Are Jersey Giants good for showing?

Yes. They're shown in the APA's **American** class in Black, White, and Blue, judged on true size, broad deep type, and clean variety color. Because they mature slowly, show birds are best presented well-grown or as adults rather than rushed.

How hard are Jersey Giants to hatch?

Not difficult, but the eggs are **large-to-extra-large**, so make sure they fit your turner and give chicks room at lockdown. Standard settings apply (about 99.5–100°F, lockdown day 18), though the Livestock Conservancy notes hatches can run a day or two past the usual 21.

How big do Jersey Giants get?

They're the **largest purebred chicken recognized by the APA** — mature roosters around **13–15 lb** and hens around **10–11 lb**, with Black birds often running heavier than White.

Why do Jersey Giants take so long to mature?

The breed was bred for maximum size, so birds build a large skeleton before filling out with muscle — commonly **eight to nine months** to reach full size. Breeders should avoid culling for 'small' too early, since leggy youngsters often finish into excellent large adults.

Are Jersey Giants broody?

Moderately. Some hens do go broody, but because they're so heavy they can crack the large eggs beneath them, so many breeders incubate rather than rely on the hen to hatch a full clutch.

Jersey Giant: The Largest Purebred Chicken

Q: What color eggs do Jersey Giants lay?

**Brown** eggs — usually a pale-to-medium brown, and frequently extra-large thanks to the bird's size. Shade varies between hens, so a flock can run from light tan to warmer brown.

Verified September 2026Brown eggs

The short version

The Jersey Giant is the largest purebred chicken recognized by the APA — mature roosters run about 13–15 lb and hens about 10–11 lb. It lays a brown egg (frequently extra-large) and is shown in the American class in three varieties: Black (recognized 1922), White (1947), and Blue (2003). Developed in New Jersey in the late 1800s as a table bird to rival turkey, it is a slow-maturing breed — the frame outpaces the flesh, so birds need patience to reach full size.

APA class: American

Egg color: Brown

Broodiness: Occasionally broody

Varieties: 3

Egg-color genetics

Jersey Giants lay a brown egg — usually a pale-to-medium brown, and often extra-large given the bird's frame. Brown shells get their color from a protoporphyrin pigment laid down as a coating over a base shell late in the laying cycle; because that layer sits on the surface, the inside of a Jersey Giant shell stays pale. Shade varies bird to bird, so a pen can run from light tan to a warmer brown.

Why Jersey Giants mature so slowly

The Jersey Giant was created in Burlington County, New Jersey, in the late 1800s by crossing large breeds — Black Javas, Black Langshans, and Dark Brahmas among them — to build a table bird big enough to replace turkey. That drive for maximum size left a bird that puts its energy into a large frame first and fills out with meat later, commonly taking eight to nine months to reach harvest size.

For a breeder this is the defining practical trait: you need feed, space, and patience. It also means Jersey Giants are rarely an efficient meat bird by modern standards, and their appeal today is as a heritage breed, a calm dual-purpose bird, and an impressive show and homestead fowl rather than a fast grow-out.

What color eggs do Jersey Giants lay?

Brown — typically a pale-to-medium brown, and often notably large. Hens are moderate layers rather than production machines, and because they are heavy they usually don't begin laying until eight months to a year of age. Shade varies from bird to bird, so a flock can show a range from light tan to a warmer brown.

Breeding notes

Breed for size first: the Jersey Giant is the largest APA-recognized chicken, and that scale is the whole point of the breed. Choose the biggest, longest-bodied birds with plenty of width and depth as breeders — a flock left unselected drifts smaller within a few generations.
Plan around slow maturity. Jersey Giants build a big skeleton before they fill out with muscle, commonly taking eight to nine months to reach full size. Don't cull for 'small' too early — a leggy six-month-old may finish into an excellent large bird. This slow finish is a real trade-off breeders accept in exchange for the breed's size.
Select for correct type as well as bulk: a broad, deep body, a smooth single comb, and the right leg color for the variety (dark shanks with yellow soles in Black, willow in White, dark willow in Blue). Breed within a single variety pen to keep leg and plumage color predictable.
Because heavy hens are relatively slow layers, keep good production records and hold back pullets from your better-laying, larger hens to avoid trading away all fertility and egg output for size alone.

Showing notes

Jersey Giants are exhibited in the APA's **American** class; enter by variety and size (e.g. 'Black Jersey Giant, large fowl'). There is no recognized bantam Jersey Giant, which fits the breed's whole identity.
Judges reward true size and correct type — a big, broad, deep bird that carries its weight well — along with clean variety color: a beetle-green sheen on Black, clean white free of brassiness on White, and even slate-blue lacing on Blue.
Condition takes time given how slowly these birds mature, so show birds are usually best presented as well-grown cockerels/pullets or as adults rather than rushed youngsters. Keep leg and foot color clean, and watch for correct four-toed feet and a straight single comb.

Hatching & incubation

Expect large-to-extra-large eggs. Oversized eggs can sit awkwardly in standard egg turners and take slightly longer to hatch — the Livestock Conservancy notes Jersey Giant eggs may need a day or two beyond the usual timeline, so don't panic if a hatch runs a little past day 21.
Give big eggs a little extra room: check that they clear the turner cups and, at lockdown, that there's space for chicks to pip and rotate. Standard chicken settings otherwise apply — roughly 99.5–100°F forced-air with lockdown around day 18.
A heavy broody hen can only cover so many extra-large eggs and may crack them with her weight, so many breeders incubate rather than rely on the hen to hatch a full clutch.

Recognized varieties

BlackWhiteBlue

Frequently asked questions

What color eggs do Jersey Giants lay?: Brown eggs — usually a pale-to-medium brown, and frequently extra-large thanks to the bird's size. Shade varies between hens, so a flock can run from light tan to warmer brown.
Are Jersey Giants good for showing?: Yes. They're shown in the APA's American class in Black, White, and Blue, judged on true size, broad deep type, and clean variety color. Because they mature slowly, show birds are best presented well-grown or as adults rather than rushed.
How hard are Jersey Giants to hatch?: Not difficult, but the eggs are large-to-extra-large, so make sure they fit your turner and give chicks room at lockdown. Standard settings apply (about 99.5–100°F, lockdown day 18), though the Livestock Conservancy notes hatches can run a day or two past the usual 21.
How big do Jersey Giants get?: They're the largest purebred chicken recognized by the APA — mature roosters around 13–15 lb and hens around 10–11 lb, with Black birds often running heavier than White.
Why do Jersey Giants take so long to mature?: The breed was bred for maximum size, so birds build a large skeleton before filling out with muscle — commonly eight to nine months to reach full size. Breeders should avoid culling for 'small' too early, since leggy youngsters often finish into excellent large adults.
Are Jersey Giants broody?: Moderately. Some hens do go broody, but because they're so heavy they can crack the large eggs beneath them, so many breeders incubate rather than rely on the hen to hatch a full clutch.

Sources

Jersey Giant Chicken (breed history, size, varieties & egg facts) — The Livestock Conservancy (Reference)
National Jersey Giant Club (breed club) — National Jersey Giant Club (Breed club)

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