The Java Manhatten Project

photo courtesy of Garfield farms

by Garfield Farms

When visitors see the Black Java chickens busily scratching and strutting around the barnyard, they probably assume that taking care of them is simply a matter of tossing them chicken feed and filling their water bowls. That is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the museum’s involvement. Behind the scenes, there is a major conservation effort to help preserve this rare and magnificent fowl.

read more here

Champion Your Rare Breed Livestock or Poultry at Garfield Farm

Courtesy Lyle Behl

CAMPTON HILLS, IL: Rare breed owners need to register now for Garfield Farm Museum's 26th Annual Rare Breeds Livestock & Poultry Show and Sale on Sunday May 20th from 11am - 4pm.

The show highlights the need to preserve rare domesticated animals from extinction. It also provides Rare Breed enthusiasts with an opportunity to show off their favorite animals to the general publicand to interact with other exhibitors and prospective buyers.

Individuals who would like to display their animals at the show can contact the museum at 630-584-8485 or info@garfieldfarm.org for registration information. There are no registration fees for exhibitors.  Garfield Farm Museum is located five miles west of Geneva, IL off ILL Route 38 on Garfield Road. You can also visit them online.

Java Breeding 101 The Basics - part 1

photo property of Jim Ward

Selection & Culling

Written by Tacey Perkins and Robert Blosl

Welcome to Part 1 of this wonderful course, today we will cover Selection and Culling. The reason I chose these topics to start on is to get everyone on the same page for next month’s Breeding class. I am so thrilled to offer this information to you. I wanted to be able to offer you some invaluable information that you could use year after year to improve your Java

Flock. So I contacted one of the best! A man who has been known in the chicken breeding industry for his RIR Bantams. He is also into other heritage breeds like, White Plymouth Rocks in large fowl & bantams and Barred Plymouth Rock large fowl. It is Mr. Robert Blosl! I for one was excited to ask these questions and get the answers, because Mr. Robert Blosl is a pleasure to talk to and a wealth of information. So please enjoy Part 1 explaining Selection and Culling. We will cover from chick stage to adult stage. Also, if you have any questions please feel free to contact me. I would be happy

to help you with anything I can. And for a special treat, Robert has said he will help evaluate your birds, helping with the selection process. All you need to provide are some nice, clear pictures of your birds. He will do the rest. And if you would like to ask a specific question, just send it to me and we will get it answered for next month’s class. Thank you everyone for coming to class, lets begin!