Bresse Chickens

[DCchicken]

Those of you who have blue and splash - are they like the blacks? I'll be trading for a splash rooster and would like to put him in my black bresse pen.

Blue/Black/Splash breeding is the same for all chicken breeds. Just do a search for it on BYC and there will be a chart.

 

[alisar]

I mean were they more like the meat type white bresse or the egg layer black bresse. Maybe if I put everyone together I can tease out the grey

 

[LindaB220]

Do you think 100 will be enough??

Bahahaha I was at the grocery store today and sticker shock. Yes, I'm planning on raising plenty. May not caponize all but whatever.

 

[BCMaraniac]

Bahahaha I was at the grocery store today and sticker shock. Yes, I'm planning on raising plenty. May not caponize all but whatever.

I've hatched out about 100 chicks, half Bresse and half Marans. All but about 12 breeders are being raised for meat. Any culled roos or mature slips will be deboned, ground and pressure canned. It makes great chicken chili, chicken salad, and even stir fry. The meat is very tender that way and has a great flavor. I've got some older hens and roosters that will meet the same end. It is really great to have on hand for a quick meal.

Speaking of sticker shock.....pork is incredible....$5.00 for a pound of sausage!! I'm glad we decided to raise a couple of hogs this year, which will be ready for processing in about 6 weeks.

 

[LindaB220]

I've hatched out about 100 chicks, half Bresse and half Marans. All but about 12 breeders are being raised for meat. Any culled roos or mature slips will be deboned, ground and pressure canned. It makes great chicken chili, chicken salad, and even stir fry. The meat is very tender that way and has a great flavor. I've got some older hens and roosters that will meet the same end. It is really great to have on hand for a quick meal.

Speaking of sticker shock.....pork is incredible....$5.00 for a pound of sausage!! I'm glad we decided to raise a couple of hogs this year, which will be ready for processing in about 6 weeks.

Woohoo, you are right on top of that. The cheapest sausage at the store was a combo of chicken and pork. How big do your meat chickens get? Do you always mix the two? Your 12 breeders are going to be the mix also? Or raise pure breeds to mix later? The Marans are better dark meat, right? What does the Bresse bring to the table, better taste.or bigger size? I know I have a lot of questions but I'm so interested in your mix.

 

[BCMaraniac]

Woohoo, you are right on top of that. The cheapest sausage at the store was a combo of chicken and pork. How big do your meat chickens get? Do you always mix the two? Your 12 breeders are going to be the mix also? Or raise pure breeds to mix later? The Marans are better dark meat, right? What does the Bresse bring to the table, better taste.or bigger size? I know I have a lot of questions but I'm so interested in your mix.

What I meant was half the chicks are Bresse and half are Marans. I didn't get a chance to cross the two this year....maybe next year. I am keeping back a Bresse rooster and about 10 pullets from which to get about 6 breeders. I will cross them back on their parents next year. I have some Marans breeders that I am culling this year because somebody is throwing chicks without tails.....probably too much inbreeding somewhere along the way. Of course that isn't going to matter when it comes to meat this year. I am fairly certain I know the culprits, so they will end up in a jar! So I am looking at some of the Marans pullets to keep as breeders.

The Marans have really good flavor and carcasses make awesome stock. I have only had a couple of Bresse, which were culls because I had too many roosters out of my original breed stock, and they were quite good. I do think the meat of the Marans is darker. My birds are out all day on pasture, then come in and eat a 5 grain scratch feed in the evenings, which is about 12% protein.. They haven't had any feed since about week 8. So far, so good My breeders are from the first hatches of the year. The Bresse rooster from this year's hatch weighed over 6 pounds at 18 weeks of age, so I think he is going to be a good sized fella. They are heavier than they look when you pick them up. I am looking forward to finishing out a couple of them on grain and milk this year to see how the flavor is. I still haven't roasted that big capon from last year that was Orpington/Marans cross. He ultimately dressed out at 6 1/2 pounds.

As far as these birds go size wise, this is a work in progress, so I really don't know yet. This is really the first year that I have raised pure bred birds for meat. The mixed birds last year were the result of broody Marans, and a Orpington flock protector rooster......the birds I learned to caponize on. The two Bresse capons from last year dressed out between 4 and 4 1/2 pounds The only pure Marans last year were capon slips.....my very first attempts, and I didn't weigh them......They were quite tasty, though.

 

[Double Kindness]

w! I'm waiting for bresse to hatch then ship to me in about 3 weeks, I'm getting a dozen or so, is that a good # to begin building my sustainable meat flock with?

I want marans too, well, it looks like I can hardly wait until spring to get some of your chicks BC.

We're picking up a half of an organic grass fed angus beef from the butchers Saturday (I need to defrost my stand deep freezer dang it and we'll buy another deep freezer tomorrow night whoo hoo) & I only paid $2.65 per pl hanging weight, & .65 a lb for processing, this includes mostly steaks, stew meat, roasts, ribs, organs, bones and extra bones and hoof for my dogs and my friends dogs she shows (she's gonna be excited Saturday to get organs for her dog's upcoming show soon!). So this should last me all winter with the 26 itty bitty peep peeps I'm raising for meat.

I am getting a double caponizing set, and planning on practicing on these .80 chickens. A few questions, what grains are being soaked in milk? Raw milk? Cows or goats milk? When after caponizing should the milk finishing start on the chickens?

I have sourced a supply of cheap raw goats milk to freeze. Exciting!

 

[Odelia]

I mean were they more like the meat type white bresse or the egg layer black bresse. Maybe if I put everyone together I can tease out the grey

The splash are going to be like the egg layer black Bresse.

 

[ChickenFox]

Got a question. Would there be any real point in me hatching out 3/4 white bresse 1/4 buckeye chicks this fall? I was initially wanting to just to see the outcome and add some bresse blood to my mixed flock but as space is limited I'm thinking maybe I should just hold off until I get a full bresse roo next year so I could sell the purebred chicks more readily. I'm wanting to process the roos I have now anyway so I'll have less to feed this coming winter and more meat for me in the freezer.

But if there might be a market for them I might just try to cook up a batch or 2 to sell next month. Opinions?

 

[piglett]

Blue/Black/Splash breeding is the same for all chicken breeds. Just do a search for it on BYC and there will be a chart.

i didn't have a Bresse roo so i used my splash english roo for breeding

i ended up with some good looking birds although not pure a couple sure did look nice.

i think i'll keep the best cockerel & process the rest of the boys

the girls will be for my sexlink project