Chicken Breed Focus - Jersey Giant

[bruceha2000]

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.

I expect I would be in the same boat. Mine are clearly JG based on foot color but finding a home for them, or even just keeping them and getting 2 replacement day old BAs wouldn't work all that well. As it is I have 2 of my 9 hens out of commission mothering the 7 chicks, 1 in the broody buster, 2 moulting and 2 "yard art" which leaves only 2 laying. I don't know how long the "mothers" will stay out of the laying business but I would not want to extend that. Of course, given the time of year, with my luck they will finish mothering just in time to moult and be off the nest another 2 - 6 months depending on the hen.

 

[trishreed79]

My JG roos are from a breeder but my girls are hatchery. The Roos are from Maria's Jersey Giants. I wanted the JG for their dual purpose but also because my daughter is very scared of chickens and they are so sweet.

 

[trishreed79]

I expect I would be in the same boat. Mine are clearly JG based on foot color but finding a home for them, or even just keeping them and getting 2 replacement day old BAs wouldn't work all that well. As it is I have 2 of my 9 hens out of commission mothering the 7 chicks, 1 in the broody buster, 2 moulting and 2 "yard art" which leaves only 2 laying. I don't know how long the "mothers" will stay out of the laying business but I would not want to extend that. Of course, given the time of year, with my luck they will finish mothering just in time to moult and be off the nest another 2 - 6 months depending on the hen.

oh wow wish we where closer I would just trade you lol. Mine are not laying as of yet they are just over two months old.

 

[bruceha2000]

My JG roos are from a breeder but my girls are hatchery. The Roos are from Maria's Jersey Giants. I wanted the JG for their dual purpose but also because my daughter is very scared of chickens and they are so sweet.

My BA that is mothering is HUGE, probably in the lower range of JGs. She is a bit standoffish (is that a word?) but in no way mean. The other is my "non chicken". She squeals, bugles, whistles, crows and lays eggs. She is the first to come running for the potential of FOOD. I suspect your daughter will find the BAs every bit as docile as the JGs are reported to be.

 

[bruceha2000]

oh wow wish we where closer I would just trade you lol. Mine are not laying as of yet they are just over two months old.

Mine are the same age but I only have 2, you would still have 10 BAs to deal with

I am going with the plan that says my 2 JGs:

• will be on the smaller side of SOP
• they will be good layers even in winter (though only 1 of my BAs lays in winter)
• they will still be good layers out in year 4 & 5
• they won't eat me out of barn and "farm" through the winter

Though I might tell Meyer they REALLY need to clean up their process if they can't tell a BA chick from a JG chick. It isn't like they are a small backyard flock selling a few spare chicks now and then.

 

[trishreed79]

omg right I got mine from Mt Healthy in Ohio. The lady that I spoke to was nice and promised to rectify the problem. Just have to wait sooooo long for them to mature ugh. The BA's I have seem very easy going and my 16 yr old daughter does pet them if someone is holding them and they don't look at her. She will not pick them up or hand feed them yet but we are working on that. And I do think standoffish is a word but not sure

. If its not then it should be lol.

 

[bruceha2000]

If it matters, not one of my chickens wants to be petted. The 3 year olds were raised in a bathtub in the house the first 3 weeks and handled some. The last time I handled the 7 new ones was when I put them in a cardboard box at 4 days old and stuffed them under my broody BIG BA. They don't want to be touched or picked up and when I tried to rescue one that was trapped in a curl of wire fence (the "gate") she put up a HUGE screaming fuss and Zorra flogged everything around to protect "her" baby even though she was 30' away and wasn't aware one of the chicks missed a turn following her.

All but my 3 Y/O EE will eat out of my hand, the chicks are learning that because they see "mom" eating and they want some too. I have no idea if they would eat out of my hand if she were not there doing it because she is ALWAYS around watching and teaching and she won't miss out on Black Oil Sunflower Seed (BOSS). My 22 Y/O daughter won't hand feed the Anconas because they hit the food and therefore the hand, pretty hard.

BAs have the most soulful dark eyes, not demonic orange like the Anconas. I can't imagine them being scary at all.

 

[trishreed79]

Mine love to be petted and picked up. I have a few that will jump up on my lap and take a nap lol. It never fails if I go out back to sit on the porch I have 4 or 5 trying to roost on my lap and sometimes they will jump up on my shoulders.

 

[Meadcrafter]

Can anyone tell me if the purple sheen on black Giants from a Black/Blue/Splash hatching is due to the "Blue" mating?

 

[GitaBooks]

Can anyone tell me if the purple sheen on black Giants from a Black/Blue/Splash hatching is due to the "Blue" mating?

Where did you buy them from? If its hatchery quality then it may just be the purple sheen is normal. My black cochin has a purple sheen.