Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
The baby Cornish Cross chicks are kept in a separate brooding pen. I call them “The Chicks Who Shall Not
be Named” as it is always wise to avoid naming your future food.
Jersey Giant.
Jersey Giants are the largest of the pure-breed chickens and mature at 10 to 13
pounds. They do lay a fair number of very large, medium-brown eggs but are generally considered
a meat breed by virtue of their large size. Jersey Giants are slow growing, though, so aren't used in
any commercial meat productions. In the backyard farm situation, they are excellent foragers, easy
to handle, and known to be extremely cold-hardy. Hens are broody and make good mothers for
their chicks, but you should be aware that Jersey Giant chicks can take 24 to 48 hours longer to
hatch than other breeds.
Old Cornish.
The Dark Cornish or Old Cornish are the other parent breed of the Cornish Cross
and have a similar large size. Cornish grows 7 to 9 pounds but instead of maturing to butcher
weight in 8 to 12 weeks, you will see harvestable sizes in 20 to 25 weeks. On the positive side, the
flavor is said to be much better and their temperament is very calm. These birds build up size, and
then bulk up layers of meat, instead of building up muscle mass at the risk of ultimate health. In
this way they are a better choice for free range on the backyard farm.
Over the Garden Fence
I was skeptical at the thought of raising my own meat when we first started that part of our self-sufficiency
journey. However, the more I learned about the questionable practices of many commercial chicken farms
and the health benefits of pasture-raised, organic chickens, the easier it was for me to accept the idea. Now
that I've tried it and understand how much this hands-on process respects the animals we raise, I could
never go back. It's well worth trying to see if you, too, get hooked on providing the healthiest possible
meat from the happiest possible animals.
