2nd Quarter Newsletter 2012

“Java Chicken Bloodlines”

“Java Type”

-Second oldest breed of poultry in America-

“Brief History of Java Chicken Breed ”

Send your stories, pictures, recipes, show wins, or any-thing else Java to Ruth at carondesign@yahoo.com

From the President - Roy J. AutreyHello again my fellow Java enthusiast

Wow! It’s time again for the newsletter and I have no idea what to say that would be interesting to our club members. However, as we get into our Spring Shows, I am reminded of several things that might be of importance. We are faced with some interesting challenges when we go to the Exibi-tion shows with our poultry. Those of us who enjoy large fowl and not just Javas but other breeds as well, have to face the fact that there are just not going to be as many large fowl at the shows as there is Bantams. I wish more people would get interested in the large fowl and to help us promote and improve the breeds. Especially Javas and the other Heritage Breeds. It does take more feed and therefore it is more expensive to care for and breed large fowl poultry. But the rewards are great. I have found the thrill of winning a show with my large fowl to be just awesome and to see the look on peoples faces as they visit the shows and look over the birds is really fun. If you ever notice, when visitors come to the shows they always go and look at the large fowl with more interest than Bantams. Now don’t get me wrong, I do like Bantams also and have several different breeds of the little critters. But my love and passion for poultry lies with the large fowl. I would be remiss if I did not remind everyone to encourage the young folks to get involved with raising poultry and showing them if possible. This year is going to be the year for the Java Breeders of America. We are going to grow and I hope that at least 40 percent of that growth comes from Juniors. Lets all get out there and support the youth. I get many calls and emails each week from people that are in-terested in raising Javas so there is definately an opportunity for us to have substantial growth and to get the numbers up where this outstanding breed of poulty can continue.Everyone have a great Spring and let me know how your Javas are doing. Roy J. AutreyAutrey’s Friendship Farms

From the Secretary/Treasurer - Ruth CaronIts that time again,

This 6th issue of the newsletter is filled with content written by Jim Ward who obviously has alot of knowledge about Javas and I suggest to those who are new to this breed to read and learn as well as the oldtimers. Jim’s article on Type will explain the differences regarding other breeds that look similar to the Black Java. The Java history article is also a good source of information on the his-tory of Javas and their roots. Liesa has sent in a recipe of her favorite dish made with those extra males that we put in the freezer. I had a few myself. We made Java Spaghetti and fried Javas.

Remember to send in your dues by mail or you can paypal them to me at carondesign@yahoo.com. Feel free to send in your articles and Java pictures for the next newsletter. I also like show winners pics and other things about Javas. Remember to visit us on-line at www.javabreederso-famerica.com.

Ruth CaronSecretary/Treasurer

From the Vice Pres. - Tacey PerkinsWelcome back Java Club-

I was sitting here trying to think about what to write, when I thought about the chicks. I will tell you about the chicks that I have been hatching.I have been up to my neck in hatching chicks for the last 2 mths I have been hatching just about everything I can that comes from my girls. I have Marans, Easter eggers , a Delaware project flock and of course my Javas. It has been a lot of fun, some trying times and a lot of chick poop. I have already hatched out over 100 chicks, and about another 60 in the incubator now and plan to set another 50 tomorrow. Man o man what was I thinking! If any of you have done this, you would know, just how much work and space they consume. Not to mention the feed, right! But, I am not complaining , it is what it is! I have to hatch a lot to be able to pick the best to further my flock.You see my rooster, Brewster, is starting to show his age. He is no longer the highest rooster on the totem pole any more. I fear if I don’t start looking for a good replacement for him, I won’t be able to replace him so easily. I love him, he is such a great rooster, very sweet and great with the kids. Also, There are not a lot of people with Javas around here any more. So, I have to hatch a lot in order to see what I get. I will also be able to pick out some nice looking pullets too. So, although it is a huge pain in the butt to do this, I am hoping the rewards will be great!Well, I hope my chick hatching story will help you keep your Java lines’ future in mind. You never know when something will happen to your flock. It is good to have a replacement rooster around just in case. Also, don’t get complacent with your stock, keep trying to better them, add in new pullets and replace your rooster if you hatch out one that is a better representation of the Java SOP. Every time you better your flock it helps better the breed!Good luck to you all in your hatching season~

Sincerely,Tacey Perkins

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Culling Javas II- Type

In my previous article on Culling Java Chickens, I attempted to describe for java chicken farmers the things I keep in mind when I choose “keepers”, the birds that I will use to breed future generations. First and foremost I want to choose birds that are vigorous and productive. Vigorous chickens don’t need special care; rarely get sick; and are active during, and survive, the heat of summer, and the cold of winter. Productive chickens feather quickly, lay abundantly (including in the winter without supplemental light), have meaty carcass with plenty of breast, and hatch and brood large clutches of chicks (are very fertile). Second to these, I want to choose birds with the best “type”; that is choosing birds with the right size, shape, proportions, and carriage. Then lastly I want to choose birds based on their color. It is “type” I wish to elaborate on in the current article, specifically, shape, proportions, and carriage.

Black Java-Rectangular Body

Rhode Island Red- Rectangular “Brick-Shaped” Body

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Jersey Giant- “Square” Body

Australorp- “Square” Body

Shape and Proportions The American Poultry Association does not include measurements for the shape and

proportions of the different breeds of chickens in the Standard of Perfection. The only numbers listed in a breed’s description are for its weight and tail angle. Without measurements, interpreting the written description of the breed can be baffling, especially when similar written descriptions are used to describe different breeds. Adding to the confusion, most breeds have individual birds that deviate substantially from their ideal size, shape and proportions, so much so that they often overlap poor specimens of other breeds. For example, short-backed, deep-bodied, smallish javas may look similar to long-backed, shallow-bodied, heavy-ish Australorps. What is a java breeder to do? Fortunately, the American Poultry Association has pictures of ideal specimens of most of its breeds of chickens. I want to highlight features of the birds in those pictures so that they can be used by a keeper to evaluate “type” for birds in their flock. I also advocate attending poultry shows to discuss with judges and other breeders about how to interpret the written descriptions in the Standard.

Plymouth Rock with a smooth “sweep” or curve to its back and tail (arrow)

Java with a “break”/ sharp angle between its back and its tail (arrow)

Java- Its head is elevated above the tail

To start, chickens almost never stand still and rarely pose in the view presented in pictures of the American Poultry Association’s Standard of Perfection. Part of the art of breeding is recognizing the features found in the drawn birds in living chickens that are moving around, that are running with their flocks, and that are often dirty and out of condition. One of the best things about poultry shows is simply that chickens are cleaned up and caged minimizing most of those problems and thus making evaluating them that much easier.

All of the pictures in the Standard of Perfection are printed more or less so that they fill the same area of the page. This unfortunately obscures the size difference between many of the breeds. Black Javas are often confused with Jersey Giants and Australorps, two other big black chickens. However, they should be able to be told apart by their size alone. The Giant is 3 ½ pounds, about 30%, heavier than the Java, and the Java is a pound, about 12%, heavier than the Australorp.

If the size difference alone is not enough to distinguish between the three breeds than their shapes and proportions should remove all doubt. Javas are supposed to be rectangular or brick-shaped and Jersey Giants and Australorps are supposed to be square or box-y. I have drawn lines on pictures of Javas, Rhode Island Reds, Jersey Giants and Australorps from the Standard to show what I mean by those terms. The square compact, body of Jersey Giants is created not by shortening the length of Javas but by giving them much deeper bodies. Australorps are square because they are shorter and deeper than Javas.

No one mistakes Rhode Island Reds or Sussex for Javas, or vice versa, because they are different colors, but the truth is that if the world was in black-and-white those are the breeds that should most often be confused because they are the breeds with the most similar body shape and proportions. Rhode Island Reds, Sussex and Javas should be about 50% longer than they are deep. Javas have a slight slope to their back, are slightly longer, and have a higher tail carriage than Rhode Island Reds, but if we focus just on the core body they are very similar. Sussexes are even more similar with just a slightly lower tail carriage than Javas.

In looking at pictures of javas on the internet and in consideration of my own flock I have observed a couple of consistent java faults in relation to their rectangular shape. Most of the javas I see are too short- backed/bodied and appear square-ish. Also many javas are flat chested and lacking in their breasts. The bottom undercarriage of the java is rounded, but it is desirable for the curve to be as flattened as possible so as much of the rectangle is filled by breast as is possible. A very few javas are shallow and lacking body, appearing Minorca-like.

There are many ways to make rectangles and squares by altering the relative proportions of the body length and body depth. The important thing is that the java chicken’s parts always be in proportion and in harmony with each other, creating a visual appealing and natural brick-shaped chicken. I think the latter, the proportion and harmony of the parts, is what the American Poultry Association wants evaluated by their judges and why they don’t have their judges running around measuring chickens with a ruler looking for absolute scientifically determined lengths. Significance of Rectangular verses Square Bodies There have been several articles by Don Schrider and Christine Heinrichs, poultry writers and historians of the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy and the Society for the Preservation of Poultry Antiquities, which discuss the importance of the rectangular verses square body shape (See Backyard Poultry Aug/ Sept 2011). In general they argue that rectangular hens have higher and longer production, but tolerate cold and wet less well. Square hens have a faster rate of growth and plumper carcass. The square compact body form loses less body heat, so more energy can be put towards growth, but they generally have less production in later years. If this is true, javas should naturally become longer if the best layers are selected in year two, three and beyond. Similarly in warmer climates javas are likely to naturally evolve longer bodies and in colder climates shorter bodies, unless vigorous selection is applied (which may explain why so many javas descended from Duane Urch’s Minnesota flock are short backed.). Tail and Head Carriage One last thing, before I end this article, besides the rectangular shape of the body, the Standard of Perfection pictures also demonstrate the correct tail and head carriage of Javas. I have included pictures that show the sharp “break” between the back and the tail of the java contrasted with the more gentle curve of the sweep of the back of the Plymouth Rock. (I discussed this in my previous article on culling Javas, but did not have examples.) I have also included a picture showing the how the head should be held above the tail. Contrast this with the Cochin (not shown) whose head and tail are held at the same level. Written by Jim Ward

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Mission Statement for Java Breeders of America Poultry Club

The purpose of the Java Breeders of America Poultry Club is to encourage the long term preservation of Javas through selective breeding, exhibition, and through sharing knowledge. We also realize it takes alot of hard work and determination. Here are the steps we will take In order to achieve our goals.

1. We must show quality sportsmanship among our fellow members. 2. Provide our members with adequate information on breeding Javas. 3. Help our members locate hatching eggs, chicks or breeding stock. 4. Educate our members with information on breeding and showing Javas. 5. Help the general public to recognize that the Java is on the threatened list and what we can do to increase its numbers. 6. Encourage and educate the junior poultry person on the value of breeding Javas.

With these goals the Java Breeders of America Poultry Club will presevere. Members will learn about showing Javas and the steps they need to take to become an exhibitor as well as receiving awards from our club. The Java Breeders of America poultry club publishes a quarterly newsletter, which is sent to all members. We also have special discounts for club members only. Membership to the Java Breeders of America Poultry club is $10.00 a year. Please send a check or money order to Got Java? 195 Northglen Lane, Martindale, Texas 78655. Make sure to print out the form in this newsletter. Also make check out to Java Breeders of America.

Jim Ward’s Brief History of the Java Chicken Breed

As a Black Java chicken breeder, I have spent a lot of time thinking about the history of Javas and other chickens during the past six years. I thought that I would share a few of my insights to see what the larger poultry community thinks, keeping in mind that they are conjectures and not established facts. It is a travesty to me that the Java chicken breed is not more widely known given the prominent role it played in the development of so many modern chicken breeds. I can’t image the tragedy that it would have been if Duane Urch, the Garfield Farm and a few others hadn’t kept this important foundational breed going in the late 1980’s and 90’s before its current resurgence.

Recently I have been thinking of chickens as belonging to one of six lineages: European Chickens, Asiatic Chickens, Hybrid Chickens, Aseel/ Malay-like Chickens, Araucana Chickens, and Longtail Chickens. Classsifying chickens by my lineages results in groupings that are somewhat different than those used by the American Poultry Association. My emphasis is on ancestry, poultry dispersal patterns, and what I believe are unique styles and traits for each of the lineages. The American Poultry Association’s classes emphasize the place of origin of the individual breeds. The Aseel/ Malay, Longtail, and Araucana Groups in my mind are all distinct lineages, but clearly they are related to the Asiatic lineage of the Cochins, Langshan, Silkies and Javas. Though Silkies have five toes and crests, I believe most five-toed breeds descend from Dorkings, and crested breeds from Polish, both clearly European chickens. Similarly, most feather-legged chickens have Cochin or Langshan, Asiatic chicken, ancestry. Sultans may be the exception, their origins somewhat of a mystery. There is a nice article on the Egyptian Fayoumis chicken in Oct/ Nov 2011 Backyard Poultry that touches on the origins of the European Group.

Araucana Lineage

European Lineage

Asiatic, Aseel/Malay, and Longtail Lineages

Chicken Dispersal

European Asiatic Hybrids Aseel/ Malay Longtail Araucana

Arrived to Mediterranean

Europe from SE Asia over 5000 years ago via land and sea

routes around the Indian Ocean

(Yellow)

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US sometime around 1800 by ship from Asia

(Purple)

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Arrived to Europe and the US

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Arrived to Europe and

the US sometime

after 1800 by ship from

Asia (Purple)

Arrived to US from

South America… developed

from Polynesian chickens? (Green)

White Eggs Brown Eggs Mostly Brown Eggs

Tinted Eggs Tinted Eggs Blue Eggs

Flighty Calm/ Docile Calm/ Docile Spirited

Relatively Small Relatively Large

Relatively Large

Large Breasted Relatively Small

Relatively Small

Fast Maturing Slow Maturing Fast Maturing Slow Maturing

Rose, Buttercup, V-Combs

Pea? All Types of Combs

Pea, Strawberry Combs

Pea Comb Pea Comb

Five Toes Soft, Loose Feathering

Dual Purpose Hard, Tight Fearthering

Extra Long Tails

Rumpless

Crests Feathered Legs Erect Carriage Ear Tufts

Leghorns, Old English Game,

Hamburgs, Polish, Dorking

Dominiques

Cochins, Grey Chittagong, Langshans,

Silkie, Javas

Plymouth Rocks, Rhode Island Reds, Orpingtons, Australorps

Aseel, Malay, Shamo

Onagadori, Sumatra

Quetero, Collonca, Araucana

Javas, I believe, are quintessentially Asiatic chickens. Asiatic chickens, the Java being

first and arguably the most important, were brought to the United States and Europe sometime around 1800’s with the advent of regular ship traffic from China, India and other Asian countries. The Java when it arrived in the United States initially was not a breed, as we define breeds today. Rather Javas were a collection of many colored utilitarian fowls imported from the Far East that shared the Asiatic traits. They are relatively slow growing, big, calm, large-brown-egg-laying chickens, like their cousins the Cochins, and Langshans. I also suspect that most of the early “Javas” primarily sported single combs, clean legs and a brick-shaped body. It is not difficult to imagine why such chickens would create a stir when compared to the relatively small, flighty, white-egg-laying traditional “European” chickens, such as Leghorns, Old English Games, Hamburgs, and, I argue, Dominiques.

The mixed and diverse Asiatic Java was perfect for crossing into the older European chickens to create a variety of new breeds. Between 1850 and 1950 poultry breeding, in my mind, boiled down to combining the best attributes of the “new” Asiatic chickens with the “old” European chickens. The three most prominent breeds of chickens that descend from the Java are the Plymouth Rock, Rhode Island Red, and the Jersey Giant. From the first two breeds then are descended almost all of the rest of the Hybrid Group breeds that today form most of the American Poultry Association’s American class, a few of the prominent English and Continental Class Breeds, and several production breeds used for meat or brown eggs.

Breeds In Which The Java Is A Significant Ancestor

It is understood that the Barred Plymouth Rock was created by crossing the Dominique

with the Java. The Dominique has been around since the colonial era of the United States and likely descends from European chickens brought to North America. Based on my experiences raising them, I believe the Dominique is a superior chicken for the small farmer. It is relatively hard feathered, fast growing, disease resistant, high flying, and cuckoo colored (which is valuable because it gives them protection from predators.) However the Dominique is relatively small, roosters weighing only about 7 pounds, and lays relatively small tinted eggs. Contrast this with the Java, also a superior chicken for the small farmer, which weighs 9 1/2 pounds, has big, brown eggs, doesn’t fly much, and has relatively soft feathers. Unfortunately, it is just rather slow growing. It is not difficult to image then that the goal of breeders in creating the Barred Plymouth Rock was a Java with the cuckoo coloring that grew faster and was more adapted to the local conditions of the US, or flipped, a Dominique-like chicken, only larger with big brown eggs. In short, the Barred Plymouth Rock was bred to be a better dual purpose chicken for meat and eggs than either of its parents

Java

Rhode Island Red

Australorp

Orpington

Plymouth Rock

Cornish Cross Broiler

Jersey Giant

Welsummer

Golden Comet

New Hampshire Red

Chantecler

Delaware

Holland

Buckeye

Lamona

The story is similar for the Rhode Island Red. It was developed from crosses of the Auburn Java, Leghorn, and Malay. The Auburn Java parent contributed size, its brown egg color, and its rectangular, brick-shaped body. The Leghorn parent contributed its excellent rate of lay and its early maturity. The Malay contributed size, breast, attitude, feather quality, and color. In the case of the Rhode Island Red the breeders were particularly successful in creating a dual-purpose chicken that laid extremely well and produced a faster maturing cockerel for the Sunday dinner table, so much so, that the original Auburn Javas was supplanted and died out before 1900.

In the story of the Jersey Giant the Java was the “small” parent that was crossed with the feather-leggged Langshan and Brahma (itself a hybrid of the Malay and the Grey Chittagong, a breed of chicken reported to regular reach over 14 pounds) to create a utilitarian, clean-legged, super-massive, caponized (castrated) chicken to compete against turkeys in the highly competitive roaster market in the early 1900’s. There are reports of Jersey Giants reaching over 20 pounds. In most ways the Jersey Giant is very much like a Java, down to its black legs and yellow bottoms of the feet, except that in all ways it is more massive. In fact, I have come to think of Jersey Giants as Javas on steroids. (Only three breeds have black legs and yellow bottoms of the feet-Javas, Jersey Giants, and Sumatras)

Perhaps ironically, given that the Java was for a time in the 1880’s the market bird of choice because of its fine meat qualities, and because its size was a driver for why it was crossed with other chickens to create new breeds, its real lasting legacy may be its brown eggs. The Java was likely the first of the brown egg layers to be introduced into the United States and it is likely that Americans developed a taste for brown eggs because of the Java. Further since almost every brown egg laying chicken recognized today descends from the Java, or one of the breeds developed from it, it is not a stretch to say that the brown egg gene in chickens today is basically inherited from the Java. I don’t think that the brown egg came to prominence merely because of its color. It is likely the brown egg color gene was linked to other traits inherited from the Java that farmers valued. I can only speculate about whether brown egg chickens were more fertile, were better winter layers, were better dual purpose birds, or were something else that was important to American farmers. In view of the history I have just presented, some may accept the recent potential loss of the Java breed as just another casualty to progress made in the name of breeding “better” chickens. I view the breed though, as a piece of living poultry history that can’t be regained if lost. It holds genetic clues in its genome to the development of some of our most important breeds of chickens today. It tells us how we got where we are in poultry production, and also offers us a different path if ever we humans decide to produce chickens differently than we do today. More than all of this though, the Java to me is like the lost Leonardo Da Vinci Painting featured in the latest National Geographic Magazine, worth treasuring for its beauty alone. Javas are a breed I sincerely hope more poultry breeders will discover and propagate.

My favorite chicken recipe is Chicken Piccata. It’s quick, easy and delicious!

Ingredients2 skinless and boneless chicken breasts, butterflied and then cut in halfSea salt and freshly ground black pepperAll-purpose flour, for dredging6 tablespoons unsalted butter5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice1/2 cup chicken stock1/4 cup brined capers, rinsed1/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped

DirectionsSeason chicken with salt and pepper. Dredge chicken in flour and shake off excess.In a large skillet over medium high heat, melt 2 tablespoons of butter with 3 table-spoons olive oil. When butter and oil start to sizzle, add 2 pieces of chicken and cook for 3 minutes. When chicken is browned, flip and cook other side for 3 minutes. Re-move and transfer to plate. Melt 2 more tablespoons butter and add another 2 table-spoons olive oil. When butter and oil start to sizzle, add the other 2 pieces of chicken and brown both sides in same manner. Remove pan from heat and add chicken to the plate.Into the pan add the lemon juice, stock and capers. Return to stove and bring to boil, scraping up brown bits from the pan for extra flavor. Check for seasoning. Return all the chicken to the pan and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove chicken to platter. Add remaining 2 tablespoons butter to sauce and whisk vigorously. Pour sauce over chicken and garnish with parsley. I serve this with orzo pasta tossed with parsley, butter and cut tomatoes; and green beans or a tossed salad.

Chicken Piccataby Liesa Stiller