Bresse Chickens

[McCormack Farms]

We just put our second batch of White Bresse in lock down.
We were able to get a good hatch last time, 48 out of 60 survived.
I am here on the N.Ill /S.Wis. border. We are hoping for an early spring so they can get out into the pasture.
My 3 week old chicks eat a little less than a Cornish cross the same age.
I can only imagine the feed cost when the capons are fed the dairy cereal mix for 4 weeks.
I would be curious to see the direct cost of capons from start to finish using the French method.
I won't know for about another 4-5 months on my direct cost per unit.
If there is anyone out there who has done the French method of raising the Bresse please chime in, inquiring minds need to know.
Also what the projected market price may be.
I figure it will be between $9.00 - $5.50 per pound. as this is what our organic Turkey are sold.

I'm thinking of selling mine for about $8/lb. Also, I know they have to be free-ranged until shortly before slaughter, then confined to build up fat. At atlest day 35, they are fed grain and milk products, then sent out to the fields to range when able.

There's some info on here-
http://sunbirdfarms.com/category/american-bresse/

And direct from the source with a nice video here- (gotta know French though!

)
http://www.pouletbresse.com/site/

 

[TNBEARCHICK]

Ok your ahead of me

 

[Bresseman]

So here goes my opinion about the chances of your getting "imitation Bresse" Otherwise known as California Blue Footed chicken. From what I am hearing the chance is Nil, zero, nada. I say this because the breed is strictly controlled and for a reason. That reason is to maintain price point and quality and to monopolize the gourmet high end market. The CBF chicken is sold for high end restaurants and for a type of chicken sushi that is sold in some Japanese markets in NY and California. I keep and maintain the Beny and Poulet Noir Bresse at this time and will be putting a couple hundred on pasture this spring. I hope to taste my first in a month or two. That said I think the warning for buying these birds would be "Buyer Beware" Know your breeder or be assured of their reliability. I don't sell my white birds (Beny) as I need them for pasture. The Poulet Noir (Black) I do sell as they are smaller and prolific layers of big white eggs. Currently my four Poulet Noir are churning out more eggs than I care to hatch. I also plan to caponize both the Poulet Noir and the Beny versions of the bird and taste test them as soon as possible. That said it probably won't be for another 6 months before I try out a capon. Generally though I think that most folks who bought these birds are trying to make a fast profit selling them as straight run chicks. My concern is that these folks are not going to care about in-breeding and greenfires lines are limited to two different lines. I see a problem in the future with inbred birds in this line. Therefore I plan to either bring eggs from another line (probably Irish) in to the country and add some new blood to my lines, or hybridize the birds with an american heritage breed. The breed in my opinion is in great danger of being inbred here in the US and in my opinion there are a lot of unscrupulous folks who will take advantage of you out there. Can I also just say for the sake of accuracy there is only one "e" in Bresse. They are not "Breese" like Geese but Bresse which rymes with yes. The name comes from the province in France that they come from. The Bresse province. Just like Marans is the province that "Marans" chickens come from. Not trying to be mean here just clearing up some misconceptions and misnomers. Also the two types of Bresse here in America are the Poulet Bresse (Beny) also termed Gauloise and the Poulet Noir (black) also termed Gauloise. Gauloise is what they are termed in the EU as by law they cannot be termed "Bresse" since the birds here in the US aren't raised in Bresse to the Bresse standard.

 

[McCormack Farms]

So here goes my opinion about the chances of your getting "imitation Bresse" Otherwise known as California Blue Footed chicken. From what I am hearing the chance is Nil, zero, nada. I say this because the breed is strictly controlled and for a reason. That reason is to maintain price point and quality and to monopolize the gourmet high end market. The CBF chicken is sold for high end restaurants and for a type of chicken sushi that is sold in some Japanese markets in NY and California. I keep and maintain the Beny and Poulet Noir Bresse at this time and will be putting a couple hundred on pasture this spring. I hope to taste my first in a month or two. That said I think the warning for buying these birds would be "Buyer Beware" Know your breeder or be assured of their reliability. I don't sell my white birds (Beny) as I need them for pasture. The Poulet Noir (Black) I do sell as they are smaller and prolific layers of big white eggs. Currently my four Poulet Noir are churning out more eggs than I care to hatch. I also plan to caponize both the Poulet Noir and the Beny versions of the bird and taste test them as soon as possible. That said it probably won't be for another 6 months before I try out a capon. Generally though I think that most folks who bought these birds are trying to make a fast profit selling them as straight run chicks. My concern is that these folks are not going to care about in-breeding and greenfires lines are limited to two different lines. I see a problem in the future with inbred birds in this line. Therefore I plan to either bring eggs from another line (probably Irish) in to the country and add some new blood to my lines, or hybridize the birds with an american heritage breed. The breed in my opinion is in great danger of being inbred here in the US and in my opinion there are a lot of unscrupulous folks who will take advantage of you out there. Can I also just say for the sake of accuracy there is only one "e" in Bresse. They are not "Breese" like Geese but Bresse which rymes with yes. The name comes from the province in France that they come from. The Bresse province. Just like Marans is the province that "Marans" chickens come from. Not trying to be mean here just clearing up some misconceptions and misnomers. Also the two types of Bresse here in America are the Poulet Bresse (Beny) also termed Gauloise and the Poulet Noir (black) also termed Gauloise. Gauloise is what they are termed in the EU as by law they cannot be termed "Bresse" since the birds here in the US aren't raised in Bresse to the Bresse standard.

Thank you for this, most informative. I am glad someone cares enough about the future of the breed to do something about it.

 

[sonew123]

Thank you Bresseman! Ive been guilty of saying Breese on more than 1 occasion when someone calls you out..you tend to never make that mistake again! Lol I get where your coming from with everything else...

 

[Bresseman]

I hope I haven't stepped on any toes. I sometimes get accused of being an accuracy freak!

 

[sonew123]

I hope I haven't stepped on any toes.  I sometimes get accused of being an accuracy freak!

Not my toes! ill most likely be contacting you for some help!

 

[Talihofarms]

So here goes my opinion about the chances of your getting "imitation Bresse" Otherwise known as California Blue Footed chicken. From what I am hearing the chance is Nil, zero, nada. I say this because the breed is strictly controlled and for a reason. That reason is to maintain price point and quality and to monopolize the gourmet high end market. The CBF chicken is sold for high end restaurants and for a type of chicken sushi that is sold in some Japanese markets in NY and California. I keep and maintain the Beny and Poulet Noir Bresse at this time and will be putting a couple hundred on pasture this spring. I hope to taste my first in a month or two. That said I think the warning for buying these birds would be "Buyer Beware" Know your breeder or be assured of their reliability. I don't sell my white birds (Beny) as I need them for pasture. The Poulet Noir (Black) I do sell as they are smaller and prolific layers of big white eggs. Currently my four Poulet Noir are churning out more eggs than I care to hatch. I also plan to caponize both the Poulet Noir and the Beny versions of the bird and taste test them as soon as possible. That said it probably won't be for another 6 months before I try out a capon. Generally though I think that most folks who bought these birds are trying to make a fast profit selling them as straight run chicks. My concern is that these folks are not going to care about in-breeding and greenfires lines are limited to two different lines. I see a problem in the future with inbred birds in this line. Therefore I plan to either bring eggs from another line (probably Irish) in to the country and add some new blood to my lines, or hybridize the birds with an american heritage breed. The breed in my opinion is in great danger of being inbred here in the US and in my opinion there are a lot of unscrupulous folks who will take advantage of you out there. Can I also just say for the sake of accuracy there is only one "e" in Bresse. They are not "Breese" like Geese but Bresse which rymes with yes. The name comes from the province in France that they come from. The Bresse province. Just like Marans is the province that "Marans" chickens come from. Not trying to be mean here just clearing up some misconceptions and misnomers. Also the two types of Bresse here in America are the Poulet Bresse (Beny) also termed Gauloise and the Poulet Noir (black) also termed Gauloise. Gauloise is what they are termed in the EU as by law they cannot be termed "Bresse" since the birds here in the US aren't raised in Bresse to the Bresse standard.

I am curious as to how you plan to finish your capons.
If I may assume you will be using the French method.
Primarily pasture then finished the last 4 weeks on the cereal dairy mix.
I have 2 flocks of American Bresse, each with a little over 200 chicks..
I am at the early stages where I have very little information on what my direct cost per bird start to finish will end up being.
Since the final results will not be known for another 6 months,
I have had quite a bit of interest although I have yet to determine what my market price will be.
I still have to personally conduct my own taste test on the American Bresse before I can sell them to the public.
Lets keep the information flowing.

 

[Bresseman]

To answer your question, at this point I don't know how I am going to finish them. I had thought to market them in the future as a high end pastured chicken. In my opinion only restaurants are going to want to purchase a chicken that costs more than $4 a pound. My original plan is to start slow and finish about 20 birds the French way. That means epinettes (wooden cages) and milk and corn for 4 weeks. To me there are very few Americans outside of metropolitan areas that will pony up for a fancy french chicken and I have a feeling I might lose my pants on the deal. I do have a plan to talk to local restaurants and offer them some samples then take orders for future birds if they decide that the birds are premium. Fact is I haven't been able to taste the darn things yet as I've had some loss of breeders to predation. I'll keep folks posted but until I know more about demand there is no way I'm going to invest the kind of capital finishing them the French way. I have thought to do some experimenting so will keep you posted.

 

[sonew123]

Here is my plan for my small group.

I cannot allow them to free range due to really bad prededation. I purchased electrical fencing last year for my large group of birds and might be able to buy another set for these? If not they have a large coop and run ( will have in the Spring when I get the chicks) Fodder-lots of it as well as fermented feed. Last 4 weeks goats milk with the fermented feed with alot of added corn. That is my plan. I plan to have them butchered come late September when they are around 5 months old or younger...Do these regal looking roos crow early? I plan to only use this coop and run for all the roos I choose NOT to keep and grow out for my freezer... My neighbors can tolerate crowing but not a ton Or I will butcher early. I truly want to try caponizing too. I have all the materials neccessary and have some surgery experience because of my job. I think I may try it on a few young mutt roos first and see what the survival rate is.