Jersey Giant Chicken

     The Jersey Giant is a very large breed of Chickens, which originated in New Jersey in America, in the late of the 19^th century. In fact, it’s the world’s largest chicken breed, as some roosters (especially the black variety) may reach a weight of 15 pounds.

     Jersey Giants were developed by crossing multiple heavy chicken breeds like; Javas, Langshans, and Brahmas. The black variety was the first to be developed, following that, the white variety was developed in the mid-20^th Century. The blue laced variety is a more modern introduction, and is the most beautiful of them all.

     Jersey Giants are enormous birds that need more time to reach their full size than that of today’s more common meat birds. Their slow growth rate is a reason why this breed is rare and not widely used in the modern Broiler industry nowadays. However, the Jersey Giant is a practical dual-purpose bird indeed, as it yields plenty of meat, and lays well. The hens lay very large brown eggs (150 – 170 eggs per year), and are known particularly as good winter layers. Jersey hens are also known to go broody, and make great mothers.

     Jersey Giants are hardy, strong and robust birds, that are calm and gentle too. They have single combs, medium-sized wattles, red earlobes, and slate-dark legs. A bantam version is also available for the Jersey Giant.