Gauloise (Bresse) eggs due to hatch on 19-20th

[draye]

Thanks for the picture, they are very pretty chickens, yes they do resemble a White Rock to some extint.

 

[VillageChicken]

Went into lockdown a day late because we were having brown outs and blackouts intermittently with subzero temps outside and the incubator in the 45 degree basement.
Candled in the evening, and everyone seems fine. When I got the hatcher ready today and started switching everyone over, I noticed that one of the RIR cross eggs already pipped! Never had one pip that early before! It's only day 19. It was only a tiny pip so it should have survived the transfer without drying out too much. We'll see. Not too worried about the crosses hatching so much as the Bresse. I could see motion in all 4 last night before lockdown.

 

[pinkchick]

Quote:
Will be sitting on the edge of my chair waiting for news! Good Luck!!!!!

 

[poularde]

Go Chickies!

 

[kristim23]

Hope all goes well for you and the babies!!

 

[VillageChicken]

Day 20 and there is a pip in one of the bresse eggs!
All 4 RIR cross eggs already hatched! I usually dry hatch but the Bresse eggs had rather large airsacs to begin with (at least they looked big when candled) compared to the RIR cross eggs, so I split them up for about a week after day 7, with the Bresse at about 35% and the RIR crosses at close to zero. Maybe temps were different enough to make them hatch early, but as I mentioned when I first started this thread, these RIR cross eggs just leaped out of the starting gate and were ahead of the Bresse from day 3. I am not surprised they hatched early, but they don't seem to be soft or have external yolks or anything. Looks like 2 buff, one black, and one dark brown that will probably feather out red birchen. At least they will be easy to distinguish from the Bresse as they grow up together. Sometimes I get whites from these crosses, but the legs would be white or yellow.

 

[pinkchick]

C'mon chickies!!!!!!

 

[usschicago1]

Always learning here on BYC! Never heard of this breed. Is it APA recognized?

 

[VillageChicken]

No, as far as I know there is only one possible breeder in California and their stock is heavily guarded. I'm not sure if their stock can be traced back to France or if it is a reconstructed strain.
The Bresse Gauloise is a French dual purpose breed that when prepared properly, is sold for exorbitant prices in France and the breeding stock and methods of finishing are also protected.
The official breed name is Gauloise, but if they are raised in Bresse France by designated farms under regulated conditions, they can be called Bresse. There are actually French laws prohibiting the use of Bresse for birds raised outside of these conditions. Of course even when something is protected, there are always creative methods of smuggling eggs, and there are Gauloise from the French lines in Germany and UK.

 

[Mahonri]

So how is the weather in Hungary?

Got a letter from DS#2 from Szekesfehérvár last Monday and he's says it's quite chilly there with a bit of snow.

Congrats on the hatch.

How far north of Buda are you?