2nd Jersey Giant rooster with leg injuries

We are just wrapping up our second batch of black Jersey Giants and I wonder if anyone else has had a similar issue. We kept a rooster from the first batch, who developed a limp the day after I culled all the other candidates. He turned out not to be a gentleman once he was the sole male in the henhouse (extremely aggressive toward humans, fine with hens) and had his date with the killing cone.

The second batch was ordered as all pullets but of course one of them is a cockerel. He's about 15 weeks, not crowing or attempting mating yet. He too is limping. The birds were raised in different housing systems. None of the 35-40 hens have any leg problems, all the birds are foraging well. The limping doesn't seem to keep the boys from doing anything they want. But nevertheless, he is lame and that's no good.

If I keep him, it will just be until next summer. I like the idea of having a well-mannered rooster in the flock, but I don't want to carry on a trait for leg weaknesses. Two out of two is not conclusive, but the trend is disturbing. I'm hoping Adam Klaus will chime in, he's the Jersey Giant expert. Perhaps others have experience/wisdom on this problem? Do you think it's the breed, the breeding line/hatchery, my management, bad luck or a common hazard of being a rooster?

I dont have any experience with Jersey Giants, but out of curiosity what company is the supplier? I am thinking I am going to avoid this supplier for Jersey Giants because my initial guess is that bad genetics may be the main culprit.

Mt. Healthy. The chickies seemed healthy indeed on arrival. I'm too new a chicken keeper to lay this at their door just yet. A neighbor came over today and suggested the coop needs a ramp, being too high for heavy birds to jump. That could explain the second injury, but the first one happened when they were living in a 3-sided structure on the ground with some low branches to roost on at night.

Mt. Healthy has certainly had more than their share of health issues these past 3 years.

See https://permies.com/forums/posts/list/32577#293826 (start several posts prior to that one).

Ohh jerseys are heavy birds so you have to jave ramps and low perches they are subject to I think its called bumblefoot from jumping down from too high.  Hope the leg gets better

Some of my heavier birds have developed limps over the years. It's troubling to watch, I agree.

Steps to determining if it's a trend - Ask yourself a few questions and watch the birds behavior: Are there any other birds who limp? Where does the bird roost?  Are there other birds of the same relative size who roost there? If it's a larger bird, is the roost over two feet up? What's the "landing pad" like? Are there thorns, sharp bits of wood, rocks, small bits of gravel in the chickens' area? Has the bird been bitten or stung by something?

Chickens can develop limps from jumping onto something sharp, like some types of bedding or gravel and rocks in a run. They can also pull a muscle, hurt themselves on a sharp thorn or spikey bit of a roost, get injured from some other critter (rodents will bite at feet and legs, they can get injured in a fight or stung by a wasp), or develop a pressure wound from a constant lower level irritant.
You may have to catch the roo to take a look at his leg and see what sort of injury you're dealing with. No matter the cause of the injury, you'll need to deal with it - if you decide to not cull the bird, there are different ways to treat a wound depending on what it is. None of them are difficult, but they can take practice to get used to the steps, or you may have to make a treatment box (that can be kept with your critter medical care items for future use).

While it's possible there's a congenital element to your roo's limp, that can be managed by determining why he's limping - if it's a pressure wound, you may need to smooth the roosting bars (you said they were natural branches?) of a random splinter or thorn. If it's bumblefoot, there can be several potential causes, along with the potential for a contributing congenital factor.
It's easiest to prevent injury, or prevent future injury, by adding a ramp up to the lowest roosting point, checking the roosts for pokey bits, and checking/replacing the bedding for pokey bits.

If the dude pulled a muscle jumping at other birds, that's a smartness thing and I can't help with that.

Once you have figured out what a potential cause is, you can treat the problem. I advise finding the cause first because there's no point in treating him if he's just going to redo the injury.
Bumblefoot, and other wounds are fairly simple to treat. Sprains and pulls are generally left to heal on their own.

Yes, a ramp is a great idea. (That reminds me to check on my birds' ramp. I vaguely remember it having fallen and I can't remember picking it up ...)
Jersey Giants are big and heavy birds, so they do a lot on their feet. The potential for foot problems is a bit higher, but easily dealt with.

You got this. And welcome to the ongoing adventure of chickens!