How long do Black Giant Jersey hens lay eggs?

[Annie G]

I bought some Black Giant Jersey hens but I don't know how old they are. Is there any way to tell? And... how long do they lay eggs generally?

 

[CAjerseychick]

I am sad to see no one responded to your post!
Just wanted to say Hi as a fellow Jersey Giant person-- my girls are only 6- 7 months old (2 batches of chicks we raised, 11 survived our inexperience and the dog) so I do not know what to tell you? BUT just wanted to say that I was I bit discouraged by some other posts that seemed to say they were not good layers (one person said her entire flock of White Jerseys died out d/t never laying?!)-- But guess what! I was resigned to not have many eggs, but after putting off cleaning the coop for a couple of weeks I opened it up and my girls had laid 21 eggs!!!! Mid december! At only 5-6 months old!!! (We have a Roo so its only 10 hens)....No special supplementaion, its been snowing the last week or so (melting during the day), no extra light or heat...
They arent leghorns for sure but have been producing a steady 4 eggs daily ever since!
I am impressed! I do give them a fair amount of table scraps, and the high protein puppy chow left over from the dogs' dinner probably helped(?)....
I have read elsewhere that egg production is best for the first year, and slowly drops over the next 4 or 5 years..? But they can keep laying for their entire life span.... (8-10 years?)....
It would be good to hear from someone with more experience/ an older flock of Jersey Giants....
PS one of my hens is smaller and lean and doesnt really have the Jersey Giant shape so I am think I have a Java hen in there laying away, the hatchery chicks were a bit suspect... But they lay well!!!

 

[kari moore]

We bought jersey chicks a year ago. We live in town so we are limited on what we can have. One girl had babies at 6 months old in December. After ridding of the rooster the girls each lay an egg a day. The funny thing is they come onto our porch to our chair & lay their eggs for pickup. They then get their treat

We just love our chickens

 

[MySweetChickies]

My birds were not laying until I started attentively becoming the best bird mom. By that, I mean, keeping the coop clean, offering enough nest boxes, perches, feeding a high quality food that is high in protein, and making sure there's plenty of fresh water and oyster shell available at all times. I periodically dust the coop and run with diatomaceous earth. I have 17 hens and 1 rooster. Two of my hens are older, and I color banded them for identification.

They were young chicks, only 7 months of age. Still, not one egg. I wasn't that bad, but was giving them inexpensive feed, and thought that, because they were young and it was winter, I shouldn't expect eggs. Boy was I wrong. After about 2 weeks, I was getting a few a day, and then by one more month, an average of 10 per day. The shells are perfect, and the eggs are delicious. I have a 20' square run for them, and spread straw often so that bugs can enter the coop and they can enjoy eating the insects. I cannot run them in the yard because of coyotes.

chickens are a lot of work, but a joy to have. The chicken house is about 8 x 8 and I have two long 8' perches for them to roost. I understand that if birds aren't happy, they just won't lay for you.

Good luck! We are all learning!

 

[Degalisto]

I have Jersey Giants..I think 5..mix them up with the Austrolorps. Any how after some issues with cannibalism in the flock they are back to laying regularly..they are 3 or 4 years old. I can tell difference as the Jerseys have darker eggs and bigger too. I like them a lot. They are laying regularly.