Jersey giant next to normal chicken
Have you ever heard about the Jersey Giant Chicken Breed? Do you have a large family and want to raise your own birds? We’re going to discuss everything you need to know about the Jersey Giant Chicken.
The best part?
We will also suggest some healthy Giant Chicken Diets as well as answer all the FAQ related to this owning and caring for this breed of chicken. Let’s break each element down.
History of the Giant Chicken Breed?
They were first created in the state of New Jersey (where the Jersey part of the name comes from), by two brothers, John and Thomas Black
The brothers crossed Black Javas, Black Langshans and Dark Brahmas to create the Jersey Giant Chicken. Originally, they named their crossbred the Giant Blacks, but later it was changed to the name of the state they were first developed. So, the current nomenclature was given in the year 1917.
Here’s an interesting fact:
The founding brothers wanted to make this breed of chicken for bulk meat production to replace the use of Turkey which was the primary source of poultry nutrition for quite some time.
In 1922, the American Poultry Association accepted the Black Jersey Giant, and the White Jersey Giant got ac
By Patrice Lewis
We’ve raised chickens for years, both for eggs and meat. Getting eggs from chickens is easy. Getting meat … well, not so much. No matter how many times you hear about various breeds being touted as “dual purpose” — good for eggs and meat — the meat part is likely to be disappointing. The bird that goes in your freezer is likely to be about the size of a skinny “rubber chicken” rather than the fat roasters you see on the rotisserie at Costco.
So, like most rural Americans, we turned to Cornish Crosses for our meat birds. We’ve tried them on and off over the years, but we stopped raising them for two reasons.
Reason one: Cornish Crosses, as meat birds, fulfill their function superbly. They gain weight with a speed and seriousness that is awesome to behold. Within nine or ten weeks max, they’re ready for the freezer.
Except here’s the thing: If you don’t put them in the freezer by nine or ten weeks, their bodies start to break down. Their organs fail. Their joints give out. They can’t walk. They expire at the drop of a hat. It’s horrifically sad. I call them weird freaky mutant
Breed Spotlight: The Black Jersey Giant
Raised 21 of them from chicks back in 1975 when I was a kid.
They were blues
Because their frames grow first, for about two weeks three of them could fly for short distances.
They couldn’t glide but they could flap and power themselves over 30 feet up (10 meters) , so fencing them was impossible ,but they always came back and after couple of weeks they were too heavy to get over anything taller than 6 feet.
I suspect there were more than three capable of short flights , but it never occured to them to try.
Also there blue breed used to be bigger , and every now and then they’ll produce a throw-back that’s considerable larger , you’ll be accused of using Photoshop if you post a picture of it.
If you choose to raise blues , you’ll need some math skills if you want to use the eggs in recipes because their eggs are a lot larger than normal and if you don’t take that into account instead of a cake you might wind up with a really weird omelet.
ReplyJersey Giants are the largest chicken breed in the world.
The only other breed that comes next to is the Brahma!
Back in the late 1800s this breed was very popular however once chicken production was industrialized the Jersey Giant fell out of favor.
Fortunately in recent years though this giant chicken has found a new wave of popularity among homesteaders and backyard chicken loves.
This dual purpose heritage chicken is a very hardy breed that can tolerate a wide variety of climates.
If you want to learn more about this gigantic chicken then keep on reading…
Contents and Quick Navigation
Jersey Giant Overview
The Jersey Giant was created here in the US in the late 1800s.
They were originally created as a dual purpose chicken that could lay eggs.
Giants are a heritage breed which means they are slow growers and can reproduce naturally. Sadly the fact that they are leisurely growers is the reason for their decline from favor.
Newer breeds that matured quicker surpassed the Giant and the once famous chicken became a rare sight.
Fortunately in recent years they own seen an upsurge in their popularity again thanks to the smaller poultry breeders and backyard flock keepers.
9 of the Largest Chicken Breeds
This chicken lives up to its name — not only is it a large chicken breed but it also hails from New Jersey. Roosters can weigh between 13 and 15 pounds (5.9 to 6.8 kilograms) and the hens come in at 10 to 11 pounds (4.5 to 4.99 kilograms).
According to author Gale Damerow, who has raised chickens for almost five decades, the Jersey giant chickens came into existence to serve as an alternative to turkeys. However, that came with its own sets of issues.
"Raising Jersey Giants for meat production turned out to be uneconomical because they put most of their energy into developing a strong bone structure before they start fleshing out at about six months, and take as long as nine months to reach a reasonable size for harvesting," Damerow writes. "They remain popular, however, for their huge size, calm disposition and cold hardiness.”
This article was updated in conjunction with AI technology, then fact-checked and edited by a HowStuffWorks editor.