-Second oldest breed of poultry in America“Seeking the 19th Century American Java” “Nutrition and Feeding of Chickens”
“Easy Chicken Tractor”
1st Quarter Newsletter 2012
From the President - Roy J. Autrey
Hello again my fellow Java enthusiast Cold weather is on us and if you haven’t winterized your poultry houses you might consider doing so. Actually, poultry can withstand a lot of very cold weather, however, if you can prevent direct drafts in your poultry houses it is advisable to so. Here in the South, we might get down to 10 degrees once in a while but most days even when it dips down, the temps will climb up to above 40 during the day. This is very helpful in preventing cold stress. Just like today while it is 20 degrees as I write this, we are expecting the temps to reach almost 60 before the day is done. I personally would be happy with an average temp of 65 year round. Ha Ha! Well, there is nothing wrong with dreaming. We here at Autrey’s Friendship Farms finally finished our show season and I might add that it was a very successful year for out show birds. Between the Javas, Rhode Island Reds, Buff Orpingtons, Black Orpingtons and Dominiques, we were able to bring home several trophies and ribbons for Champion Birds. It is always a good feeling to have a show champion. Invariably people sometimes comment or ask if winning is a money making deal. I have to laugh and say very emphatically -- NO. This is strictly a hobby and can get very expensive when you consider the cost involved like feed, transportation cost to shows, entry fees etc. Not to mention the time and energy. But we do it because we love the lifestyle, the bragging rights when we win, and the people that we meet along the way. Now this brings me to a very serious subject; The Java club. Ruth has worked tirelessly to build and motivate and keep our club moving along and I want to thank her here for the great job she is doing. However, it is time for the members to pitch in and help her. One way we can do this is by talking up Javas to young people around the country and get them to join. I personally plan to help at least 10 young boys or girls this year by giving them birds to get started with. If we all just do a little the rewards would be astounding. Enjoy your birds, love your family and friends, keep your eyes on the Lord and your hands on the plow! Roy J. Autrey Autrey’s Friendship Farms
Send your stories, pictures, recipes, show wins, or anything else Java to Ruth at carondesign@yahoo.com
From the Secretary/Treasurer - Ruth Caron
We have had a warm winter without any major frosts so I decided to hatch away. Thats not to say that a huge winter storm is not in the mix for February or March. I showed a Mottled Java cockeral at the Bluebonnet Classic this month and won Best Java. There were 5 birds entered by 3 different exhibiters. This is probably the first time Javas have been shown at the BBC. That is a very good turn-out as far as I’m concerned. We are aiming for progress than perfection. I have been improving my Javas and the thing I’m working on now is size and the color (mottling). I talked to a judge regarding white feathers in the tails of male Mottled Javas and he said it is very common to have several solid white tail feathers in male birds and that it will be a hard thing to get rid of. If anyone out there has a suggestion on how to breed this out please contact me. I have hatched quite a few Javas this month and last and have no problem selling them here in Texas. My main buyers are backyard breeders and folks who want egg layers and manure for their gardens. The intrique of the rare chicken status that the Java has is also a big plus. I found a great article about feeding showbirds at the Texas A&M University website and I am including it with this newsletter. I have raised protein levels up to 28% in growing birds in some cases and I see size improvements. I am including a JBoA application for members to print out for shows they attend or to pass on to friends. Ruth Caron Farmer in the Martindale
From the Vice Pres. - Tacey Perkins
The start of our second year as a club is upon us. It will be interesting to see what this year has in store for JBoA. Now, I am not a huge new years resolution type girl, but this year I had a Java resolution. I will show at all shows near and far, plaster my Java’s mugs all over the big screen and then watch them walk the red carpet on awards night! I am declaring that it is the year of the JAVA! Ok so it is a little lofty. I do however think that something that can be done AND is very do-able by all our club membersit is to promote and breed our wonderful Java. Yes, just by talking about the Java, selling chicks, hatching eggs and showing at poultry shows will help tremendously. Now you don’t have to do all of them. Just pick the avenues you are comfortable with and do it up right. Our second year should be about growth, for the club and for the breed, and the only way to do that is get out there and start promoting. Remember why you chose this breed? Was it because it needed your help, or was it because it was a great homesteading bird or because it is a joy to watch and interact with? All these wonderful characteristics are still the very reason more people should know about them! The Java still desperately needs your help. I for one, will do my part, because it is important for me that the Java succeeds. They really are such a great and unique breed, as if you didn’t know by now. Oh, there is one more thing you can do, I would love to hear from you about our club. Please, tell us any requests, changes, comments or concerns. Just email us a short blip about what you would like to see happen with the club. Negative or positive, it’s all good. With this information we will be able to grow a more desirable club for everyone. Thank you Sincerely, Tacey Perkins
Mission Statement for Javas
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. We must show quality sportsmanship among our fellow members. Provide our members with adequate information on breeding Javas. Help our members locate hatching eggs, chicks or breeding stock. Educate our members with information on breeding and showing Javas. Help the general public to recognize that the Java is on the threatened list and what we can do to increase its numbers. ◊ 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.
If you would like to join JBOA by mail, please print this application, fill out and mail to address below with the appropriate dues payment.
JAVA BREEDERS OF AMERICA - YEARLY MEMBERSHIP DUES: Juniors (17 years and under): $5.00; Individuals: $10.00; Families: $15.00; Foreign Members (anyone living outside the USA): $20.00 (US funds!) Benefits: Quarterly Club Newsletters, Annual Breeders Directory, and access to the website's member area which includes: access to classifieds, member forum, member directory, immediate access to quarterly newsletters, and email updates Date:__________________________
Jav
ders
Name:____________________________________________________
re aB e
Address:___________________________City:___________________
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State:_________________ Zip code______________-_________ COUNTRY________________________ Phone:(___ ) ___________ E-Mail Address:___________________Web Site URL: ____________________ Membership Type (Circle one): JUNIOR______INDIVIDUAL _______FAMILY _______FOREIGN______ Check One: NEW MEMBER_____________ RENEWAL_________________ For website access of ‘Member’s Area’: Desired USERNAME:_____________ PASSWORD: ______________ Receive Quarterly newsletter by: MAIL ________________E-Mail__________________ Note: Please only request mail version of newsletter if you do not have an email address. Types of Javas that you raise: Mottled:___(YES)___(NO) Black:___(YES)___(NO) White:___(YES)___(NO)Auburn:____(YES)____(NO) Do you offer your Javas for sale? What colors?___________________________________________________ Do you sell chicks?_____________Do you sell eggs?_______________Do you sell adult birds?___________ Other Breeds and varieties of fowl that you raise:________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________ How long have you raised Javas? ____________________________________________________________ Do you show Javas?____________________________________________________________________ What is your main reason for keeping Javas? (Attractive egg layers, Preserve the breed, backyard pets.....) _______________________________________________________________________________________ Mail the completed form with appropriate dues payment to: Java Breeders of America Ruth Caron - Secretary/Treasurer 195 Northglen Lane Martindale, Texas, 78655, United States
JAVAS This article is written by Christine Heinrichs for The Society for Preservation of Poultry Antiquities The Java came to the U.S. at least by 1835 from the East Indies (hence the name) and both Black and Mottled varieties were admitted to the American Poultry Association’s Standard of Perfection in 1883. It became popular as a high-class market fowl and was influential in the development of the Black Jersey Giant and the Barred Plymouth Rock. Indirectly, the Java influenced many other breeds, including Orpingtons and Australorps. Javas are probably the source of yellow legs and skin in Dominiques. The breed nearly disappeared by the end of the 20th Century, but recently attention from specialty breeders and historical societies has given the breed a second chance. Garfield Farm Museum in La Fox, Illinois, where this picture was taken, in the 1990s played a significant role in the recovery of the Java breed as part of its commitment to historic stewardship. Pure White and Auburn varieties have emerged from breeding programs and are being improved by breeders. The Auburn had not been reported since 1870 when individuals with that color pattern were hatched in 2004. It is historically important because it was influential in the development of the Rhode Island Red. Genes for black and mottled color varieties are buried in each bird and often show up in flocks. Even though you keep a flock of what appear to be Black Javas, some of those birds carry the latent genes for mottling, producing white-tipped feathers. The APA Standard of Perfection, used in poultry judging, describes the Mottled Java’s desired white-tipped feather pattern and ‘broken’ (variegated) dark-on-yellow leg color. Given the persistent nature of the latent mottling gene, many Java breeders keep two flocks, one black and one mottled. Then, you can hatch to your heart’s content and sort the birds into the proper pens at maturity. © Christine Heinrichs 20
RUBBERMAID Storage Bin Tractor Coop
THE PICTURES SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES. THIS IS AN EASY COOP THAT CAN BE MADE IN A DAY. Good for Javas.
Rubbermaid Storage Bin
Nutr ition and Feeding of Poultr y written by A. Lee Cartwright The championship potential of a bird is determined by genetics. The animal’s environment dictates whether this championship potential will be attained. Nutrition is a critical part of a bird’s environment, and a good ration is the foundation of chicken growth. No matter what a bird is fed,it will only grow as well as you feed it, and it can not grow beyond its maximim potential. There are four important principles in developing an appropriate nutrition program for chickens Principle 1: To grow, birds must eat and drink. Inadequate feed stunts development and prevents birds from growing to their potential. Since birds grow quickly, if their feed consumption decreases for only a fewhours their ultimate body size can be significantly diminished. Several factors can cause birds to eat less than they should. These factors are: feed availability, water availability, feed competition, water competition, environmental temperature and personal attention. Fresh, clean water and feed must be continuously available to birds from the beginning. Order the proper feed from your farm store before your birds arrive. Make sure birds are able to easily reach water and feed. During the first week, place feed in flat pans so young birds can easily find and eat it. Use chick waterers so that water is easily reached. Later, as birds grow, hanging tube feeders can be used. These feeders refill the feeding trough as birds eat. Keep the height of the feed trough adjusted to the birds’ chest height. Make sure feed is deep enough in the trough and that access to the feeder is clear. Provide enough feeder space so that all birds can eat at the same time without being too crowded. The bird should be able to eat without fear of being pecked by another bird or without fear of their combs and beaks contacting other objects. There is a direct relationship between the amount of water a bird consumes and the amount of feed it will eat. If the water supply is inadequate, birds stop eating. Temperature also is important. If the room is too warm birds will eat less. So a comfortable temperature for the age of the bird should be maintained. Feed quality also affects consumption. Birds given stale, rancid or moldy feed will stop eating. To keep feed fresh, store it properly away from exposure to heat, moisture and sunlight (sunlight destroys vitamins). Dragging your finger through the feed in the trough will stimulate them to eat. Principle 2: To grow well, birds must eat the right things. Bird feed should contain all nutrients needed to grow muscle, bone, internal organs, fat and feathers. The following table lists the five basic classes of nutrients birds need and the feed ingredients that usually supply them.
Nutrient needed carbohydrates proteins fats minerals
Nutrient primarily supplied by corn, sorghum, soybean meal, meat products, amino acids (methionine, lysine) corn oil, blended fat products salt, limestone, calcium carbonate, calcium phosphate, trace mineral mix
vitamins
vitamin mix, other ingredients These ingredients are mixed in different proportions and ground into meal. The feed can be bagged as this meal (sometimes called “mash”), or the mash can be pressed into larger pellets or crumbles. Feed bags have tags with information about the mixture of nutrients supplied by the feed. The tag does not list the proportion of all ingredients, but it does list the percentages of several important nutrients that are good measures of feed quality. An example of what you might see on a show feed tag is illustrated below. Notice that some nutrients have minimum levels while others have maximum levels. Crude protein (CP) ..............min 26% Lysine ..................................min 1.5% Methionine ..........................min 0.5% Crude fat..............................min 6.0% Crude fiber ..........................max 4.0% Calcium (Ca) ........................min 1.1% Calcium ..............................max 1.5% Phosphorus (P) ....................min 0.8% Salt ......................................min 0.4% Salt ......................................max 0.5% However, a feed is much more complex than the information on the tag can indicate. It contains amino acids, the building blocks of protein, as well as vitamins, minerals and other nutrients. No one feed ingredient contains all the nutrients required for a complete diet. Some feed ingredients are rich in one nutrient but poor in another. This is the reason feed is a mixture of ingredients. For example, soybean meal is rich in protein, while corn is high in energy but a relatively poor source of protein. Together they complement each other in the feed. Each ingredient has a place in a balanced diet. Certain fats, vitamins, minerals and amino acids are so vital for the bird that they are called “essential” nutrients. Even though the amounts required are usually small, birds will sicken or die without any one of these essential nutrients. Principle 3: To win, birds must eat and grow in a balanced way. A ration is the amount of food that a bird will eat in a day. Birds will eat this much and no more, so everything they need must be in this amount of feed. Several balances of ingredients must be maintained: energy and protein amino acids (complete protein) minerals essential fats (and fatsoluble vitamins) A chicken or turkey stops eating once a certain amount of energy has been consumed in a day. The bird stops eating even if it has not eaten enough protein, vitamins and minerals. Because fat contains more than twice the energy contained in protein or carbohydrate, an increase in the amount of fat in a diet must be balanced with increased protein. The energy concentration of the diet must be balanced with other nutrients in the diet. Protein contains 20 amino acids that build muscle protein. Fourteen of these building blocks must be supplied and balanced in the diet. If any one of them is missing, or isn’t supplied in the proper amount, muscle protein can not be made and the remaining amino acids will be used for energy or fat instead. Twenty-seven minerals are required in poultry diets. In a good poultry ration these minerals are carefully balanced. Mineral supplements should be added to a diet only with extreme care, because an excess of one type of mineral can cause a deficiency of another mineral. The bones of a growing chick are especially susceptible to mineral deficiency, or imbalance caused by excess supplementation. Vitamins should be given in adequate amounts, but some vitamins can be toxic if too much is given. Some vitamins even interact detrimentally with minerals. Excess vitamins are not only expensive, but can cause health problems. Feed formulation is a complicated process that ensures a feed contains all the nutrients that a bird needs. Specialized training or a computer program are required to confidently formulate a poultry ration.
Principle 4: To unbalance a balanced ration with supplements is destructive. If you have a good ration that fulfills all of the dietary needs of the bird, do not alter it. Sometimes a little more of a good thing upsets a balanced ration. A balanced approach to nutrition is the key to optimum growth. Once the correct amount of protein is fed, any excess will be used for energy or to make fat. Increasing fat in the diet increases the energy density of a diet. Birds consuming a diet with too much energy may fail to eat enough protein, vitamins and minerals to support optimum growth. Increasing the amount of vitamins in a ration beyond what is needed to meet requirements wastes money or damages the health of your birds. Some vitamins are toxic at high levels. Minerals also must be in balance. Some minerals compete against other minerals and can cause deficiencies. A minor deficiency in a mineral or vitamin can lead to loss of appetite, poor feed utilization, depressed growth, weakness or lameness. Once nutrients are in balance you can not improve your ration, but you can unbalance it. Common mistakes made with supplements include: 1) giving vitamin and electrolyte supplements for more than 10 days; 2) supplementing balanced rations with cracked corn, oats or other grain; 3) adding green chops, lettuce or other low nutrient ingredients to the diet; and 4) inappropriate medication. (Do not medicate birds unless they are sick. When a medicated feed has been used, always follow the recommended medication-free feeding schedule before a bird is used for food or taken to a show.) A good show ration with a feed tag similar to that illustrated in principal # 2 would be a good choice for broiler chickens until 3 to 4 weeks of age. A turkey starter mixed with broiler feed to adjust the protein level to between 23 and 25 percent is often used. A water-soluble vitamin and electrolyte supplement can be given during the first week of life, but supplementation for more than 10 days may affect the birds’ health. After 4 weeks of age a finisher ration with higher energy content and a 21 to 23 percent protein level can be fed. One good way to modify the protein content and energy concentration of show diets is to mix high protein and high energy finishing diets together in wellplanned proportions. This way, all nutrients remain correctly balanced. Turkeys require high protein rations. A turkey starter or game bird feed with protein concentrations of 28 to 30 percent is usually successful. The protein content can be gradually decreased and energy content increased as the turkey ages. Avoid over-supplementation. There are no secret formulas that guarantee championship birds. Feed them fresh, clean water, and a well-balanced ration; keep them clean, comfortable and unstressed; give them care and attention, and they will develop to their fullest genetic potential.
Seeking the 19th Century American Java By Christine Heinrichs John C. Bennett writes in The Poultry Book, 1850, pp. 58-60: The Great Java Fowl is seldom seen in this country in its purity; excellent specimens, however, may be seen at Mr. Charles Burton’s, Plymouth, or at Mr. E. T. Packard’s, East Bridgewater, which he purchased in New York as “Malays.” The pair is now one year old, and the cock weighs ten pounds, the pullet nine pounds and a quarter. These, like all other pure Java fowls, are of a black or dark auburn color, with very large black legs, single comb and wattles. They are good layers, and their eggs are very large and well-flavored. Their gait is slow and majestic. They are, in fact, amongst the most valuable fowls in the country, and are frequently described in the books as “Spanish fowls,” than which nothing is more erroneous. They are as distinctly as original breed as the pure-blooded Great Malay, and possess about the same qualities as to excellence, but falling rather short of them as to beauty. This, however, is a matter of taste, and some consider the pure Java superior to all other large fowls, so far as beauty is concerned. Their plumage is decidedly rich. Mr. C.N. Bement, a distinguished breeder, and writer on the subject of poultry, says of this fowl in The American Poulterer’s Companion, 1845 : “This is a singular breed, which partakes of the common fowl and the India fowl, peculiar to the island of Java, where they are seldom reared but for fighting; and are said to be so furious, that they sometimes fight together till the death of one or the other separates them. According to Willoughby, it carries its tail nearly like the turkey. The Sieur Feurnier informs us, that one of this species was kept in Paris; it has, according to him, neither comb nor wattles; the head is smooth, like that of a pheasant. This fowl is very high on its legs; its tail is long and pointed, and the feathers of unequal length; andm in general, the color of the feathers is auburn, like the vulture. It is generally supposed the English game cock originated in, or is a cross of, this variety.” The above quotation is descriptive of the Wild Indian Game, and not of the Java, except in color. The portraits at the head of this article are from life, taken from fowls in possession of Mr. Sidney Packard, of East Bridgewater, and are excellent specimens of the race. However, J.K. Bicknell, described as a well-known Java breeder and expert, disagrees with the Game connection in Willis Grant Johnson’s 1912 edition of The Poultry Book. Johnson notes that “The chapter on Javas has been entirely rewritten. The ideas expressed by Mr. Weir do not conform to our views and notions relative to the origin and make-up of the various varieties of Javas.” “This Malay business referred to by Dr. Bennett has no bearing whatever on the modern Java. When I was a young man, we had fowls called Java Games which resembled the Malay, but the latter is so distinct in make-up and general characteristics that the English article should be thrown overboard altogether. In fact, it relates to a fowl entirely different except in name. the Malay is more like the Indian Game, and cannot compare at all in shape with the Java. I remember the Java Game, as it was called, away back in the sixties. It looked much like the Indian Games I have bred.” Christine Heinrichs is the author of How to Raise Chickens and How to Raise Poultry, both of which focus on raising traditional breeds in small flocks. She’d love to have a Java hen join her backyard flock of a Buttercup, a White Dorking, a Buff Orpington, a Speckled Sussex and a Partridge Rock.
Internal Parasites By far the most common internal parasite in chickens is the round worm. Followed by the gape worm and hair worm, as well as others. While these can have different effects and symptoms. They all effect the health as well as nutrient and fluid absorption, which in turn can affect growth rate and overall development in juveniles you are growing out. In your breeding birds it can manifest as, reduced egg production, poor shell quality and infertility. Birds that are in contact with the ground will be constantly exposed to re-infestation. Here at Diamond T, since the 1960’s we have always used a monthly treatment program with alternating products. Some products do require a 10 to14 day followup treatment. In the past before so many commercial products were available, we used about every home remedy and potion you could dream of. I am not sure how affective they were. For about the last 20 years I have used 3 different products monthly on an alternating 3 month cycle. I will give the active ingredients as there are different product name with the same active ingredient. All of these remedies and doses are what I use for large fowl some dosages and applications won’t work for bantams and will have to be omitted or adjusted. Any treatment is better than nothing, because internal parasites will affect your birds. For chicks, I don’t worm until they are put on the ground, because as long as they are in a clean wire bottom pen off the ground they are not really exposed. Once they are on the ground until they are about 12 weeks old I use only water soluble Piperzine per directions. At that point I begin with Ivermectin, I use an injectable product labeled for cattle. At a rate of 3 drops orally followed the next month with Fenbendazole capsule orally, this product requires a 10 day follow up treatment 1 month from that second treatment I use Piperzine in their water and 1 month later I start over. Many people say that worms have a 21 day egg cycle and they worm on a more regular schedule but I think if you follow any regular treatment program you will stay ahead of them. Keep in mind my program is for exhibition fowl not for layers that you are consuming eggs from because both Ivermectin and fenbendazole have a 14 day egg withdrawal period. If your birds are used only as layers you should use 1 of the organic or natural treatments after your birds are 16 to 18 weeks old. But you should treat in some way. Your birds will be healthier and happier as well as produce more eggs. Enjoy your birds Jeff Thornton Diamond T Poultry diamondtpoultry@yahoo.com www.diamondtpoultry.com