Jersey Giants thread for pictures and discussion

[czoellner]

Good Morning to the JG group! I'm new to this forum and have a couple questions if anyone has any input. I have adult black sex links and Dominique's. I was wanting to add a large breed bird to my flock. Someone near me has 1 week old chicks. They are BJG hens x Brahma too. I am just looking to add to my backyard flock, not show. How would this cross typically look, act, produce?


Any info is welcome.

Jerseys were created using Brahmas Langshans and Javas supposedly.  The thing to watch out for when mixing significantly different breeds like black sex links with a Jersey is for example you could wind up with a 14 pound bird with thin legs which would result effectively in a lame chicken.  There is a reason certain attributes like super thick strong legs are common to a bird capable of going up to 20 pounds.  They evolved that way.  When we mix we have the potential to create many failed combinations that were "bred out" of the successful parent breed.  If you keep that in mind and put our optimism in check when mixing then yes inventing that "baryard mutt mix" bird that nobody ever tried before and having it be amazing is a distinct if very remote possibility.

The cross of BJG hen and Buff Brahma roo, a do you figure they'll be like? The are all black, little bit of yellow on their tummys and lightly feathered feet. Any idea of what an adult might look like?

 

[Johnn]

How long do Jersey Giants live? This is my cockerel George

 

[TheSpiceGirls]

How long do Jersey Giants live? This is my cockerel George

George is FABULOUS!!! Here's hoping he lives to be 100. I only have one JG and she's 3 1/2 years old.

 

[Johnn]

George is FABULOUS!!! Here's hoping he lives to be 100. I only have one JG and she's 3 1/2 years old.

Thanks!

 

[Sherene]

The cross of BJG hen and Buff Brahma roo, a do you figure they'll be like? The are all black, little bit of yellow on their tummys and lightly feathered feet. Any idea of what an adult might look like?

You're not going to get the legs from one and the wings from the other etc etc. Likely, you'll get mostly a bird that will be built to handle whatever size it gets to, and the rest will be the partridge bleeding through (partridge cochins were also used to produce Giants if you read the old late 1800's and early 1900's media and that is part of the red/brown that bleeds through some Giants whose black doesn't completely cover the color) as well as the colors of other feather legged breeds and your buff. Your adults will likely be a variety of mixes, both males and females, so beyond that, the sky is the limit.

 

[Sherene]

How long do Jersey Giants live? This is my cockerel George

It depends on the bloodline, the care & feed, and the climate severity. Some males pass by the time they're 3 years old.......usually in extreme climates with hot (high protein) feed. In the perfect world, he'll live to be 6 to 8 years old.

 

[carnivore]

You're not going to get the legs from one and the wings from the other  etc etc.  Likely, you'll get mostly a bird that will be built to handle whatever size it gets to, and the rest will be the partridge bleeding through (partridge cochins were also used to produce Giants if you read the old late 1800's and early 1900's media and that is part of the red/brown that bleeds through some Giants whose black doesn't completely cover the color) as well as the colors of other feather legged breeds and your buff.  Your adults will likely be a variety of mixes, both males and females, so beyond that, the sky is the limit. 

I never knew Partridge Cochin were in the BJG bloodline. Kind of a coincidence, because my current flock is BJG'S and Partridge Cochins!

 

[Johnn]

It depends on the bloodline, the care & feed, and the climate severity. Some males pass by the time they're 3 years old.......usually in extreme climates with hot (high protein) feed. In the perfect world, he'll live to be 6 to 8 years old.

Thanks for your reply. We live in the UK

 

[czoellner]

You're not going to get the legs from one and the wings from the other  etc etc.  Likely, you'll get mostly a bird that will be built to handle whatever size it gets to, and the rest will be the partridge bleeding through (partridge cochins were also used to produce Giants if you read the old late 1800's and early 1900's media and that is part of the red/brown that bleeds through some Giants whose black doesn't completely cover the color) as well as the colors of other feather legged breeds and your buff.  Your adults will likely be a variety of mixes, both males and females, so beyond that, the sky is the limit. 

I never knew Partridge Cochin were in the BJG bloodline. Kind of a coincidence, because my current flock is BJG'S and Partridge Cochins!

I have a black Cochin hen now. She's very large, actually larger than my barred rock roo. I've never see her with the roo, so I'm wondering if any of my giants (if any are roos) will mate with her. I've thought about about sequestering those two to get some fertile eggs from her, but we really don't have a place for that yet. I read somewhere that chicks can be sexed by eye color??? Light brown male, dark brown female. Not sure if that's true or not.

The giants were 1 week old when I got them, now they are 2 weeks old, I just put 5 five day olds in with them from my hatchings. They were very accepting and gentle with the much smaller ones. That made me quite happy.

As far as the coloring, they are the same as my chicks, black with light yellow bellies. No white on their heads or anywhere else. I've hatched out 50 or so and mine all start out that way, (except the all yellow ones) and I have a HUGE variety of colors on the end product. Just love how they are all so different!

 

[carnivore]

Have no worries about the roo. He'll do a cat if you hold its head.