Not to get into a "mine's bigger than yours", but hopefully you can see from my young 2018 hens that I select for big breasted girls. At this point my Marans outsize my Bresse at 5 and 6 months. Here's pics of Golden Cuckoo Marans, a couple Blk Marans with a Bresse who snuck in the shot. I've...
Unfortunately, by the time the commercial hatcheries are offering specific breeds, their genetics are already screwed up. There are two types of breeders that contribute to the dilution of breed characteristics - the ignorant and those who sell. Neither of these groups do anything to improve...
My Bresse flock is very small. I recently culled and kept only two hens with an exceptional rooster. I keep a golden cuckoo Marans (huge breasted), Splash Marans, a blk Marans (huge breasted) and a Buff Orpington (very large) in that pen with the intention to try a couple crosses as meat bird...
Same thing happened to the Blk Copper Marans. Everyone wanted in on the fad - bought inferior stock (cheap) then proceeded to cover hens, sell those hatch eggs and before you knew it, the Blk Copper Maran is completely dilute. Similar to cocker spaniels, labs, gold retrievers, Arabian horses...
After ten years people still have a less than specific approach to Marans which may be why the bloodlines are so messed up... I keep a closed flock of GFF Brown-Red Marans and get the darkest eggs...consistently 7-8 on the chart. I breed for both egg and table. They are wonderful tasting and...
This was posted a number of years ago but I had to take a contrary position here. Pouring surgical adhesive down rooster's throat? Really? Sorry roosters have many sounds they make, a majority are essential to the flock and their protection. A properly fitted collar will prevent the air sac...
I picked up 6 Bresse from Bresse Farms MS - earlier this spring. Of those 6 chicks 5 DOA/died within a day or two. Four chicks were replaced of the 10 chicks only 4 have survived. 2 male and 2 female. One cockerel is huge, very upright with fold over comb (defect) - very much like Leghorn and...
Picking up a rooster and holding him confined works while they are young and not very large. If a rooster exhibits aggressive behavior when full grown, catching and holding legs may not be that easy. I have established myself as the alpha by simply not tolerating aggressive/bully behaviors...
Judging from the comb/waddles Rooster G appears to be an Bresse/Ayam Cemani I would have never guessed a Fizzle...
Question: Have you processed any of the Ayam Cemani hybrids form your Cemani hen? Other than legs, are any other features i.e. skin, tongue, organs/muscle/bones display the...
Sounds like you have a good outcome. Unfortunately mine wasn't and I lost a lot of money. There's no excuse for Meyer to not recognize there is a problem and work it out with the customer. A hard line email stating policy is 48 hrs for refund on fatalities was calloused. It was evidence in...
Well, buyer beware. This is why we post our experiences here on backyard chickens. read other posts...some have no problems, others have experienced similar to mine. Meyer is a large scale hatchery so issues can crop up. My problem with Meyer is that they only refund deaths to 48 hrs of...
After loosing nearly $300 on the order, I wasn't about to invest another $125. I believed the vet's conclusions. Coccidiosis is relatively easy to diagnose. The vet suggested if it wasn't coccidiosis, he indicated yolk infection which he said is unfortunately common in hatchery operations...
I have greater confidence in my stock received from GF ($$$$$). Bressefarm.com is certainly cheap, but maybe not purebred Bresse...too many barred chicks produced. Both my Bresse and Blk Copper Marans are GF. World of difference!
White Bresse are just that...white. They carry the dominant white allele and cannot be any other color. If you're obtaining eggs from someone elses incubator understand you may be receiving eggs you did not order.
Several Bresse breeders have told me these hens are not broody - on fact, they often don't sit on their eggs either, hence all the incubator activity with this breed. My Bresse are not at point of lay. But I have observed the pullets chest bump with the cockerels which is more cockerel...
I bought 15 chicks from Meyers Hatchery - all but three died. They were on SavAChick electrolytes/probiotics and medicated feed. After the first four died Meyer would not cover the reset. They sent me chicks with cocidiosis. I managed to save the remaining three with Corid that I started on...