Skip to Content

How To Raise And Care For Kosher King Chicken

Kosher King chickens are a hybrid mix of the Sussex and the Barred Rock chicken breed. They are wonderful broiler chickens that are docile in nature. They are energetic birds that have a growth rate that is slower than some other broiler breeds, but they are known as being one of the tastiest breeds. If you want to add meat birds to your flock, the Kosher King may be the best option for your needs. 

To raise and care for Kosher King chickens, provide a nutritious, high-protein diet, ample fresh water, and secure, spacious housing. Their rapid growth rate necessitates extra nutrition, especially in the early stages of development, to support their health and vitality.

Chicken on the side of a road

Kosher King chickens are known for their excellent growth rate and meat quality, making them a favorite among backyard farmers and small-scale producers alike. However, their fast growth can sometimes lead to leg issues if not managed with care. It’s akin to a fast-growing tree; without the right support and nutrition, it might struggle under its own weight. Ensuring that their diet is not only rich in protein but also balanced with vitamins and minerals will help maintain their overall health and prevent potential leg problems.

Another point to consider is their living environment. Kosher Kings are active foragers and enjoy space to roam. Overcrowding can lead to stress, which in turn can affect their immune system and growth rate. Providing them with enough space is like giving an artist a blank canvas; it allows them to express their natural behaviors fully, resulting in happier, healthier chickens. Ensuring they have access to outdoor areas for foraging will also benefit their diet and well-being, making your job as a caretaker a bit easier.

How Big Does Kosher King Chicken Grow?

Kosher Kings make a nice table bird for most people. They do, however, grow a bit slower than other breeds, but this allows them to reach a more stable weight without all the other health problems that go along with a quick growth rate.

The Kosher King is a hybrid chicken that reaches maturity in about 11 to 12 weeks. At this time, the hen of the breed should be about 4 to 5 pounds, while the rooster can be 6 pounds or a little heavier.

What Is The Average Weight Of A Kosher King Chicken?

Chicken walking on dirt path

Because the Kosher King chicken is a broiler breed, you will want to know the average weight you can expect of these birds. Knowing this information will give you a better idea of the average table weight of this bird. 

The Kosher King rooster, which is the male of the breed, can weigh 6 to 7 pounds. The Kosher King hen is a little smaller, weighing between 5 and 6 pounds. They are a hardy breed that matures at about 12 weeks.

When Will A Kosher King Chicken Start Laying Eggs?

Even though Kosher King hens are not heavier layers, they will still produce a few eggs every so often. 

Kosher King hens will start laying eggs when they reach 16 to 20 weeks of age. However, this breed is not good layers, which means this breed isn’t a good choice if you want to raise chickens for eggs.

Will Kosher King Chicken Lay White Or Brown Eggs?

Bunches of brown chicken eggs

Most chickens will lay either white or brown eggs, though the exact hues can range from light to dark, but there are also some chicken breeds that will lay eggs in a wide range of colors, including blue and pink. 

Kosher King hens will lay large brown eggs, which can be used as a food source for you and your family or to hatch your own chickens. However, this breed does not lay an abundance of eggs and it isn’t uncommon for the Kosher King hens to not lay eggs for weeks at a time.

Do You Need A Same Breed Rooster To Get Kosher King Chicken To Lay Eggs?

Chicken head

If you’re new to raising chickens, you may be on the fence about whether or not you will need a rooster of the same breed to get your hens to start laying eggs. 

Even though Kosher King hens are not good layers, having a Kosher King rooster won’t increase the amount of eggs the hens of this breed will lay. Roosters are not required for any hen, no matter the breed, to start laying eggs. Chicken hens lay eggs with or without a rooster in their flock.

That doesn’t mean that a rooster isn’t important. In fact, roosters provide a slew of benefits for their flocks. Not only do they fertilize the eggs, but roosters help to protect the hens from predators and even reduce the chance of hens bullying other hens. 

Roosters are not all sunshine and rainbows, however, and they often come with some negative attributes. The first being that most roosters, no matter the breed, can be a little aggressive. It is this aggressiveness that helps protect their flock. They are also known to be noisy and can crow all throughout the door. 

What Is The Lifespan Of A Kosher King Chicken?

Most chicken breeds live less than 10 years, which can be both a good and bad thing, depending on why you want to raise chickens. 

Kosher King chickens can live for several years, though they are normally harvested well before they reach this lifespan. If you allow the chicken to live without butchering, you can expect the Kosher King to live for 5 to 8 years.

Even though the Kosher King can live for up to 8 years, they are typically butchered long before they reach this lifespan. In fact, Kosher Kings are usually butchered before they even reach a year old. 

Are Kosher King Chicken Friendly?

Chicken walking in dirt

While the Kosher King chickens are a hardy breed that is rather easy-going, you should also consider whether or not they are friendly before adding them to your flock.

Kosher King chickens have a friendly and docile temperament, and can happily live next to your family. They are wonderful foragers who have a lot of energy. They will, however, need plenty of room, as well as protection against predators.

Kosher Kings are not just friendly to humans, they also get a long well with other chicken breeds and even other animals. They are not aggressive birds and don’t attack unless they are provoked. 

How Many Eggs Can A Kosher King Chicken Lay A Day?

The Kosher King chicken breed are broilers and not egg layers. So don’t expect the hens of this breed to lay a lot of eggs. 

Kosher King chickens are not designed to lay eggs, and the hens typically won’t even lay one egg a day. In fact, it is unusual to get three eggs a week from this breed. This means the Kosher King hen isn’t a good choice if you want chickens for their egg laying abilities.

If you want a chicken breed that is designed to lay an abundance of eggs, consider raising Rhode Island Reds, Leghorns, Plymouth Rocks, Australorps, Sussexs, Brahmas, Silkies, Wyandottes, or Orpingtons instead.

When Will A Kosher King Chicken Stop Laying Eggs?

Basket of brown eggs

When deciding what breed of chicken to raise, you should consider when the hen of that breed will stop laying eggs. This is especially important if you want the hens for their eggs. Keep reading to learn when you can expect the Kosher King hen to stop producing eggs. 

Kosher King hens will generally stop laying eggs once they reach their senior year, which could be as early as 3 to 4 years old. However, since this breed doesn’t lay many eggs to begin with, it can be difficult to tell if the hen has stopped laying eggs all together.

At What Age Is A Kosher King Chicken The Most Delicious?

Because the Kosher King is a broiler bird, you will want to know when is the best time to harvest them to ensure you get the best tasting meat possible.

Kosher King chickens are slow growing and can be butchered between 9 and 15 weeks of age. This is when the meat is tender and tastes the most delicious. You can wait until the bird is older to harvest its meat, but it will be a bit tougher.

To help combat the toughness of an older bird, consider cooking the meat slowly with a lot of moisture. Meat harvested from an older bird is better used in stews and soups, or cooked in a crockpot. This will help tenderize the meat and make it tastier.

Best Housing Setup For A Kosher King Chicken

Chicken coop

Chicken coops come in a wide variety of materials, sizes, and shapes. They range from a few hundred dollars to a few thousand dollars. However, not every type of housing setup works well for every breed of chicken and trying to force your flock to live in a housing setup that they don’t like can cause stress to the birds.

This article was first published on April 29, 2023 by Pentagon-Pets.

Kosher King chickens like space and should have a coop with 10 square feet of floor space per bird. This coop will need to be well ventilated and have no holes or cracks where a predator could gain entry. Additionally, Kosher Kings love to forage and will need plenty of space for free range.

If you don’t feel comfortable with allowing your birds to free-range, provide them with a run that is at least 20 square feet per bird. This means you will need a run of at least 100 square feet if you have 4 birds. 

Typical Health Problems Of A Kosher King Chicken

Even though chickens are one of the easier livestock to raise, they can still experience health problems. Some breeds can even develop serious and potentially life threatening issues that can impact your entire flock. 

Kosher King chickens are a hardy breed that doesn’t have any specific health problems that they are susceptible to. The only real concerns with this breed are the same health issues that plague any other chicken breed, especially parasites.

Providing your flock with dust baths helps to reduce these parasites. You should also implement a parasite prevention plan, such as sprinkling food-grade diatomaceous earth on the ground around the coop once every 2 to 3 months, to help keep chicken parasites at bay.

Pentagon Pet is the owner of this article that was first published on April 29, 2023.

Typical Problems Raising Kosher King Chicken

Most chicken breeds have some sort of problem that can make or break your decision on whether or not to raise that specific breed. Let’s take a look at what typical problems you could face when raising the Kosher King breed.

Kosher King chickens are rather easy-going birds with little to no problems. They don’t normally have leg issues, like some other broilers do, and they are not aggressive. They do love to forage and will need plenty of room.

Because of this, the Kosher King may not be the best breed for people with limited space.

What Type Of Food Is Best For A Kosher King Chicken?

With so many different types of chicken food available, it can be difficult to determine which food is best for your flock. When you also add in the fact that most flocks are filled with multiple different breeds of chickens, it can make finding the best food even more difficult.

Kosher King chickens don’t require a specialized diet and can actually consume less commercial feed than other breeds, thanks to their natural tendency to aggressively forage. They will need a high quality commercial feed that matches their life stage.

This breed will naturally supplement their diet with seeds, grains, insects, and grubs that they find while foraging. You can also give them fresh fruits and vegetables. The most important thing to remember is to make sure you are giving your flock fresh water and food every day.

Related Articles

How To Raise And Care A Buckeye Chicken

How To Raise And Care For Chantecler Chicken

How To Raise And Care For Cornish Cross Chicken

How To Raise And Care For Big Red Broilers Chicken

This article and its contents are owned by Pentagon Pets and was first published on April 29, 2023.

How To Raise And Care For Turken Chicken