Our New Flock Giants and Light Brahmas

[troyce04]

We just got in our new flock on Sunday, April 27th. We purchased from Murray McMurray Hatcheries and received 5 Black Jersey Giants, 5 White Jersey Giants and 5 Light Brahmas, oh and 1 mystery chick. They are currently in our brooder. Is anyone here raising a similar flock. We do reside in South NJ, and wanted larger birds to deter predators, a bird who can withstand a cold winter, and a family friendly bird. We intend to make a new coop and run out of my kids wooden playset for the new chicks. My kids are older and don't use the playset. Will be adding pics later when we accomplish said task.
We are not first time Backyard Chicken raisers and also currently have 3 turkeys (meaties) and 1 RIR hen. We do not intend to ever mix the new flock with the turkeys and our older hen. I will try to add pics later of both Flocks.
Thanks for any input!
~Joyce

 

[TwoCrows]

Hello there and welcome to BYC!

Congrats on the new chicks! I have had good luck with Murray McMurray's stock. Sounds like you have a nice group of babies there! If you need any tips and hints on raising your new brood, stop by our learning center for lots of great articles on all the aspects of keeping poultry, including a section on predators....

https://www.backyardchickens.com/atype/1/Learning_Center

And if you want connect with your chicken neighbors to see how they do it, here is the link to your state thread...

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/537/new-jersey

This should get you started. If you have any further questions, feel free to ask. Enjoy this new adventure and welcome to our flock!

 

[cnicho05]

Hello,

I've been raising Rhode Island Red's over the last several years and recently started a new flock consisting of 2 Black Jersey Giants, 4 Rhode Island Red's and 4 Sebright bantams. At first I was concerned regarding how well these larger breeds would mix with the small bantam chickens I had purchased (all are the same age). Surprisingly, they have done perfectly well together.

The Jersey Giant is a wonderful breed when it comes to temperament. The two I own continue to surprise me...yet they don't get around like my other breeds. I mention this because the coop/run that I've built has roosting poles in the main run (about two feet off the ground). As of today, my Jersey Giants are only 15 weeks old and they are too large to use these poles. I've had to lower some to about 6-12 inches to accommodate their larger size.

Lastly, the Jersey Giant's I own consume a LOT more feed then the other breeds I own or have owned. I would estimate they eat about 3 times the feed/per day that my Rhode Island Red's eat. I've read online...that they take an average of 2 additional months before they start laying...and they only lay about 3 eggs per week on average. I have not experienced this myself as my birds are still young but look forward to finding out how they do.

Best of luck...

 

[Kelsie2290]

Hello And Welcome To BYC! Congratulations on your new chicks! Sounds like you will have a nice little flock!
TwoCrows gave you some great links to check out. You might want to check out the Coop/Run design forum, the wooden playsets do convert into nice chicken coops! https://www.backyardchickens.com/f/9/coop-run-design-construction-maintenance and https://www.backyardchickens.com/atype/2/Coops There are some Jersey Giant threads with some Giants from McM ie https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/277387/jersey-giants-thread-for-pictures-and-discussion

 

[sumi]

Welcome to BYC

 

[troyce04]

Thanks you for the words of encouragement and links! I love doing research here! It is nice to be able to look at coop designs and take ideas to use on your own. I really appreciate BackYard Chickens and its members! Thanks again.
~Joyce

 

[gander007]

 

[drumstick diva]