As soon as I put my hands on this cockerel at the 7 month old mark, I could feel that he was the biggest/thickest/widest/heaviest guy in the bunch. He also has a steady/easy temperament, excellent vigor and that winter-proof comb is pretty neat. He's a project bird, F3.
In growing/watching/tasting Bresse for 2 seasons now, I didn't even think about it when I tossed him in with the 9 Bresse pullets I didn't put in the pure Bresse pen. In the offspring I'll be looking for that comb, the same frame/type but only the ones with the heaviest breast once we're picking for 2021. His frame is on par with the Bresse and I'm hoping the Bresse add in a little more fullness to it.
He's already been with "training" hens, so he took on these 5-6 month old pullets like a gentleman.
The Bresse routinely start laying at 20 weeks, so I'm waiting on their eggs to get to hatching size. I'll start collecting eggs in about December for the first test hatch. He's out of good laying lines too, his sire's frame was widened and thickened through an outcross to "beefy" Marans, which is also where he got his color. Technically he's an Olive Egger but I don't know which egg color he carries. The cross to the Bresse will tell me, when those daughters start to lay. They'll lay like a professional but I won't know the shell color until it happens.
I have a Blue Barred version of him too, waiting to see how he finishes out.
I don't know if our line of Bresse is dominant or recessive white, this is the first outcross I'm doing with them. We'll see what hatches!
The Bresse have a thin, delicate skin, in contrast to the thicker skin of the Marans. I'm curious to see how that results in the offspring. The Marans also have a stronger texture to the meat, while the Bresse is finer in texture.
In growing/watching/tasting Bresse for 2 seasons now, I didn't even think about it when I tossed him in with the 9 Bresse pullets I didn't put in the pure Bresse pen. In the offspring I'll be looking for that comb, the same frame/type but only the ones with the heaviest breast once we're picking for 2021. His frame is on par with the Bresse and I'm hoping the Bresse add in a little more fullness to it.
He's already been with "training" hens, so he took on these 5-6 month old pullets like a gentleman.
The Bresse routinely start laying at 20 weeks, so I'm waiting on their eggs to get to hatching size. I'll start collecting eggs in about December for the first test hatch. He's out of good laying lines too, his sire's frame was widened and thickened through an outcross to "beefy" Marans, which is also where he got his color. Technically he's an Olive Egger but I don't know which egg color he carries. The cross to the Bresse will tell me, when those daughters start to lay. They'll lay like a professional but I won't know the shell color until it happens.
I have a Blue Barred version of him too, waiting to see how he finishes out.
I don't know if our line of Bresse is dominant or recessive white, this is the first outcross I'm doing with them. We'll see what hatches!
The Bresse have a thin, delicate skin, in contrast to the thicker skin of the Marans. I'm curious to see how that results in the offspring. The Marans also have a stronger texture to the meat, while the Bresse is finer in texture.
