black jersey giants

[lorihadams]

Anyone eat their black jersey giants? What age do you slaughter them?

 

[Leah and peeps]

I dont know if you can eat them, but why not?

 

[deb1]

They used to be raised to be capons, if I am not mistaken. I know that they have a long time until they reach maturity, so I am not certain if modern taste buds would appreciate their flavor. After all, we are used to a more mushy bird then our great grandparents were.

 

[Leah and peeps]

LOL, so they are preferebly not meat birds?

 

[jaku]

Well, no birds other than hybrid broilers are "preferred" as meat birds, but you can eat them all, and they all taste like chicken!

 

[Southerngirl]

The Giants grow their frame the first year and do not start to really put on their weight until the 2nd year. They are huge. I have not processed any of ours because I am trying to get my breeder population going, but if I do I will sure post it .

 

[dun chick]

You can use your giants as meatbirds. I only have a few now, but you can slaughter them but around 9months of age since they are slow growers. These birds take about 18months to be fully grown.

 

[nicalandia]

I would use the fastest Growing Female Broiler chick I could get my hand and then feed restrict her till she reach maturity and then breed her with the largest BGJ.....that mix will yeild a very large frame Meat bird with Decent growth and large Breast meat....but hey its just me thinking outloud

 

[Junkmanme]

I am (at this point in time) planning to get a couple of Black Giant roosters to breed to my "Black Sex-Link" hens.

The excess roosters from this cross I plan to butcher for "meat-birds".

Because of the length of time involved in breeding, and the reputed "slow-growth" of the Black Giants, I do not expect to have any of these for meat birds before about this time of year in 2011.

IF I'm still alive at that time AND able to REMEMBER, I'll let you know how they turned out as "dinner-fare".

Stick around. It might be worthwhile!

-Junkmanme-

 

[bigchickenman]

I have culled and eaten some of my extra BJG roosters in the past and I usually wait till they are between 10months and 1 yr.to let them get plenty of meat on there bones.They really do make a very nice pot of chicken and dumplings.