Feathered Flyer - Java Sparrows

by Steve Nesbitt (UK breeder)

I have kept and bred the Java Sparrows for eight years now, this lovely finch has always appealed to me because of its sleek looks and the fact it is an easy species to look after. As long as you get the basic principles of birdkeeping correct then these birds will not let you down and will repay you with many young. Another good thing for me is the fact that in England where I live, the Java is always available to buy if you need new stock, also the new colour mutations appear quite quickly here.I have bred these birds in both flights and in various sized cages, I don't think that I have had a pair that has not produced at least two young from a round of eggs. The smallest sized cage I have is 2 feet long by about 15 inches square with the 6 inch square nestbox being hung on the outside to give more internal cage space for the birds. I have housed Javas in small flights in colonies of up to four birds and in single pairs but kept with other small finches, for example with Cut-throats and Bengalese finches. Some people say that the Java is an aggressive bird to other smaller species when housed together when breeding but I personally have never seen any trouble in this area, maybe a short squabble about a nestbox but that is all.The most interesting time I can relate to you about Javas is when I put four adults in a flight as a colony knowing only the sex of one bird, a large cock. So I hoped that at the very least I would get one true pair out of the four birds. To cut a long story short the cock did pick a hen and when I checked their nestbox about two weeks later I was happy to see six eggs laid with all six showing signs of being fertile, so, I had a true pair but imagine my surprise when I checked the other nestbox that the other "pair" had picked was full of eggs, twelve in all, so the other two Javas were hens. On closer inspection of the eggs I couldnxt believe what I saw, eleven of the eggs were fertile as well. The colony went on to produce thirty five young from two rounds of eggs with one Fawn chick being the only fatality, the parent birds were all visual Greys but they threw Fawns, Greys, Whites and Pink-eyed Whites (Cinnamon Whites).In my experience Javas are brilliant parents and work tirelessly to rear their young. I have had only one hen that killed her first two chicks from a round of six but I think this was down to inexperience as I'm sure it was her first attempt to breed, she went on to rear the rest of the clutch with no problems at all. I feel sure that all the courting rituals of these birds takes place in the nestbox because I have very rarely seen Javas mate in cage or flight, apart from the song of the cock bird and the occasional dance where both sexes bob up and down in close proximity to each other.Talking about breeding, I would not recommend using a hen for breeding before the age of around one-year old, but you could possibly use a cock at a little younger age if he was in good condition.The nesting materials I use are on listed on my web site, so have a look if you want more information on this subject as I don't want to repeat myself too much. When you do get your Javas to lay eggs, hopefully fertile, you need to know when they will hatch and in my time with Javas I think it's safe to say that 17 to 20 days is the period my young birds normally start to appear in the nest, it can vary a little from pair to pair but this is a good guide line, the pairs themselves and how well they sit on the eggs for example is a factor, weather is another 'variable' which could effect things, humidity, etc. As a rule the young will fledge at about three weeks of age and I always count two weeks after the last chick has fledged to give the birds time to learn to feed themselves. Diet is one thing that I do try to keep very simple but still giving my birds the best I can. Basically I use the same foodstuffs all year round but the quantities and the regularity of these foodstuffs is altered to suit the stage of breeding that each pair of birds are at. A good seed mixture is the basis of the diet with the inclusion of millet sprays, on a twice weekly treat rule, lettuce, fruit (mainly apple), I also give a ready made eggfood which has a good balance of minerals included in the basic egg and seed mixture. This eggfood is mixed with a little water to the soft and crumbly stage and given to the birds, who love the stuff. I also give the birds soaked seeds, these are soaked for two days and are rinsed thoroughly twice and given a water change in that two days to prevent fermentation taking place, the seeds are just about to germinate when I give the birds the seeds, some people say that you should give the seeds after germination when the seeds have started to sprout but I believe that there is a lot of energy stored in the seed that it needs to sprout, so giving the seed to your birds just prior to sprouting gives the birds more nutrients/energy from the seed. Of course a good supply of cuttlefish, mixed grits is essential for the birds digestion and the hens potential egg laying, I also have separate dishes with crushed egg shell and a little rock salt in each cage.I use a couple of additives in the drinking water, one is a liquid calcium supplement and the other is for keeping the level of bacteria in the water down, once again more information is on my web site with a link to the manufacturers web site on there as well. Now for the most difficult part of keeping Java Sparrows, SEXING, it would be great to give you a sure fire way to sex these birds but I,m afraid not, it can be a little bit of a lottery.If you see a Java do a drawn out little series of whistles then you are looking at a cock bird, that I'm afraid is the only 100% visual certainty there is, but not much help if you want to know about a hen is it?Well, here's my idea on the subject. As said before cocks do their song and we hope that hens will lay the eggs, simple, NOT! Sorry, only joking.I have in the past looked at my known birds to see what is different in each sex visually that is and I feel that when in full breeding condition the cock has a more swollen eye ring than the hen and that the eye ring is also a deeper red in colour, this also ties in with the cocks swollen lower mandible and a slightly more domed upper mandible (the beak). The above observations are a guide that I try to use for any Grey or White Javas that I'm trying to sex. The Fawn mutation is a little easier to sex, how? By the Fawn feathers on the bird, quite simply the cock has darker brown feathering than the hen. Once again this may be more apparent when the birds are in breeding condition.I,m not able to shed any light on any other colour as I have only ever kept the three colours mentioned. The pointers I have mentioned may become a little clearer if you spend time looking at your known sex birds and you could then check to see if what I've said has any relevance at all to your birds. If you agree or disagree with any of my 'theories' then please let me know, as I'm always willing to take on new ideas etc.