CSU - Chicken State University- Large Fowl SOP

[HEChicken]

Are we ready for Giants?

I'm looking so forward to the next unit - I've learned so much from each one so far. I don't have Giants but recently visited Good Shepherd Poultry Ranch and saw Frank Reese's and it gave me a new appreciation for the breed. I can't wait to see what others are working on.

 

[Wynette]

Okay, I'll start. I have been working with Giants now for 6 years. I prefer not to say where my original lines came from, but after a year of growing each out (from 3 different breeders), I was disappointed to say the least. My most recent line I have had for two years now, and I am quite pleased with them, and will continue on with them.

While I'm a HORRIBLE picture taker, I did get a few pictures this past weekend. These females are a little over two years old, and have turned out lovely, with the flat, long back/topline that we like for Giants, and that nice, bowl-shaped under line. To back up a bit, here is what I viewed as my best pullet at 7 months. I put her in a show not long after this picture was taken, and she placed reserve American (under judge Gary Overton) over 67 other entries. Unfortunately, other than the 3 Giants I entered, there were only two others, so I had not much to compare her to. I did speak with Judge Overton after the show about her, and he said he was quite impressed, and she was the best he'd seen in many years. He said if she'd have been a bit older, and her tail a bit longer, he may well have placed her champion.



Here is that same hen, just yesterday (again, I apologize for the bad pictures):








Of course, one of the very important things with Giants is the bottoms of their feet should be yellow - it's a DQ if there is absence of yellow - this hen is in lay, and the yellow is often washed out a bit when they are laying. Also, there has been conversation about commercial feed producers no longer using extract of marigold in the feed as they did years ago, and some of us wonder if this washes out the yellow on the feet:



When I look at the adult pictures of the pullet in the first picture, I do not see a longer tail. I mentioned to Walt a few days ago that at some shows, I see Giants that appear to have Langshan bred in, as the tails are quite long & showy, and the eyes are not almost black as they ought to be. (Then there is the absence of yellow on the foot bottoms, which is an interesting thing to look for at a show. Folks raise eyebrows it seems when they see a person squatting down to view foot level of the birds.)

Some of the issues I'm working on - size. though my birds are within APA standard for weight, what I see in the show ring is slightly larger framed. The female picutred above is my largest, and she'll be who I use for breeding this year. I have also seen a few offspring from my line hatch with lighter eyes than they ought to be, and I also note that mine seem to be a bit on the short side in comparison with some that I have seen being shown. Bodywise, conformation is overall quite good, I think, but I am no expert.

[I DID note that, at a show in Ohio this past fall, there were probably 20 or so Giants shown - the most I've seen since Crossroads '11, and the BB placed was a very nice black K by a man by the name of Cliff Calhoun. The bird was NOT the largest K shown, which I was surprised to see...seems like "biggest is best" in this breed. Anyway, his bird was lovely, and after many months of communications, I talked him into some hatching eggs, which are currently in my incubator. My hope is that the cross will produce some very nice offspring, assuming I have something I can use out of the hatch.]

 

[clayb226]

I am just getting into Jersey Giants, so I will keep an eye on this thread. Sorry for putting a cheezy little post up, but could not find a different way to subscribe to the thread.

 

[Wynette]

I do have one more picture of one of my hens that shows the lovely underline - I hesitated to post this picture earlier, as the angle she's standing at makes it appear that she has a "U" shaped, short back, which she does not. But, it is a nice example of the underline:

 

[Wynette]

I'm not sure how to post a PDF, but I have this wonderful and interesting article on the history of the Giant copied from the March, 1924 edition of Pultry Tribune. There are several articles (inlcuding one on how to judge them) from that issue that are just so interesting...but I thought I'd put a link here for the first one - if anyone's interested in the others, please say the word:

 

[Wynette]

 

[ChickenChatten]

I don't know anyway else to subscribe too, but this thread is very cool! I have half a dozen White Jerseys of my own

 

[JoshU]

Just hit the subscribe button up above the posts under the name of the thread.

 

[kimmie6067]

Hi Wynette! I still have Big Blue (BB) and the hen you gave me, she went broody so I let her hatch some eggs plus I put some chicks under her, she is a wonderful mom. She has 7 chicks she is raising, not one a Jersey though, darn. I would love to get some more JG's. Whats this MSU talk about?

Kimmie

 

[normanack]

I thought it might be interesting to include a hatchery Black Jersey Giant for comparison. Disregard if it isn't helpful.

this hen is 12 months old. The rooster did a number on her saddle feathers right at the junction with her tail, so you'll have to smooth out that line in your head. She is the same size as my other hatchery hens (Buff Orpington, Wyandotte, etc.) though maybe a little deeper in the body.

the first picture is a straight-on side view. I tried to minimize the distracting hen in the background by grayling it out.



The second picture is another side view, with her front tilted a little toward me (sorry about that).



And shots of her head and feet.





I'm too much of a novice to see much, but my call is that her back is a little longer and flatter than my other hens, that she has a slight suggestion of a bowl shape, that her feet are well-colored, and that she's too small. I've never seen a proper Jersey Giant except in pictures.

Thanks all for this thread.