Jersey Giant Update
It’s been f o u r short months with our meat chickens (Jersey Giants | white) and they are already the size of our Black Sex Link girls if not larger, coming in at about 18-20” tall. They are in what I like to call their “teenage” years and are a bit awkward as far as development goes. Not that they aren’t tall and majestic looking as they are every bit of that but, all fluff and no real weight- YET
They’ll reach full maturity around 20-28 weeks, so it makes sense that they feel so light when we snuggle them. We do things a bit different round’ here as well when it comes to how we keep and feed our birds. When they are set free from their sleeping pen, they are not given feed. I allow them to go half the day foraging for natural foods, then in the afternoon I place down their feeding bucket. The Jersey’s can be a bit lazy if given the opportunity to just sit back and be fed and I for one, feel better eating an animal that was raised primarily on a natural diet. It isn’t in my program to hit weight by putting FAT on them.
Now before I have comments about how no one can afford to feed a bird for 28 weeks or if you are giving this “raising meat” thing a go, you’ve heard that you should grab yourself a broiler like the ever popular Cornish Cross to get feeding costs down and jump on that butcher wagon at 8 weeks. I’ll be the first to tell you that fast, isn’t always the best policy, especially when your heart is in it and you value the life of the animal you’re consuming. I have found many things to align with that statement. As I tell my son, fast isn’t always best (though all things have it’s place in this world).
I go into detail in this video comparing the two and why I chose a bird that grows slow and steady. Also if you have the land, feed costs can be kept down by natural foraging of the bird and fermenting of their feed.
I have become absolutely smitten by these gentle giants.
They allow us to pet and hold them at leisure and have no issues with any of my original chickens. Fox spends time walking with them and kissing on them and though there legs are thick and those spurs so massive, (hello bone broth down the road) I have no issues with aggression nor need to worry about them hurting someone. Health I’ve found also to be a non concern as they all have bright alert eyes and good energy + good looking stools. I would also rate them as a tidy bird as I watch them regularly preen themselves.
So for now they may be a shadow of what they will eventually amount to, but I would choose this breed again without question.
K E Y P O I N T S
Slow to mature, giving ample time to absorb sunlight, affection and a natural / wild diet
Large, thick legs, perfect for keeping after harvest for bone broth
Extra large bodies topping out at 15 + lbs for males 11 + lbs for females baring plenty of meat
Calm, gentle and loving nature
Healthy (no heart or bone issues)
Clean / regularly cares for self + young
