Bresse Chickens

[call ducks]

Quote: They are not the same bird, genetically or otherwise. No one can ever prove the birds got smuggled out. There are rumors that they were smuggled out. I will be heading to Europe in the next three years to have a whirlwind to of chicken producers. France is a country I am investing a fair bit of time in. Because free range birds are so popular there. So really the chickens we have in North American should not have bresse in the name at all. I have spent many hours talking this over - Because Bresse intrigue many people including myself.

 

[BCMaraniac]

BCMaraniac,
Ours were about med/small, and seem to get to a full medium or med/lg. They aren't as big as our Marans or basque eggs, but the make a great omelette and they are very consistent. I've been impressed with the dual purpose capabilities, laying earlier than many other breeds. They usually start right around 20 weeks. Thanks for the question.
Best,
Brice @ SF

That would be spot on in the laying age, because two of mine are laying, and they are the same age as the slip that I just processed. I have three more pullets that are two weeks younger, so they should be coming online in the next week or so. Thanks for sharing this information.

 

[bayocum]

BCMaraniac,
Here's a quick picture of our American Bresse eggs compared to other eggs on our farm...


So that's a quarter on the left, then our first Bielefelder pullet egg, two American Bresse pullet eggs, a mature American Bresse egg, and finally a mature Basque Hen egg (2.2oz). which is almost XL. So an American Bresse mature egg is just under a large, this one being 1.8oz (second from right), of course they do vary and this is a first season egg.

Hope that's helpful...
-Brice

 

[juststruttin]

Yes, that is the weight of this 20 week old cockerel. The hens in this batch were about 3.5, and really nicely built. We raise them on predominantly non-gmo, soy-free, organic feed with access to pasture, which means they are in an open-bottom tractor that is always on grass and native pasture. We also regularly allow them to free range, literally free to go anywhere they want and eat whatever they want, most every day. We mix our feed with whole milk from about 30 days, creating a mash. In the last 2-3 weeks before processing, we leave the birds in the tractor. They still can scratch and peck, but they tend to relax and lay around more. We do not have the French cages and dark barns, but this is the adaptation we've made. We use our "Sunbird" method as a regionally adapted method of the French practices. We don't claim it to be perfect, but it works well for us and are birds do great.

As for the comment that these are not "real Bresse"... Greenfire has been, without a doubt, the best partner we've had in our efforts to raise premium poultry. When we hatched our original eggs from them, we hatched 13 out of 14 viable eggs....these are shipped from FL to CA. No other supplier, no matter how well-intentioned they are, has ever met that level of quality. Their birds arrive healthy, and they thrive. I cannot attest that these birds were directly from the Bresse region of France, but I have no doubt that they are from true Bresse lines. If you've done any research on these birds, you will know that even the official statistics from France say that 5% of all Bresse are exported annually. It is true, that according to the AOC a "true" Bresse must be raised in the region and by the traditional methods. That said, if you take Champagne rootstock and grow it in California, the genetics are still the Champagne grape. Greenfire has already addressed this on their website and we feel it accurately represents the stock they have. At the end of the day, you are free not to raise these birds, and you are certainly free to spend as much time and money raising them as we do and sell them for $20. As for our farm, we will continue to work with our friends at Greenfire, continue to invest in these wonderful American Bresse, provide the best growing conditions we can, and enjoy the financial and intangible rewards of doing so. Our goal is to have the best American Bresse stock anywhere, offering a truly premium product. We would love to talk to others who are doing the same!
Blessings,
Brice @ SF

well said

 

[juststruttin]

When we hatched our original eggs from them, we hatched 13 out of 14 viable eggs....these are shipped from FL to CA.

I mentioned this in a earlier post thatI had a great hatch rate from the Bresse eggs I got from Chiquita as well. I always attribute good hatch rate with hardy stock so even 2-3 generations removed from GFF the birds still hatch strong. I think that says alot for the breed.

 

[bayocum]

Agreed!

 

[drlcb]

OK, so I procrastinate... I ended up finishing the cockerels out for two weeks with scratch, corn, barley, wheat and a lot of meal worms. They remained free range until the end.
Processed as normal using cones to bleed them out, hot water to aid in defeathering, regular ice water bath in an ice chest to cool down, packaged in shrink bags, aged for three days in 45 degree refrigerator then frozen. I ate one fresh, grilled and the results were - ehh, what a let down, I prefer cornish...
But wait there's more!
So a few weeks later (tonight), I thawed one out in the refrigerator for two days and baked it in the oven - 350 for two hours, one cup of water in a glass casserole dish and typical spices (seasoned pepper, pepper, garlic salt, garlic powder) covered with foil, after 1 1/2 hours removed foil to brown skin. I then made gravy from the drippings in the pan (flour, starch, pepper).
The results - Best chicken ever! The meat melts in your mouth and has an indescribable flavor (yes I know tastes like chicken!)

I am a believer!

I knew when I was processing the birds they were different - the fat looked golden and was distributed evenly.
None of the birds were obese and the average finish weight at about 18 weeks was 5 pounds. Some were 4.5 a couple 5.5 - the biggest ones went to my friends flock.
My costs were high but the result was excellent if you define results as a measure of quality of meat. I didn't do the math for conversion rate but next batch I will.
For those that say these are not really bresse - well no kidding, you can only get those in France. For those who like delicious meat birds -
I personally have a new favorite - American Bresse, blue legs, California Bresse.... Call them what you want - I call them delicious.
I'll be doing another 50 in the spring along with 100 cornish X just to fill the meat freezer.
I fed mine the Dumore brand (Tractor Supply) chicken feed but free ranged 100% and had an excellent couple of weeks gorging on cicadas. They also received generous feedings of meal worms, red worms, and Alabama jumpers from my worm farms. They also ate table scraps and extra or old eggs from my layers which they like fried. (I just throw the whole eggs in the blender then cook a dozen or so at a time)

All of my eggs were from mail order (ebay - sellers crazyforcatfishing and jackson2013denise ) I ended up with 60 eggs average $5.00 per egg, about 50 hatched and I lost two chicks. Great hatch rate considering half the eggs came from California and I live in Virginia.
Of the 48 - 30 ended up being cockerels. I don't have the ballz for caponizing - pun intended... But I may try it next time out.
The cockerels didn't start crowing until 16-17 weeks - even then it was only a few and they were weak. Most had not started crowing before processing.
They did end up being friendly after a protein boost when the were still in the brooder, before that they were mean.

Well, that about sums up my experience - except for trying to sell them, that's a different story - you wont make money selling them unless you have certified greenfire or other reputable blood lines. At least I couldn't. If your going to raise them for meat or eggs for personal use go for it.

 

[bayocum]

drlcb,
Wow, that was great information. Thanks so much for sharing. I didn't see that you used any milk or milk products....did I miss that or did you choose not to use milk? More great info to add to the files of the American Bresse. Looking forward to what you do next Spring!
Best,
Brice @ SF

 

[cottagefarmgirl]

I thought they were to be air chilled rather than water chilled?

 

[chiqita]

The texture change is there without finishings. The finishings are supposed to enhance.