A Jersey Giant chicken
Photo: DanielPenfield · CC BY-SA 4.0 · via Wikimedia Commons

Jersey Giant

Dual purpose · United States · 🌱 Beginner friendly

The largest purebred chicken in America, the Jersey Giant was bred in 1870s New Jersey with the ambitious goal of replacing the turkey on the dinner table. Modern keepers love them as calm, imposing yard companions that lay big brown eggs and intimidate hawks by sheer presence.

Eggs per year

150–200

Egg color

Brown

Egg size

Extra large

Hen weight

9–11 lbs

Temperament

Mellow gentle giant

Broodiness

Sometimes broody

❄️ Cold hardy☀️ Needs summer shade

Did you know?

A mature Jersey Giant rooster can weigh 13 to 15 pounds — heavy enough that most predators think twice.

Is the Jersey Giant right for your flock?

Expect roughly 150200 brown eggs a year from a healthy hen in her prime — production dips during molt and the short days of winter, and eases off as she ages. Planning space? A Jersey Giant hen runs 911 lbs, so size the coop with our coop size calculator and estimate the feed bill with the feed cost calculator.

The Jersey Giant shows up in

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Keeping Jersey Giants?

Give every bird a profile in PoultryPal — track their eggs, weight, and life events, and see who's really your best layer.

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