Jersey Giants thread for pictures and discussion

[oldfartfarmer]

Heres my two 1 week old jersey Giants

 

[kellybea73]

CUTE!

 

[OrganicFarmWife]

I am planning on keeping a Jersey Giant for a Rooster, I have 3 potential birds to consider. I am raising them for meat and will cross with other breeds so my heaviest bird is my favorite. However to my untrained eye my heaviest is not my most ideal looking. I am not after a show bird, but a happy healthy medium.
They are currently 6 weeks

This is my heaviest bird. He weighs almost a pound and a half, but his comb looks smaller and nit as red

I have 2 other males, they look nicer to me but weigh about 1.3 pounds.
Sorry about the lousy photos, these birds either forage in tall grass or sprint, which speaks well for their survivability but they are the dickens to photograph. I can continue to try, perhaps tonight in the coop.

 

[cyborg]

Keep the sprinter!

 

[cabinchicky]

Day 20 of incubation, no sounds, moving eggs or pips yet. Fingers crossed I see something soon.

 

[OrganicFarmWife]

Keep the sprinter!

Lol that doesn't help they all sprint. They are all very skittish

 

[cyborg]

Keep the sprinter!

Lol that doesn't help they all sprint. They are all very skittish

Well, I wouldn't start with size, but that is what I'm working on now.
Start with the healthiest bird first, closest to SOP second.
One of my pet peeves is the comb, largely ignored by most people. A JG has an unusual comb, with 6 well defined points, while most breeds have 5. Most hatchery stock has a ragged sawtooth comb with too many or too few points. A white feather is a cull. Bottom of the foot white is a cull, coming from a crossing with an Australorp.
Hatchery stock is usually small and runty compared to what they should be, but they take so long to grow, most people won't realize that until they get to 2 years old or so.
Lots of things to think about, and then there is the unthinkable. What if your rooster dies, and all of a sudden, you don't have a rooster? I always keep at least the best 2 of any breed I'm working with. (I think I have 7 JG roosters right now!)

 

[Beer can]

@OrganicFarmWife From everything I've read on breeding giant's the faster growing bigger meatier birds do not reach the large size potential for the breed. It's the lankier slower growing ones that end up being the largest.

 

[OrganicFarmWife]

Keep the sprinter!

Lol that doesn't help they all sprint. They are all very skittish

Well, I wouldn't start with size, but that is what I'm working on now.
Start with the healthiest bird first, closest to SOP second.
One of my pet peeves is the comb, largely ignored by most people. A JG has an unusual comb, with 6 well defined points, while most breeds have 5. Most hatchery stock has a ragged sawtooth comb with too many or too few points. A white feather is a cull. Bottom of the foot white is a cull, coming from a crossing with an Australorp.
Hatchery stock is usually small and runty compared to what they should be, but they take so long to grow, most people won't realize that until they get to 2 years old or so.
Lots of things to think about, and then there is the unthinkable. What if your rooster dies, and all of a sudden, you don't have a rooster? I always keep at least the best 2 of any breed I'm working with. (I think I have 7 JG roosters right now!)

Thank you, this is informative. I will check my 3 and see which is closest to SOP.
I realize that using hatchery stock has its negatives, but the positive of it is I am using much cheaper birds to figure out exactly what I want to do and learn from it. I have no problem eventually culling my chosen Rooster for a breeders stick, just not now in the beginning of this adventure.
Right now I do not have enough hens to justify more then one rooster. I am currently Roosterless because I had to cull my BR, he started turning mean.
Thanks!

 

[OrganicFarmWife]

@OrganicFarmWife From everything I've read on breeding giant's the faster growing bigger meatier birds do not reach the large size potential for the breed. It's the lankier slower growing ones that end up being the largest.

I have actually heard that too, but I do not know that I want the largest bird. I will be breeding him to Jersey Giants and other dual purpose birds (and maybe a couple hybrids)
Mostly I am playing around with breeds to find several breeds I like for eating. I realize this will give me many different carcasses, but I am ok with that.
I will have several CX for grilling, several medium growing hybrids for frying, and some JG for roasting and soups. I am mostly just playing at this point.