Jersey giant chicken breed: description and characteristics, cultivation, weight and egg production

Among the wide variety of chicken breeds, the Jersey Giant is distinguished by a number of features. When planning the breeding of this breed, it is recommended to familiarize yourself with the main characteristics, nuances of breeding and keeping.

Origin story

The Jersey breed was first bred in New Jersey just under a hundred years ago. The first chickens bred as a result of breeding research were black. Subsequently, the chickens were brought to Britain, where work was carried out on the genetic fixation of other colors. Over time, giant chickens spread throughout the world, differing from each other in appearance.

Description and characteristics of chickens Jersey Giant

According to the name of this breed, chickens are among the heavy fleshy birds. Distinctive characteristics of the Jersey Giants are muscularity and intensity of muscle mass formation.

Appearance and varieties

Jersey giant roosters have a large and broad head with a straight comb divided into pointed teeth. The beak is short, strong, curved. The eyes are round and protruding, dark brown.

The body of the birds is wide, the back and chest are set horizontally. The wings are medium in size and close to the body.

Bird Character

The Jersey breed has a calm and accommodating character, despite the fact that it has fighting cocks in its pedigree. The breed is not characterized by aggressive behavior and attacks on other birds and people.

Productivity

A feature of giant chickens is early egg-laying, which occurs from the age of 7 months. The egg production rate reaches about 180 pieces. The eggs laid have a dense brown shell, weighing from 55 g with an increase to 62 g.

Main positives and negatives

Compared to other breeds, the Jersey Giant has a number of advantages and disadvantages. Positives include:

• undemanding to containment conditions;
• calm character;
• active growth and early laying;
• developed incubation instinct;
• high percentage of meat yield.

The list of the main disadvantages of giant chickens includes:

• prone to obesity;
• the need for a large space for walking;
• deterioration in palatability of poultry over one year of age.

Nuances of keeping the breed

To ensure maximum productivity of chickens, you need to create favorable conditions for their maintenance. The Jersey Giant breed does not have specific requirements for environmental conditions, so the process will not be difficult.

Chicken coop and paddock

Giant chickens are able to adapt to being kept in cramped chicken coops, but this will affect their he alth. It is recommended to equip a spacious chicken coop with constantly running ventilation, which will remove accumulations of ammonia released during the decomposition of bird droppings. Soft bedding should be placed under the perch to prevent injury to the birds.

You can build enclosures for walking chickens. The optimal free space per hen is 0.5-1 m. Due to its large mass and large size, the Jersey breed does not fly, but it is recommended to stretch a high net around the enclosure so that smaller breeds cannot penetrate into the neighboring enclosure.

Winter conditions

Giant breed chickens can easily endure even cold winters, but the temperature inside the chicken coop must be maintained above +5 degrees. A suitable temperature indicator is +10 degrees. Sawdust or straw should be scattered on the floor of the chicken coop for additional insulation.

The scallop is a vulnerable spot in Jersey birds in winter. At zero temperatures and below, there is a possibility of damage to the scallop, therefore, when cold weather sets in, it is recommended to keep animals exclusively in insulated rooms.

Egg break and molting

Under favorable conditions, chickens regularly lay eggs for 3 years. Obese birds develop egg production problems, resulting in a drop in egg quantity and quality in their second year.

Shedding chickens is a natural process that involves the change of plumage with the onset of autumn. Molting occurs gradually and lasts about two months, simultaneously with a decrease in daylight hours. During this process, the hens do not lay eggs. After the completion of the change of plumage, egg production is restored and continues until the onset of the next autumn.

Diet

The composition of the diet for the Jersey Giant breed is the same as for other breeds and includes:

• 40% corn;
• 40% wheat;
• 20% other supplements (vitamins, cake, shell rock, chalk).

Chalk should be used as an additive to the main diet and should not be used as a substitute for shell rock. Otherwise, the chalk will form lumps in the intestines and clog the gastrointestinal tract.

As an alternative diet, you can use ready-made feed. It should be borne in mind that most complex feeds are intended for egg breeds of chickens, and the main purpose of nutrition is to stimulate egg production. Feeding is carried out 2-3 times a day. With the onset of winter, the diet can be expanded to include greens and chopped vegetables.

Chickens

Special attention should be paid to the process of feeding chickens at an early stage of development. Chickens grow actively in the presence of nutrients in the feed. The intensive development of chickens requires the presence of vitamin supplements, a sufficient amount of protein and calcium-containing products.Proper nutrition also helps reduce the risk of disease.

Teenagers

After three months of life, chickens are transferred to a new diet. Chickens raised for meat are heavily fed protein to be ready for slaughter by five months.

Simultaneously with the change in nutrition, the growing individuals are transferred to an adult chicken coop. While walking, the birds hunt worms and other insects on their own.

The basic diet should include calcium-containing foods so that chickens form a strong skeleton. Also, the presence of calcium in the diet will allow you to carry eggs with a strong shell.

Layers

Before laying eggs, you need to pay close attention to laying hens. In order to obtain high-quality eggs, overfeeding and obesity of birds should not be allowed. 2 months before laying eggs, the diet for laying hens is reduced.In the summer, to simplify the selection of the diet, you can let the chickens out on the grass so that they feed on insects on their own.

Subtleties of breeding

When planning to breed Jersey Giants, it is worth considering that it is cheaper and easier to purchase hatching eggs. You should buy them on specialized farms from professional breeders.

What causes the Jersey Giants to get sick

Violation of the nutritious diet and unfavorable living conditions lead to illnesses in chickens. Jersey Giants have several common he alth conditions.

Infectious diseases

The Jersey Giant breed is resistant to diseases, but in some cases it is infected with mycoplasmosis. Antibiotics and anti-worm drugs should be used to prevent infection. The development of infection in the absence of control causes damage to the respiratory organs and can lead to the death of individuals.

You can treat chickens with Enroxil, Farmazin and Tilmikovet antibiotics by mixing drugs into food or drinking bowls with water. To reduce the risk of infection with mycoplasmosis, you need to keep the chicken coop clean, regularly update the litter and carry out disinfection activities.

Parasite

When kept in open enclosures, birds can be attacked by a variety of parasites, including fleas, ticks, and mites. As a preventive measure and to combat parasites, it is necessary to organize baths of wood ash and sand for chickens. The components are mixed in equal proportions in a trough, making a layer 20 cm high.

Diseases in young animals

Chicken diseases often result from hypothermia or poisoning. In the first couple of months of development, individuals need special conditions, and the negative impact affects the developing organism.

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