Jersey Giant experience?

[jgervais]

I just purchased 7 laying chicks and my coop will be done this next week. I have some extra room in the coop and noticed a craigslist ad for jersey giant chicks.
I know these are a little slow to mature (ive heard 6-7 months) - anyone have experience or words of advice/warning if I were to purchase 2 of these as meat birds?

They are listed on the Slow Food Ark of Taste which is what interests me:
http://www.slowfoodusa.org/index.php/programs/details/ark_of_taste/

 

[A.T. Hagan]

My experience with Jersey Giants from several different sources is that they take a year to a year and a half to come to full size.

 

[countrychick14]

I have never raised the roosters. My son wanted some , because he liked the looks of them. They are big birds..obviously. Loved their temperament . They were decent layers, one turned broody. She hid out in our soybean field and would not come in at night. We couldn't catch her. Turns out she had a nest. She came walking out of the bean field with 8 babies. We really enjoy them. I have never butchered them though.

 

[jgervais]

a year plus? wow.
assuming almost everyone just uses the cornish x's?
are there other 'heritage breeds' that mature quickly and are large enough for meat birds?

 

[ChickenAlgebra]

Yeah, our JGs are a) incredibly sweet, docile birds - b) take FOREVER to reach adult size, our top roo took 2 years to reach his size

Said roo easily is over 10 pounds, but my little girls (6 and 3) put doll clothes on him, push him in stollers, rock him in the doll cradle, etc and he thinks it's all wonderful a million times over. I have no worries about his behavior, he may be the top roo in the JG flock, but he's a lower roo in the whole flock. Our bantam Cochin roos are the top roos overall. People do not get why the girls don't get to hold the banty roos, but I let them carry the MASSIVE roo around.

Heritage breeds in general take at least 6 months to mature fully. So none are as fast as CX at all.

 

[jgervais]

Quote:
I LOVE this!!! This makes me want to just add a few to the flock regardless of their destiny! Thanks for sharing that!

 

[Illia]

Now I've no experience with hatchery/production type Jersey Giants, which I assume is a majority of them, but I can say that with the rest of the JG's out there - If don't want to wait a year or more for them to fill out fully, you can still cull them at the normal 4-6 months of age. They have more meat than your average production bred rooster, but not as much as you'd hope for when thinking of Jersey Giants. Because they add on their height and bone first, then meat later - You basically get carcasses with very tall, deep set breasts, but the meat itself is rather shallow. It's basically like taking a normal chicken breast and stretching it.

ETA - the texture and flavor was not my favorite.

 

[ChickenAlgebra]

Jay was handled from the second he was dry, which helped. Also, he was the nicest to his ladies, generous with treats to a fault, great guard, and likes people. Jay had a hatchmate who was nicer to standard, but not half as nice. He went to camp.

 

[hudsonnascarfan]

ive got 7 jersey giant pullets and 1 rooster i know that they take up to 2 years to get up to full size but im looking at them as laying birds first and maybe down the road maybe a stewing bird but i really like these birds id really like to try to build my flock of these big birds up so that if i ever do want to have to cook them ill have something that will feed us a few days but i was reading that to caponize them would make for a better eating and bigger bird was thinking that might be something to think about doing also but i my self dont like the idea of the cornishx or the freedon rangers and like the idea of a dp bird myself just have to forget everything you know about cooking store chickens and slow cooking is always better with anything that might be chewy id try the oven with a stuffed bird at 300 for at least 6 hrs wraped or covered just like slow cooking a turkey might work out pretty good or simmer it all day for a chiicken stew

 

[deanawo]

The ones I bought as day olds on March 3 are plenty big enough to eat today, June 16. The roos are bigger than my 2 year old RIR roo. They are the most pleasant chickens ever! Loved how quiet they were as chicks, and i can still pick up and carry any of them around if I wish. I have 5 roosters in the same pen and have yet to see a fight. That may be due to the young age though.