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Heritage breed chickens are different in many ways than their modern breed counterparts. The commercial poultry industry uses highly specialized breeds which split the genetics of the original breeds to focus singularly on either producing meat or eggs. The important traits of living on the farm are lost to now living in carefully controlled environments in cages - living their lives just to produce. Heritage breed chickens are known as a dual-purpose chicken which means they are good as both a meat and egg bird. They still carry the ability to forage, have a longer life-spans, are more tolerant to extreme cold or heat environments, maintain a sharper instinct for predator avoidance and the hens have not lost their "broodiness" due to genetic selection. The Java is one of the oldest breeds of chickens developed in America, introduced to this country in 1835. The Java was used for genetically developing many of our modern breeds. It is well-suited as a free range chicken since it is a diligent forgager on range, and will consume a large percentage of its feed there. We have found they have very calm and gentle temperaments, are extremely hardy and the hens make excellent broody mothers. The black Javas possess a beautiful dark green sheen on their oil-black feathers. The white Javas are a snowy white with a thick fluffy coat of feathers. This chicken is truly a joy to raise. |
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