Black Javas are Growing Up!

The black Java chicks came to us almost ten weeks ago. they were little tiny things then!  They have been in the chick area on the back porch, in their raised cage, growing up together.  I have been trying hard to guess whether they are young cockerels or pullets.  I really think there is still a chance one is a girl... okay, I hope, anyhow!

Today after a few other chores got done, Bailey helped me weight them.  They don't like the bucket on the scale any better than the rest of them.  It took quite a bit of cuddling and cajoling to get their weights with anything remotely approaching accuracy. 

I think this one was hoping to eat the plants in the windowsill...

In the end, the weights were:

#99- 45.09 ounces- 2.82 pounds- re-banded #49

#97- 38.10 ounces- 2.38 pounds- re-banded #48

#96- 38.55 ounces- 2.41 pounds- re-banded #77

Re-banded? Yup, their leg bands had become too small! 

 So they went from little red ones to nice big blue ones!

Sadly, the heaviest is the one I was holding out hoe was a hen... 

And I know someone was practicing their crowing this morning...

No one is quite so tough, though, once we are rocking them in our arms!

Bailey agreed that since the Buttercups had lost their rooster to old age earlier this year, and they lay white eggs, that the Javas, large brown egg layers with what seems to be a preponderance of males, could move in to the pen with them.

So when Bailey and I got home from morning errands, and Wyatt was doing his workout and Bailey was walking Miss Verse, I set to cleaning the Brahma pen and setting up the new water we bought them, and then cleaning and setting up the Buttercup pen so the Javas could move in. 

Then, after weighing them with me and helping with the leg bands, Bailey settled the Java juveniles in with the Buttercups.  Bailey snapped a few photos for me, but clearly they aren't hanging out with the Buttercups yet at this point!  Bailey is checking on everyone throughout the day, once we aren't hovering, I am sure they will settle in fine!

For those of you following the heritage meat bird project, the average weights of these birds are ten ounces more than the Delawares Wyatt raised a year and a half ago.  The Brahmas, however, still averaged a good 1-2 pounds more at this age.  Can't wait to see how this goes, as they are still half the age of what is considered maturity for the heritage meat birds.  These goofballs seem to go in spurts, though, so who knows! And I must admit, this is a very small sample size in regards to good science!