private breeder do so much better than hatchery birds. And you have a source.

You might not see a molt this winter. Being that they're so young they have their own ideas when it comes to molting. And not all are fall/winter molters. Several of mine start shedding feathers in the spring and mine are years old.

And I just noticed FL. That means there is several of us in closer proximity.


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## seminole wind (Aug 22, 2015)

Yea my flock went without a roo for a year and they looked kindof lost.


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## MikeA_15 (Feb 21, 2016)

Before I became more knowledgeable about performance and longevity rather than perfection of the standard appearance, I bought some white Rocks from a Grand Master breeder years ago. He was highly recommended and still is. His Rocks were nice to look at but had very weak immune systems in addition to being oversized. Most died within a period of 2 years. Some of my hatchery birds are still going strong at 10 years of age. So it just reveals that just because one purchases chicks or mature birds from a private breeder rather than a hatchery, that doesn't mean you are acquiring better stock. You'll certainly pay a higher price though.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

And my hatchery birds died by the time they were three but my highly bred show Silkies are still kicking at ages from 7 to 10 plus years.


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