Java chickens: The ultimate heritage breed

Breeds
Written By Bri Wyzard

Java chickens may be the best kept secret of homesteaders. You rarely hear about these birds, and they don’t typically make the “Top 10” lists you so often stumble across on the internet. But they should.

Java chickens have a lot going for them. They lay a decent amount of eggs and tend to lay through the coldest winter months. They produce a decent amount of meat. They forage for much of their food and are very cold hardy (except that some strains have roosters with large combs susceptible to frostbite). And they also tend to tolerate the warm summer months well.

Although Java chickens love to free range, they also tolerate confinement well. So, if you live in a place that’s prone to blizzards lasting several days, you can keep your Javas in their coop, no problem.

On top of that, Java chickens are docile and friendly birds, both to humans and to other chickens.

The ultimate heritage bird, this American breed was born to live on the homestead.

In this article, you will learn everything you need to know about Java chickens to ensure they belong in your flock, including:

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Have Java chickens?

Java chicken facts

Category: Pet, eggs & meat
Origin: United States
Egg-laying ability: Good
Broodiness: High
Meat production: Good
Cold tolerance: Poor-exceptional (some roosters have combs susceptible to frostbite; otherwise exceptional)
Heat tolerance: Good
Predator evasion: Good to exceptional
Foraging ability: Exceptional
Toleration for confinement: Good
Temperament: Docile
Aggression toward flock members: Low
Noise level: Moderate

Origin of Java chickens

The Javas’ origins, like so many breeds, aren’t totally clear. The Javas were likely developed in the first half of the 19th century from birds brought to America from Asia, possibly even from the Island of Java.

Although the progenitors of the Java breed came from Asia, Javas are considered an American breed. In fact, they were the second American breed ever developed, the first being the Dominique.

“By the 1880s, the fortunes of the Java had changed, and this once well-regarded breed was replaced by the very breeds it had helped to create.”
— Frances Bassom, Chicken Breeds and Care

Javas were popular dual-purpose birds for many years, particularly in New York and New Jersey. The Java breed was so well-liked it was used to develop many additional American breeds, including the Jersey Giant, the Rhode Island Red, and the Plymouth Rock. These new breeds would later lead to the Javas’ downfall as they became much more popular than the Java breed.

Java chickens were almost extinct by the end of the 20th century, but breeders have made a concerted effort to increase the birds’ numbers.

Today, Java chickens are still rare and The Livestock Conservancy has placed the breed on its “Watch” list.

What do Java chickens look like?

Java chickens come in 2 types: regular (also called ‘large fowl’) and bantam (i.e., miniature).

Java feather colors and patterns

Java chickens come in 3 plumage varieties: black, mottled, and white.

The table below gives details on the coloring of each variety.

Java variety Beak Eyes Shanks and toes
Black Black Dark brown Black to dark willow with yellow foot bottoms
Mottled Horn Reddish bay Yellow with leaden blue mottles and yellow foot bottoms
White Horn Reddish bay Light willow with yellow foot bottoms

Black Javas have black feathers with a beautiful beetle-green sheen.

Mottled Javas have white feathers with black tips. As a Mottled Java ages, his feathers will have more white and less black with every molt.

And the White Java is especially rare—the white developed as a recessive trait.

Although never recognized by the American Poultry Association, a 4th type of Java has been developed called the Auburn Java. The auburn color is a sport (i.e., genetic mutation) of the Black Java, and was used in the 19th century to develop the Rhode Island Red chicken breed.

Below, you can see a video that shows the Mottled Java variety.

What is notable about the Java chicken’s appearance?

Aside from their beautiful plumage, Java chickens are rather large birds with broad, rectangular bodies and a long, sloping back.

They have single combs that are small-medium in size. However, unlike most other single-combed breeds, the first (frontal) point of the comb is much farther back on the head. The first point is above the eye rather than the nostril. This means the Java likely has pea-combed progenitors in its ancestry—with the unique single comb being developed from the pea comb.

Java chickens have small- to medium-sized wattles and small, red earlobes. 

How big do Java chickens get?

Roosters: 9.5 lbs
Hens: 7.5 lbs
Bantam roosters: 36 oz
Bantam hens: 32 oz

What do Java chicks look like?

Java chicks will be colored differently, depending on which variety they are.

Check out the video of Black Java chicks below:

Java chicken growth

As a heritage breed, Java chickens grow slowly compared to many other breeds. They may take 6 months or longer to reach their full weight.

Below, you can see a video of 3.5-month old Mottled Javas. These chickens, though they look as large as many mature breeds, have not reached their full maturity.

Are you getting Java chicks?

Share your photos, week by week!

Java chickens and egg laying

Egg color: Brown
Egg size: Large
Age of lay: 6-7 months
Eggs/week: 3-4
Eggs/year: 150-180

Java chickens produce eggs well into the winter. They continue laying long after many breeds have stopped.

Broodiness: Do Java hens want to hatch their eggs?

Java hens love to sit in their nests, hatch their eggs, and raise their babies. They are exceptional brooders and mothers.

Meat production of Java chickens

Java chickens were originally prized for their meat. They were even used to develop other meat chickens, such as the Plymouth Rock (which itself was used in the development of the modern broiler chickens you buy from the grocery store today).

Modern chicken keepers have described Java meat as “incredible” and “unmatched in flavor.”

Javas take many months to fully mature, but when they do, you may expect a market weight of 6.5 to 8 lbs.

Java Chickens: A robust and hardy breed

How do Java chickens do in the heat and the cold?

Java chickens do very well in the cold with their dense feathering.

Java hens do particularly well with their small combs and wattles. Java roosters also have smaller combs and wattles than many other breeds, but some individuals may still have combs that are large enough to be susceptible to frostbite.

So, if you’re going to keep Java roosters in a cold climate, you will want to hang Sweeter Heaters over their roosting bars. This will greatly help to prevent them from getting frostbite, which, yes, is just as painful for chickens as it is for you and me.

You can find small Sweeter Heaters here on Amazon, medium Sweeter Heaters here, and large Sweeter Heaters here.

As for the hot summer months, Javas tend to do as well as other breeds in the heat. One chicken keeper said of her Java flock, “Heat did not stop them in the summertime. Being black feathered, I was concerned about heatstroke—they did great!”

Java chickens vs. predators

Java chickens fare well against predators compared to many other breeds. These chickens are fast runners, and their larger size deters some of the smaller predators (such as hawks).

However, White Javas do have a harder time with predators in most environments. White chickens, regardless of breed, tend to stick out like a sore thumb. If you have white chickens and you live in a predator-rich area, your white chickens are often the first to go.

Java chickens: Exceptional foragers

Java chickens were made to forage. They prefer to forage for a large amount of their food, if given the chance.

Below, you can see a video of 3-month old Javas devouring weeds.

Java chickens: Can they handle confinement?

Java chickens do tend to handle confinement well. One chicken keeper told a story about having to lock her Java flock in their coop for 6-day blizzard. She said they did very well, “not resorting to feather picking or other negative issues.”

However, Java chickens do love to explore and range, so they will appreciate as much space as you’re able to give them.

Java chicken temperament

Java chickens are docile, calm, and sweet. One chicken keeper described hers as “Friendly, will greet you at the door to get picked up.” She continued that the breed “Loves to chill on your lap and get pet.”

Because these birds enjoy human attention and interaction, they are a suitable breed for young children.

Even most roosters tend to be docile. However, roosters of all chicken breeds do come with some aggressive individuals.

How well do Java chickens get along with other chickens?

Java chickens are an excellent breed to have in a mixed-breed flock. These birds are calm and docile with other chickens. They tend to get along very well with others.

Java chickens: Are they noisy?

Java hens aren’t known to be particularly noisy.

Java roosters, like roosters of most breeds, love to crow.

One chicken keeper said her Java rooster “is noisy—protective of his girls, his turf—from everything from the barnyard squirrels to the wind! Their run overlooks the driveway, so we can say we have an ‘alarm rooster,’ as he crows his head off when someone comes down the drive!”

Java chicken health problems and life expectancy

Java chickens are a strong and hardy heritage breed. They may be expected to live 5-8 years on average.

Breeds you may want instead of Javas

Java chickens were used to develop many of the iconic American chicken breeds, including Rhode Island Reds, Plymouth Rocks, and Jersey Giants. All of these breeds make excellent backyard and homestead chickens, and are much easier to find than the rare Javas.

You may also want to consider some of the English chicken breeds, such as Orpingtons and Sussexes. These are also friendly and popular dual-purpose birds who thrive in backyards and barnyards.

For more information, check out these articles:

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Bri Wyzard
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