Bresse Chickens

[racinchickins]

Has anyone noticed any differences in the growth rate of their ABs compared to other breeds?

I have 18 ABs that are about 9 weeks old. I have 4 Cornish and 3 legbars that are smaller than the Bresse, and they are 4 weeks older. Obviously we are not talking CX growth rates here, but they really do seem to be growing quickly. I'd like to hear from other people if they have noticed this. Or are my other birds just puny?

 

[DCchicken]

My SIL sent me this link about a new dual purpose breed being raised in Germany. The article also talks about Bresse.

http://www.spiegel.de/international...could-cut-down-on-chick-culling-a-927902.html

Don't we already have the Bielefelder for that exact purpose?

 

[PetRock]

Don't we already have the Bielefelder for that exact purpose?

It must be the challenge of coming up with your own crossbreed that meets your exact needs.

 

[call ducks]

Quote: I suspect these birds will be better than any existing dual purpose. After all they probably have had millions invested into breeding them. Gives me some ideas....

 

[rachmickmurphy]

Very interesting reading subscribed

 

[DCchicken]

I suspect these birds will be better than any existing dual purpose. After all they probably have had millions invested into breeding them. Gives me some ideas....

I personally will not be purchasing any chickens that someone spent millions to create. The Bresse and Bielefelder already are two good alternatives to Cornish Xs and production reds.

I really like the idead that both the Bresse and the Bielefelders help me create self-sustaining flocks.

 

[juststruttin]

I personally will not be purchasing any chickens that someone spent millions to create. The Bresse and Bielefelder already are two good alternatives to Cornish Xs and production reds.

I really like the idead that both the Bresse and the Bielefelders help me create self-sustaining flocks.

I think you hit the nail on the head. Large companies only spend millions producing hybrids that do not breed true in order for customers to rely on them for chicks year after year.

The only true way to be sustainable is to be able to produce our own offspring from birds that breed true. Having to buy chicks from a commercial producer year after year is not sustainable. I say, raise your own dual purpose birds, or buy them from a neighbor.

Quoted from Article
"These days, the industry uses virtually only hybrids: high-performance chickens produced by crossing a number of breeds. This is a good business for companies like Lohmann because the animals -- in contrast to purebred birds -- cannot be bred on farms. Chicken farmers have to continuously buy new chicks from the breeders." Credit: By Michael Fröhlingsdorf

 

[juststruttin]

My SIL sent me this link about a new dual purpose breed being raised in Germany. The article also talks about Bresse.

http://www.spiegel.de/international...could-cut-down-on-chick-culling-a-927902.html

Interesting article. Thanks for posting. It really gets one thinking.

 

[chiqita]

Not to argue against breese but it is still cheaper to buy meatie chicks then pay for the extra weeks of feed on a heritage breed. Not that it makes them sustainable. But I don't think price on chicks is the arguing point.

 

[PetRock]

The friend of mine who owns the farm where my breeders live had hoped to not buy meaties this year but we didn't get our breeding pens built in time. Plus, we only have a trio of adult Bresse so egg numbers were limited. So she ordered 2 groups of 50 Cornish X chicks. Due to the timing of their vacation, she was late processing the first group. Some of them got so big that they just died. She felt so bad for them that she is determined to not order them next year. I recently purchased a new to me cabinet hatcher/incubator and, with the addition of the juvenile Bresse that we are growing out, we should be able to hatch enough birds next year for meat for both families.