We got our first Black Giants from McMurray on June 24th, 2008. We had 5 hens and two roosters, but we sold one rooster and one of the hens disappeared a couple of weeks ago. Even though we have had them almost a year now, the jury is still out on them. I really like our rooster, Abe Lincoln, and the hens are nice. The jury (me) is still concerned about their body size and egg size. They are supposed to be the largest chicken breed, but ours have not been any larger than the Buff Orpingtons or Light Brahmas. They may even be a bit smaller than some of those others. Some of my Black Australorps are also as big or bigger than the Giants, and it is very hard to tell them apart from each other. Their eggs are also medium to small, but I was hoping for larger eggs.
We have hatched 6 eggs from the Black Giant hens. Three chicks are all black, and three are crossed with the Buff Orpington and are black and buff. The chicks are all very pretty. Perhaps they will grow to the extra-large size? We also just set 5Buff Orpington eggs under a broody Black Giant hen, so maybe we will get to see what kind of mama hens they will be.
Here is what McMurray has to say about them:
This is the original Jersey Giant developed in New Jersey in the late 19th century by crossing several of the large, dark Asiatic breeds. It is a super heavy bird even a little larger than the whites. Its black plumage has a beautiful green sheen, the eyes are dark brown, shanks and toes are black except for yellow skin showing on the bottoms of the feet. With the straight red comb and tremendous size it makes an unusually handsome variety for exhibition. Hens are good layers of brown eggs and especially persistent through cold weather. Baby chicks are mostly black but do show creamy patches on the underbody, wing tips, and around the face. The white persists in the plumage until final molt of chick feathers takes place.
http://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/product/black_giants.html
Here is some interesting info from the American Livestock Breeds Conservatory:
Jersey Giant Chicken
The Jersey Giant chicken was developed between 1870 and 1890 by John and Thomas Black in Burlington County, near the town of Jobstown, New Jersey. As its name implies, these typically mellow chickens are impressive in size with mature roosters weighing 13 pounds and the mature hens weighing 10 pounds, making them the largest purebred chicken breed.
The original intention of the Black brothers was to create a chicken that could potentially replace the turkey as a premium table bird. During the breed’s development, Black Javas, Black Langshans, and Dark Brahmas were used to try and reach this objective. Around 1895 the term “Giant” was used in reference to the breed, and they became known as “Black Giants” in honor of their creators (not because of their color.) The name was later changed to “Jersey Giant” by Dexter P. Upham of Belmar, New Jersey, in honor of the state of origin. Mr. Upham was an early breeder interested in improving Black Giants. In 1921, the American Association of Jersey Black Giant Breeders Clubs was created and the name “Jersey Giant” was officially adopted for the breed by the group. The standard developed for the birds included a gigantic frame, single comb, yellow skin color, relatively rapid maturity, good vigor, and fine foraging ability. The Jersey Giant was recognized by the American Poultry Association (APA) in 1922. Today Jersey Giants are accepted in the APA Standard of Perfection in three color varieties – black, white, or blue.
Jersey Giants are dual purpose chickens, but they excel as a meat bird with their great body size. They are well-suited to producing very fine and large capons. The young birds grow relatively quickly but take time to fill out their hefty frame to produce a marketable bird – most take up to 8–9 months to reach a harvestable size with good body proportions. They are an excellent roasting bird when fully mature.
Concerning egg production, the hens of this breed tend to lay more eggs than those of other heavy breeds. Their eggs are extra large in size with color varying from dark brown to light cream. When incubating eggs, the Jersey Giant breed sometimes takes 1–2 days longer to hatch than most chicken breeds.
Status: Watch
http://www.albc-usa.org/cpl/jerseygiant.html.
I will end this post with a picture of our Abe Lincoln. He is a beutiful bird! This picture does not do him justice, but at least you can get an idea:
(I will try to get a better picture of him someday)
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