Chicken Breed Focus - Jersey Giant

[junebuggena]

Trade ya! Except you are too far away. I'm pretty convinced the 2 "Black Australorps" I got from Meyer (hatched June 8) are Jersey Giants given their VERY yellow feet. Not a breed I wanted at all. We don't eat the chickens so their "roasting size" will be nothing but a food burner disadvantage in the winter when they can't forage and they aren't likely to lay as well as BAs do - in general. My big BA isn't a great layer but her "sister" is my BEST layer, closely followed by an EE. Hopefully I will be happily surprised and being hatchery chicks they won't get HUGE and will lay better than I expect.


I don't think any chicken likes "high noon" heat. My adult hens range in color from red splash to brown to black and white to all black. All of mine, including the 2 Cubalayas (if not obvious from the name, they originated in Cuba) and the Anconas, also "warm climate" birds, hide from the mid day sun. They will be in the barn or under a tree, lilac bush or the deck but NONE of them will be wandering around away from shade.

My hatchery Giant was supposed to be an Australorp. She's smaller then my Australorps and Barred Rocks, but was laying before the Australorps. She lays a large brown egg almost every day. She doesn't eat a ton and is a good forager.

 

[Meadcrafter]

First let me introduce myself. My name is Martin Mclean and I live in the Tennessee Valley near the Hiwassee and Tennessee Rivers. I am new to BYC and to Jersey Giants.

Next let me introduce my flock

.

Batch 1 From E-Fowl Blacks & Whites Taken on 5-21-15



Batch 2 From Taylor Hobby Farms Taken 6-16-15



Blacks & Whites From Batch 1 Taken 7-3-15


Whites Taken 8-2-15


Blacks Taken 8-2-15


Blue Taken 8-2-15

 

[GitaBooks]

Those are nice looking birds, Meadcrafter.

 

[trishreed79]

Just found out that 12 of my 30 hens have pink bottom feet and three have a kind of blue/grey on their bottom feet not yellow ugh like they should so I called the Hatchery and they want me to send them some pictures of the feet.They said if they are not JG that they will ship me out what I paid for free of charge which is a good thing but my girls are over 2 months old now so thats more time raising more chicks and having to rehome the others.

 

[junebuggena]

If the feet are pink/grey they are Australorps. Australorps are very mellow birds that produce a ton of large brown eggs. My hatchery Australorp hens are bigger than my Giant.

 

[trishreed79]

I may just keep them then thanks lol

 

[junebuggena]

Most hatcheries seem to think that black Australorps are the same thing as Black Jersey Giants. There is very little difference in hatchery stock between the two breeds.

 

[bruceha2000]

First let me introduce myself. My name is Martin Mclean and I live in the Tennessee Valley near the Hiwassee and Tennessee Rivers. I am new to BYC and to Jersey Giants.

Next let me introduce my flock


Batch 1 From E-Fowl Blacks & Whites Taken on 5-21-15



Batch 2 From Taylor Hobby Farms Taken 6-16-15



Blacks & Whites From Batch 1 Taken 7-3-15


Whites Taken 8-2-15


Blacks Taken 8-2-15

!!!!!

Looks like your batch 1 is about 19-20 days older than my chicks. 8 weeks old today and now look more like small chickens than chicks!
Yours are straight run I hope because it looks like 3 black and 1 white cockerel in the pictures from yesterday.

And I just noticed there is a bit of the bottom of a foot in the last picture I left in. Are you sure you didn't get someone's Australorps? That foot bottom looks awfully NOT yellow.

 

[trishreed79]

I was wanting to breed just JG but I may just set off an area for the others and just keep them for the eggs. I wonder what the size would be if I covered them with my big JG roo...hmm

 

[junebuggena]

Hatchery sourced Giants do not come close to being the size of Giants bred to the breed standard. The chicks may grow a bit larger, but the white skin of the Australorp is dominant. That would be a big problem if you want to breed according to the breed standard. If you just want a flock of big, black chickens, then the Australorps are a good choice.

I was wanting to breed just JG but I may just set off an area for the others and just keep them for the eggs. I wonder what the size would be if I covered them with my big JG roo...hmm