Bresse Chickens

[ronott1]

I am curious Ron if this growth is mostly muscle or is mostly fat . . . .or a good combo of both. We live in a country where the goerment is pushing for low fat diets but I cannot lose weight or maintain my weight on a low fat diet. As hard as it is to beleive, the high % fat in my diet but still under about 2000 calories, I loose weight. So fat sources that are clean fat are very important to me.

( Besides, IMO the government info is based on commerically produced animal fats and meats which are remarkably different than home grown depending on the feedstuffs.All the more reason to produce our own food. )

When I did this with the bresse, it was both fat and muscle. I use organic Kamut grain. It is an ancient Wheat and is high in protein:

http://wholegrainscouncil.org/newsroom/blog/2013/03/health-study-kamut-wheat-vs-modern-wheat

I bought a bag from Azure Standard. They deliver to our area once a month.

 

[ChickenFox]

Quote: Corn I can get easily, wheat I would have to order online but its not too expensive. Would I feed them just this or keep giving them the chicken feed as well? Also what milk should I use? I'm guessing not ordinary Vit D milk from the grocery store. lol I've never had any kind of meat bird to fatten up before so this is all new to me. I don't mind giving them a couple weeks to fatten up before the deed is done. I'm kind of dreading that day actually. I hunt and fish no problem but if for some reason the animal suffers at all I get very upset. I've had a couple incidents that have almost made me give up hunting with a bow entirely.

ETA: I just had a duh moment. Could I just buy a bag of 3 grain scratch from Southern States and soak in milk? It has cracked corn, whole wheat and whole milo I believe.

 

[ronott1]

Corn I can get easily, wheat I would have to order online but its not too expensive. Would I feed them just this or keep giving them the chicken feed as well? Also what milk should I use? I'm guessing not ordinary Vit D milk from the grocery store. lol I've never had any kind of meat bird to fatten up before so this is all new to me. I don't mind giving them a couple weeks to fatten up before the deed is done. I'm kind of dreading that day actually. I hunt and fish no problem but if for some reason the animal suffers at all I get very upset. I've had a couple incidents that have almost made me give up hunting with a bow entirely.

It depends on how much you want to spend and how many your are processing. Organic whole milk would be best and use organic corn if possible.

Whole milk has all of the fats and vitamins that milk is supposed to have. Other milk is inferior and many nutritionists are now recommending we drink whole milk. Stuff is taken out of whole milk which is why whole milk costs more that 2%. It gets worse when we move to skim milk. Skim milk may actually be bad for you.

We may be in a growing minority but Arielle and I both agree that fat is important in our diet. We have been messed up by sugar and simple carbs since the 1960s. Good fat will make us not hungry. We will eat less and not be morbidly obese if we changed our diets from simple carbs to fats. It also kicks our butts with inflammation to not eat good fat. High sugar foods will not fill us up and many will over eat up to thousands of too many calories.

Soak the grains over night and feed in the morning. I gave them flock raiser in the evening so I did cheat a bit.

 

[ChickenFox]

Quote: I can't stand the taste of 2% anymore much less 1% or skim. I always buy the Vit D Whole Milk but it isn't organic. There's organic around but its almost double the price.

Still, its only 1 bird now and 1 in a couple months so maybe I can splurge enough for Organic milk even if I don't buy organic grains...

Another question if you don't mind. When you say to pen them up for the finishing how big or small of a pen? I have some scrap wood and wire laying around that I could build something small to pen them in if they don't require much room.

 

[ronott1]

I can't stand the taste of 2% anymore much less 1% or skim. I always buy the Vit D Whole Milk but it isn't organic. There's organic around but its almost double the price.

Still, its only 1 bird now and 1 in a couple months so maybe I can splurge enough for Organic milk even if I don't buy organic grains...

Another question if you don't mind. When you say to pen them up for the finishing how big or small of a pen? I have some scrap wood and wire laying around that I could build something small to pen them in if they don't require much room.

Penning them up is the French method. You do want to make sure they do not run around too much for the last week or so. It helps them develop good fat to muscle. Give them enough room to move around--several square fee or so per bird.

I would use organic milk. Here, regular whole milk is $3.40 per gallon and I can get Kirkland brand Organic whole milk for about $4.60 per gallon. Costco sells them in a box of two Jugs, one gallon each.

Do they sell GMO Free corn?

 

[ChickenFox]

Quote: The SS in town doesn't sell GMO free anything. ( Not a big sell around here) The one about 35 mile away might. I'll have to give them a call this evening and see what they say. Would a 3 x3 cage be too small? I think I have enough wood for a max 5 x 5.

 

[ronott1]

The SS in town doesn't sell GMO free anything. ( Not a big sell around here) The one about 35 mile away might. I'll have to give them a call this evening and see what they say. Would a 3 x3 cage be too small? I think I have enough wood for a max 5 x 5.

The 3x3 would be 9 square feet. Two would be comfortable and three or four would fit for a short time.

5x5 would be 25 square ft. and would fit eight in a pinch.

 

[Arielle]

THose wanting healthy foods and willing to pay for it are still few and far beteen, but keekp speaking up and as more people realize that to change our way of eating means far better health more people will clamor for the better food for their birds and themselves.

I'm opting to see what I can p roduce my self as I have the land( it's wooded and being renovated to be more productive. lol)

Right now I am focusing on old types of winter squash and summer squash as that grows easily on piles of manure topped with composted manure. Basically good for untilled land. Have added corn to one area and see how 2 sisters work together.

Last year the chickens stole allthe tomatos with in jumping reach.

My point is that while there is a tradtional method to finishing these birds perhaps there are other options based on what is regionally available. Will the meat region to region be the same? I'm betting the meat reflects the foods the birds eat. Having sais that I am looking forward to eating a bird finished on whole raw milk and grains.

On a side note, I had endless defensive discussions with my kids pediatritions -- the push for 2% milk was ceaseless. I said no, my kids dont get junk food, ( that changed when they entered public school) so whole milk is fine. Little did they know I had seen a program on finding a food to go after to solve our obesity problem; people were willing to cut down caloriies by swtiching from whole milk to 2%, but would not give up their junk foods. THe govenment was satisfied with the overall decrease in calories that would lead to a thinner population, so that doctrine was pedled to all the pediatritions who pedel it to their clients. Just garbage. Both my boys are stick thin and can eat all the food they want that is inthe house ( no junk food here) and when I asked the pediatrtion about "is he too thin?" He said NO, we are used to seeing overly fat children. or close to that.


I really do think that what we eat is the driving force behind what level of health we live with. ANd it starts with what our foods eat. I ws horrified to read last week at the library ( new book section) that milk contains some 30 mg of tetracycline in a days serving of commercial milk. I"m totally horrified. SO much for dumping three days of milkings after a cow has been treated. Ihave to atmit I have scoped out some raw milk resources and to my delight found a possible source just across town!!!!

ANd I"m concidering milk goats . . .

 

[sonew123]

Thats what I am feeding my bresse when its finishing time, goats milk. I have an endless supply from a friend...Ill have to pay for it but not much...

 

[ronott1]

Thats what I am feeding my bresse when its finishing time, goats milk. I have an endless supply from a friend...Ill have to pay for it but not much...

Let us know how it goes!