Bresse Chickens

[City farm]

Do you grind your kamut? I got oats and raw goats milk to finish mine with (they are 2 weeks old, I'm an optimist! ) but yeah sure, I will take $50 a lb for white bresse capons finished on raw goata milk soaked some kind of grain.. lol

I'm thinking I might turn my 2 big brooder boxes made out of closet doors in the barn for bresse capon finishing pens. They do seem to eat quite a lot compared to my other chicks. I need to get some more different colored zip ties after I used 2000 of them on the dp meatie/muscocvy duck double enclosed run.

I need to go get feed again soon, what kind of feed are you giving your bresse? I have everything from 23% protein chick starter, 18% layer/all flock, 26% gamebird, we need to get feed again soon. I found out the reason why I go through so much feed; my greyhound Sagan thinks it's totally ok to stick his whole head in whatever feed bag and eat himself silly... this was only discovered after finding what looked like horse droppings in my kitchen & backdoor entry and a significant amount of rabbitt grow pellets missing out of a 50 lb bag a few days ago.

I might get a bulk order of 1000 lbs of feed, but I might just do 200# until I get the mouse situation under better control. The mousetrap I bought 7 weeks ago had caught zero mice. If I order 1000# (not 100% sure though) I can get a custom feed made, what would be ideal for bresse? % protien wise, best grains for finishing capons in raw goats milk... which is supposed to clabber to a more soft yogurt type texture with raw goats milk? What kind of milk and grains is everyone finishing bresse capons on, and what have your results been? I have a 50 # bag of oats regardless and 40 gallons of frozen raw goats milk.

We have found for mice, get yourself a carin terrier. They will not rest untill every little critter is gone.. We do not have a mice problem, but a friend of mine did.. She borrowed our girl and they were gone..

 

[chiqita]

12$ a pound puts each bird at around 50$ a bird finished...holy moses! Lol if your talking 12$ a bird..UH NO not worth it put it in your freezer!

It was per pount. But this is ca. Feed is not cheapvand holy crap on goats milk. Plus 6 to legally process for a resteraunt... plus loosing some to caponisation...plus vaccum seal bags... 12 is not worth it lol.

 

[sonew123]

It was per pount. But this is ca. Feed is not cheapvand holy crap on goats milk. Plus 6 to legally process for a resteraunt... plus loosing some to caponisation...plus vaccum seal bags... 12 is not worth it lol.

DAYYYUUUMMM.. Sorry...I forgot how expensive CA is

 

[Bluefield]

Keeping a few hens and a roo from this years bresse flock. Have a lot of hens .40 or so. Hard to make the cut to around 10. Some have just started to lay. Should they be my first choice if all else us equal.

 

[Double Kindness]

My foodie/chef friends all have been so excited since I got the white bresse chicks thanks to dcchicken's sister

These are pictures of my bresse and my set up in the barn. The brooder boxes are made of old closet doors, 2x4, and 1/2" hardware cloth. I have 2 dust bathing areas with soil from my garden to provide grit and build up their systems against cocci. They get 23% protein chick starter from ranch way feeds that is soy free non gmo organic and I ferment it for them.

The caponizing equipment is in Chicago otw to me soon. The chicken vet is coming down next weekend to pick up 2 of my ayam cemani roos to decrow surgically. When the time comes I will have her do 2 bresse, so picking my best males earliest is what I need help with, as the decrowing surgery works best before they build up strength in those muscles to crow, which is required in my urban set up.

We have told the neighbors that own the abandoned property next door we're interested in buying it and that would add significant space and options as long as the roosters aren't having crowing contests. I know lots of ppl can't have roosters b/c of crowing and breeding, idk about no crow collars personally, but I do have a surgically semi-quieted rooster and had him since July to see if my neighbors are ok with this before I started this project and learning as much as possible from everyone.

I had to give one of the white bresse a bath this morning, it had little balls of ff stuck to 2 of its toes. It seemed to love being petted and the warm water and gentle heat before I did a little photo shoot with my bf holding it this morning and forgive my appearance my coffee maker is broken

 

[4theluvofpeeps]

I have a small flock of Bresse that are about 6 months and am having difficulty sexing the boys from the girls. My older Bresse, no problem, but these teenagers do not have any real traits that I can discern from as some girls have larger crops. I don't want to feed the boys all winter & really am anxious to try the meat. Any pointers??

 

[Regin]

I have a small flock of Bresse that are about 6 months and am having difficulty sexing the boys from the girls. My older Bresse, no problem, but these teenagers do not have any real traits that I can discern from as some girls have larger crops. I don't want to feed the boys all winter & really am anxious to try the meat. Any pointers??

You should be able to tell from saddle and hackle feathers. They are narrower and come to a point on the cockerels. They should be in by now or very soon.

 

[ronott1]

I have a small flock of Bresse that are about 6 months and am having difficulty sexing the boys from the girls. My older Bresse, no problem, but these teenagers do not have any real traits that I can discern from as some girls have larger crops. I don't want to feed the boys all winter & really am anxious to try the meat. Any pointers??

I hatched out 8 of 12 hatching eggs once and could not tell which were pullets or cockerels...because they were all pullets!

the Boys should be crowing by now.

 

[4theluvofpeeps]

No body is crowing except the older Roo. I have a couple pullets laying now and really their combs are as big as the suspected cockerels (except the laying females combs do not stand straight up. They are floppy). With this small flock I can't afford to kill off a pullet! I guess I might have to wait to see who's crowing next. I just hope that the meat is still going to be good??

 

[ronott1]

No body is crowing except the older Roo. I have a couple pullets laying now and really their combs are as big as the suspected cockerels (except the laying females combs do not stand straight up. They are floppy). With this small flock I can't afford to kill off a pullet! I guess I might have to wait to see who's crowing next. I just hope that the meat is still going to be good??

The meat will be good--you just need to cook it slower.

Can you post pictures?