Jersey Giant

Historical Origin

USA · 🇺🇸 American

The Jersey Giant is the largest purebred chicken in the United States, developed in New Jersey in the 1870s as an alternative to turkey. Despite their massive size they have a calm, gentle temperament and lay extra-large brown eggs. They are slow to mature but make an impressive centerpiece of any heritage flock.

Temperament & Behavior

This breed is classified as docile with a noise level of moderate and poor foraging ability. Broodiness tendency: rarely.

Biological Reference

"Phenotypic analysis of Gallus gallus domesticus (Jersey Giant) supports a metabolic feed efficiency of 0.35 lbs/day at a standard body mass of 10 lbs. Egg production frequency approximates 3.5 ova/week under optimal lighting conditions (14h photoperiod)."