Black Jersey Giant thread!!!!!

[amyandkids]

oh my! I don't think I'd have room for that many! We have already decided when I get them and they reach 6 months we are gonna put a lot of the birds we already have in freezer camp. Now to decide witch of my 28 birds are my least favorite,

! Who knows, I could end up keeping 28 that I already have, 15 giants, and ill be filling my bators with eggs to hatch about march 1st! Another victim of good old chicken math! I may have to just build a new chicken house to fit 200 chickens

!!

 

[rottnwarrior]

Hahaha funny how that happens isn't it?! I've got my 16, and I've been talking about building another coop for meat birds and maybe throwing some leghorns in the mix lol. Your birds are going to be prancing around looking pretty not knowing you're only looking at them trying to decide who's juiciest!!

 

[amyandkids]

I wonder if all mt.healthy chickens are "true to size"? All the ones I have from Meyers are pretty small! Also wonder if any other hatchery has had true to size giants? I'm also gonna get hatching eggs from wynette, she has blue and splash, I will have beautiful chickens strutting there stuff in my yard!

 

[rottnwarrior]

The more info I read about hatcheries the more I wonder too. Starting to think I may have just lucked out. I'd like to find a show of some sort or something so I can go see with my own eyes a size comparison. Gonna feel dumb if I say it's huge and it turns out to be tiny haha. I think I'm going to save my biggest ones and breed them because of what I read about hatcheries. You will have a moving garden of chickens. That would be great. The thought crosses my mind to get a couple fancy chicks just cause haha.

 

[amyandkids]

O.K. I ordered my chickens yesterday

!!! got my fingers crossed they will be good size

, it was funny I told my husband today I ordered them and his face dropped and said "I ordered them for you last night, what are you gonna do with 30 giant chickens?" OH MY GOSH

!!! He told me 20 minutes later he was just joking, not funny

!but my new babies will be here end of February!

 

[rottnwarrior]

Hahaha wouldn't that have been something?! Imagine all them monsters running around. That's great. I can't wait til I have little ones again. My roo finally got a hen to do the deed yesterday so with any luck the laying will begin soon.

 

[Anna6]

We have a 5 month old Black Jersey giant roo over 5 hens. The hens are 3 Buff Orpingtons, 1 Australop and one mut.

Originally we had 3 roos. We bought them from some one who had bought 5 chicks from the feed store and was told they were all pullet run. All of his turned into roosters.

We ended up eating two of them at about 4 1/2 months old. I really recommend waiting with butchering as they had not at all filled out yet even though they were big. They tasted OK. I did not like them as much as rhode Island Red Roos or others I have had. The meat seemed to have a lot of "jello" and was slippery. Maybe the meat would be better as they are older. For now I think this roo might be part of Thanksgiving meal. He should be plenty of big by then. Anyone else eating the Black Jersey Giants? Oh the big black feet made an savory broth and lots of it.

As for the roos themselves they are great. He does his roo job dutifully and frequently and has a nice low crow. My kids play in the back yard with the chickens there and have no problems with him.

I wouldn't mind finding some hens to go with him. I did read that they are not very good at hatching their own eggs and that they can crush the egg because of the weight. Any experience with this?

This has kept me from them plus I was not impressed with the texture of their meat. If I could find hens in the San Diego area I might keep him because he is very sweet and they sure are beautiful. I would love to see an egg from a BJG roo and hen.

 

[amyandkids]

I plan on breeding and eating them! Although it wont be for quite some time as I will get day olds march 1st! I like to butcher after 6 months old, I don't like them when they r younger than that!

 

[Anna6]

I plan on breeding and eating them! Although it wont be for quite some time as I will get day olds march 1st! I like to butcher after 6 months old, I don't like them when they r younger than that!

Our chicken coop is taking some time and in the mean time they are all hanging out in the back yard. for awhile there I had a gander too. I figured all I am doing is feeding them. I did not know till after I butchered them that I should have waited some. Oh well. Live and learn.

 

[amyandkids]

exactly, we made the same mistake when we started with chickens! But to each his own, a lot of folks don't like eating chicken after a specific age. I like the flavor they have at an older age and the texture I like better, just my opinion!