Chickens have been around for about 10,000 years, and they come in all shapes and sizes, but if you want to know what the world’s biggest chicken breed is then you’re in luck, because today we’re featuring the Jersey Giant.

As the name suggests, the Jersey Giant was developed in the state of New Jersey, and it is the largest and heaviest of all chicken breeds. It was created in the late 19th century by John and Thomas Black, with the specific purpose of replacing the turkey as the most popular poultry meat at the time. The two brothers produced the impressive breed by crossing Black Javas, Black Langshans, and Dark Brahmas, three other breeds of large chickens and for a while met the goal of creating an alternative to turkey meat.

Photo: Fyn Kynd/Flickr

Because of its size and weight, Jersey Giant chickens were raised as broilers for a while, but because they grow much more slowly than today’s commonly used broilers, they are rarely used in the meat industry.

Interesting fact, the breed was originally called The Black Giant, after their creators, John and Thomas Black, but that later changed to Jersey Giant in honor of the state they were originally produced in.

Standing up to 26 inches tall and weighing between 15 and 20 pounds, the Jersey Giants really are massive birds. Even though specimens of Brahma, the second-largest chicken breed can sometimes reach the size of Jersey Giants, the latter are larger on average. According to some sources, the Jersey Giants used to be even larger in the past.

Jersey Giants are often referred to as gentle giants, because of their friendliness and docile nature. The roosters are very rarely aggressive, and can actually be described as sweet-natured. They are so friendly towards humans that many people prefer to keep them as pets rather than as a source of eggs and meat.