JG Crosses???

[LittleHillFarms]

has anyone crossed Jersey Giants with another breed to get a faster-growing bird? I would like to start selling some of my own meat birds. I am looking to create my own version of the Cornish x with Jersey Giants, of course, nothing that grows as fast as the Cornish x.

 

[Compost King]

From what I read Jersey Giants are not bigger until much later. They are the same size as other birds but grow out over a longer time. I would imagine that is not a good trait for a meat bird. If you speed them up they might not get big. They also grow their frame then fill out. I am just posting here so I can get email updates to see what experienced people say. Maybe someone found a great cross with Jersey Giants that makes a large bird fast. Maybe Crossing them with Cornish X Rock meat hybrids will Swiftly make something massive . I want to experiment with birds to find a great meat bird but I am not going to go with massive large since meat birds are killed long before they grow out fully.

 

[LittleHillFarms]

From what I read Jersey Giants are not bigger until much later. They are the same size as other birds but grow out over a longer time. I would imagine that is not a good trait for a meat bird. If you speed them up they might not get big. They also grow their frame then fill out. I am just posting here so I can get email updates to see what experienced people say. Maybe someone found a great cross with Jersey Giants that makes a large bird fast. Maybe Crossing them with Cornish X Rock meat hybrids will Swiftly make something massive . I want to experiment with birds to find a great meat bird but I am not going to go with massive large since meat birds are killed long before they grow out fully.

JG's are the original meat breed and Cornish x's organs will give out before they reach sexual maturity.

 

[Redhead Rae]

JG's are the original meat breed and Cornish x's organs will give out before they reach sexual maturity.

A lot of them will, but if you watch their feed you can use Cornish X for breeding. @Molpet and @duluthralphie do this.

Personally, I decided to go into heritage Cornish. I have Dark Cornish now and one White Cornish pullet that I'm trying to find a male for.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

JG's were an attempt at a meat bird niche that didn't pan out. If the breed was developed 20 years earlier you'd never see one today. It's that they were developed during a time of conservation of breeds that they still exist today. There is nothing notable about them in regards to meat. If you want a big bird Brahmas have been around for much longer than Jersey Giants. Not a notable meat bird either just a huge bird.

Early fleshing birds like New Hampshire and Dorking are good for meat but small at broiler age. Plymouth Rock, like the Jersey Giant will have large frame but less flesh/breast at broiler age. What the pre-cornishX meat industry use to do is cross Plymouth Rock with New Hampshire to make for good broilers. It's from that practice you'd get white sports. Those were developed into Delaware breed.

 

[Molpet]

as far as keeping cx alive long enough to breed them... exercise and feed them 2x a day for 10-20 min https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...d-super-excited.896158/page-343#post-15477940

I have crossed mixed cx cockerel with bjg ... they were hatchery bjg hens, so not impressive to begin with... cockerels dressed out around 7 lbs at five months