Bresse Chickens

[TNBEARCHICK]

So, my two chicks are 6 weeks old this weekend. I think their legs are starting to turn blue? From the start I was pretty sure I had two boys... Do you guys agree? And, if anyone in my area is looking for a roo, well, I am willing to part with one, or they will both be put in the freezer later on!




Chick #1






Chick #2

Roosters

 

[TNBEARCHICK]

Well my girls are being mischievous they are jumping the fence and laying eggs under a tree and of course we don't have a gate there and have to walk about 1000 yds to get to them or boost my youngest daughter over the fence.

 

[EllyHood]

Has anyone ever had a broody Bresse? I have one right now who has started showing all the signs. She pecked the crap out of my hand when I tried to reach under her for eggs.

If you did have one, did you let it brood? Was it successful?

And a more general question - is this a trait we want in our Bresse?

I absolutely don't want my Bresse to be broody. Any hens that are will be going to freezer camp.

 

[DCchicken]

@DCchicken
 has one the keeps trying to go broody, and I think has a sister who was using one for an Easter hatch-a-long, but I don't know how the hatch went.

Mine keeps trying. I am thinking that I might put her in a mini coop to encourage her more. I can't take using cheap Brinsea incubators anymore. It's time to use broodies. My sister had nothing hatch yet. But she did not separate the broody and other hens kept laying on top of her and crushing the eggs.

I am glad to see that Bresse can be broody. For people that want a self sustaining flock, this is an absolute must have trait.

 

[mzstre]

From what I gather no one has "taste tested" a Bresse yet.......we are going to finish our flock  out on bagels milk, corn mash for three weeks then do a taste test.

I'm curious if they live up to their hype.

We've been eating ours for a couple of months now.  They were not classically finished like you are planning.  I've found that taste and tenderness are similar to our other heritage chickens (meaning...excellent).  But they have a better, meatier carcass than any of the other breeds we have tried.  

I'm hoping to take a couple of this springs batch and finish like you are planning.

We cooked our first Bresse cockerel for Easter dinner and it was superb! We process all extra cockerels from our Basque and BLRW pens and although they have good flavor, the Bresse was better. We did put a small amount of effort into short term "finishing" so I am unsure if that accounts for the difference. We processed between 22 and 24 weeks. The birds were fed an organic fermented mash until the last 2 weeks. At that time the cockerels were confined to a roomy tractor and fed an organic diet of kamut, corn grits, oatmeal and a sprinkling of BOSS and flax. The kamut, BOSS and flax were fed raw and the corn grits and oatmeal were fed cooked with milk.

We brined with sea salt and fresh crushed garlic for 3 days. We normally slow cook cockerels for several hours and still have a bit of stringiness. We coated the Bresse in olive oil and sprinkled it with rosemary, thyme, garlic and a bit of sea salt. We cooked it covered in the oven at 275° and checked it after 2 hours. Unlike our other breeds, the Bresse was very tender and the meat was falling off the bone. It cooked in half the time and was a much more flavorful, tender and moist bird.

Perhaps I will try finishing cockerels of the other breeds the same way for comparison.

 

[BCMaraniac]

Mine keeps trying. I am thinking that I might put her in a mini coop to encourage her more. I can't take using cheap Brinsea incubators anymore. It's time to use broodies. My sister had nothing hatch yet. But she did not separate the broody and other hens kept laying on top of her and crushing the eggs.

I am glad to see that Bresse can be broody. For people that want a self sustaining flock, this is an absolute must have trait.

I have Marans along with Bresse, so I am going to use them since they go broody often. I have one that raised two sets of chicks last year. I put her in seclusion for the first hatch, and as soon as she was done with the chicks, she laid a couple of eggs in the nesting boxes, then no more. After a couple of weeks, she disappeared.....then showed up with chicks about 3 weeks later. Right now I have BO from my initial layer flock who is brooding for me.

 

[juststruttin]

Has anyone ever had a broody Bresse? I have one right now who has started showing all the signs. She pecked the crap out of my hand when I tried to reach under her for eggs.

If you did have one, did you let it brood? Was it successful?

And a more general question - is this a trait we want in our Bresse?

Yes, I have a broody right now. Its been a week and she looks like she is going to stick. I am considering giving her some eggs.

 

[chiqita]

Yes,  I have a broody right now.  Its been a week and she looks like she is going to stick.  I am considering giving her some eggs.  

That is the first broody report from clovis girls or chicks!

 

[sonew123]

I would do anything for a broody girl right now!!! ANY broody girl!!

 

[DCchicken]

I would do anything for a broody girl right now!!! ANY broody girl!!

While I was waiting for my Bresse pullet to make up her mind, my Ayam Kedu decided to go broody. So I stuck some Bresse eggs under her.