Crossing a Jersey Giant chicken to another heritage chicken like Black Australian Orpington

[judexx]

Hello everyone, i would like to know if what would be the best thing to do if you are raising for a meat production chicken and a good laying chicken. Should i cross the Jersey Giant chicken to the BA. If it is crossed what would be the outcome? Is it good in laying eggs? Because, I've done a research about the Jersey giant that it would lay 150-200 eggs a year

 

[FunClucks]

If you want to try it and see because you already have the chickens on hand, have at it. However, there are chickens out there that are much better at producing both meat and eggs. Jersey giants spend a year growing their frame before they fill out on muscle - for meat birds you want something that fills out with muscle much more quickly - like around 4-6 months at the outside (standard dual purpose birds do this). Meat birds typically are done in 2 months (cornish cross) or 3-4 months (slow growing broilers). Taking one year to put on meat is ridiculously expensive, IMO.

For eggs, you want something like the white leghorn, that lays about 340 eggs/yr or there's a number of production brown egg laying hens (ISA Brown, Red Star) that lay slightly less, but still excellently. Generally when you try and create something great at both meat and eggs, you end up with something in the middle, known as a dual purpose bird. If you want a meat bird that lays a decent amount of eggs, there are several choices - New Hampshires from Freedom Ranger hatchery is one I've been meaning to try.

Black australorps alone are known to lay a good amount of eggs - you may be happier just raising them instead of putting jersey giant into the mix. For meat, Cornish cross are amazingly cheap to purchase as chicks, and to raise (feed per lb of meat grown), and are the most economical birds out there. I get mine from Welp, although almost every hatchery has them.