Java Chicken

     The Java is one of the oldest American Chicken breeds, which was the basis for many other breeds such as; the Jersey Giant, the Plymouth Rock, and the Rhode Island Red. Despite the breed’s name, which denotes Java island, the Java chicken was initially developed in America from chickens of unknown Asian extraction.

     Javas have small red earlobes, medium-sized single combs and wattles, and slate-dark legs. They are hardy dual-purpose large birds, that suit well in small-scale farms and backyards. Javas produce a good carcass, and the hens lay a respectable amount of large brown eggs (100 – 150 eggs per year), and go broody too. 

     Java chickens are particularly known as good foragers, needing less supplementary feed than many other breeds when allowed to free-range. They appear in three color-varieties at the moment; black, mottled-black, and white. A bantam version is also available for the Java, but it’s relatively rarer than the large bird.