The Jersey Giant is a breed of chicken which originated in the United States in the late 19th century. They were created by John and Thomas Black. The breed was created with the intent to replace the turkey as the kind of poultry used primarily for meat at that time. Named for their state of origin (New Jersey) and their large size, Jersey Giants are the largest chicken breed. Cocks average 13 lbs. and hens 11 lbs.
The Black Jersey Giant was pronounced a breed in 1922 by the American Standard of Perfection. They were produced by crossing Black Javas, Black Langshans, and Dark Brahmas. White Jersey Giants arrived many years later in the year 1947. Black Jersey Giants are on average a pound heavier than White Jersey Giants. For a time, they were raised as capons and as broilers by the meat industry. They grow much slower than today's more common meat birds, and are thus not widely used in the industry.
In Europe the breed fell out of favour to such an extent that they nearly became extinct, however in the mid 1980s a breeder in the UK, Sam Hay of Shropshire located the last surviving trio and decided to save them. He built up his stock but they were suffering the ill effects of inbreeding. He was very fortunate to find that Dutch chicken breeder Jaap Beekman had the last few Jersey Giants in The Netherlands. The two were able to share stock and reintroduce the breed to both countries. Within a few years Jersey Giants were regular winners at rare breed poultry shows.
Jersey Giants went extinct in Australia in the 1950s, only a few decades after they were introduced to that country.
Jersey Giants lay extra large brown to dark brown eggs, and lay fairly well for being a large breed. There is a newer color variation known as the Blue Jersey Giant. Jersey Giants are extremely friendly and are good with pets and people. The cocks are rarely aggressive
Next one to post likes chickens
AChat Forum
