Jersey Giant Growth Rate

[protodon]

Has anyone noticed if Jersey Giant growth rate is exceptionally slow compared to other chickens? I have 3 that hatched a week after some of my crosses. I have buff orpington/ EE crosses for the most part. These birds are huge compared to the Jersey Giants and as I said htey are onyl a week part. The jersey Giants still look like they just hatched. I hatched an EE/Buff orpingotn cross at the same time as the Jersey Giants and it is bigger than all of them. I knew they too ka long time to reach mature weight but I figured as chicks their growth were be a little more rapid. Or maybe I am just used ot hatching so many crosses and they would ten d ot grow faster than purebreds anyway?

 

[chickenma]

My jersey giant is huge.
Even as a chick she was bigger then the rest.
She is almost laying and she is bigger them most of my mature standard hens.
Did she came from your own flock or did you buy the eggs from someone?

chicks from my own flock are bigger and stronger then the hatcheries birds.

 

[protodon]

I bought them from someone on ebay. I have no doubt they have good stock. NPIP and everything. The eggs were huge compared to eggs for my own flock so I thought these chicks would be huge too but I swear one looks like it just hatched yesterday. I see them eating and drinking. Maybe they will surprise me in the next week...

 

[PeepsInc]

I dont know first hand,but I read they grow very slow. Also that the Roo's take 2 years to reach full maturity. That's why they don't use them in the commercial industry.

 

[kathyinmo]

Yes, they grow very slowly. It does take over a year to get their growth, and at 2 years are considered full grown. I have some, growing out, in with other breeds, and there really is not alot of difference noticable at 5 months old.

 

[Sugar Sand Farm]

My giants are growing up very fast. They are 20 weeks old and the pullets are as large as full grown hens in other breeds. I did notice with this hatch that I now use a much higher percentage protein feed and I think that has something to do with it. The breeder I got them from said to give them extra protein as they grow so much larger. I did with this batch and they are huge. The chick starter I used is 20% and is unmedicated. I really think that has alot to do with the growth rate.

 

[seminolewind]

My three got big pretty quick, but around the age of 2 is when they really bulked up.

 

[Leonard Erdman]

Last year I purchased 10 hens and 10 roosters. After 1 year the dressed weight of 6 of the roosters was 3 to 5 pounds each. Not worth the time or the feed for the meat I got out of them. I have since realized that the 2 year point is the next target date for the chance to get meat from these. So the long term goal... I incubated 39 more for a 2 year run. Next year when I widdle some the the older ones off I will either incubate 30 -40 more or introduce a different large breed to the mix, maybe one that grows a little quicker. Meanwhile they are a great breed and great egg production.

 

[Saigold]

I think a lot depends on the variety of jersey giant breed (genetics) and their upbringing. Most hatchery jersey giants will be the same size as regular chickens as they’re usually cross breed. If you go for purebred, true jersey giants, usually bred by local breeders and not hatcheries, you will prob notice a considerable difference in size. Ours babies were 1.5ths bigger as the other breeds at the same age. We processed 11 roosters at around the 6m mark and got a good amount of meat from them. I weighed the first 4, and we got 32lbs of meat from them. That was dressed weight. Didn’t weigh live. Pretty good for such young birds.

 

[Klutch]

I bought three BJG from tsc and they are bigger than my cuckoo maran / thai mix chicks, even though the thai X are 6 weeks older. They are just as big as my thai pullets.