Lamona or Bresse. Cold Hardy?

[FoodFreedomNow]

Thanks for the suggestion on the buckeyes. I’ve read about them and they look like a nice breed. I’m really interested in the Bresse cross mentioned and maybe the recreated Lamona. I’m really intrigued by food freedom’s cross—people around here love dark brown eggs.

Here are some photos of the AB/FBCM crosses:



Cockerels


Pullets

 

[ChicksinMT]

They are are nice and much reduced comb wise. And you get dark eggs too.

 

[FoodFreedomNow]

Thanks! The combs on the fully-grown roosters were about FBCM-sized. I lost a couple of the girls to predation, but one laid eggs that were dark brown, darker than some FBCMs lay (the FBCM roo came from good dark egg lines) and more often. I would definitely do this cross again.

 

[speedy2020]

The Bresse will able to handle 10F and 105F just fine. They are like other single comb breed. If you want cold harder breed, the pea comb or rose comb would be better choice (Dark Cornish, Chantecler, Buckeye, Wyandotte, Rhode Island Red Rose Comb, etc...)

 

[ChicksinMT]

Thanks

 

[FabledFeatherFarm]

Hi,
Can anyone who breeds Lamonas or American Bresse attest to whether they are cold hardy? I’m in Montana and am trying to figure which would be better—my husband and I are concerned about the combs of the roosters.

I just started breeding Lamonas last year. My rooster did very well over winter with just a couple flecks on his comb after our coldest day. I’m in NY, winter low was in the negative teens, and my chickens were in a basic plywood coop. If Montana is as cold as I’ve heard, you’d probably want an insulated coop. I can’t vouch for Bresse, but I’d say Lamonas are slightly above average, but can’t compare with Chanteclers or Breda for cold tolerance, at least that’s been my experience.

 

[FabledFeatherFarm]

Does anyone have experience with the recreated Lamona?

Yes. I have a small flock. I was told by someone close to Gerdes that the “recreated” Lamona is actually a very high percentage of the original Lamona. It was created by breeding the last of the originals with a few recreation line birds, and then breeding the offspring back to the originals. I can’t tell any difference between my birds and the old pictures.

 

[FabledFeatherFarm]

Thanks for the suggestion on the buckeyes. I’ve read about them and they look like a nice breed. I’m really interested in the Bresse cross mentioned and maybe the recreated Lamona. I’m really intrigued by food freedom’s cross—people around here love dark brown eggs.

I have Lamonas now and love them. I’ve never had Bresse, so I can’t compare there, but they are better than Orpingtons, Rangers, Chanteclers, Delaware’s, and Dorking for both meat and egg production.

 

[FabledFeatherFarm]

Does anyone actually have either of these breeds? Recreated Lamona? Or Bresse?

I have Lamonas. Highly recommend them both for meat and egg production. If you can get through the initial sticker shock, they do end up earning their keep.

 

[FabledFeatherFarm]

Hi,
Can anyone who breeds Lamonas or American Bresse attest to whether they are cold hardy? I’m in Montana and am trying to figure which would be better—my husband and I are concerned about the combs of the roosters.

Hi,
Can anyone who breeds Lamonas or American Bresse attest to whether they are cold hardy? I’m in Montana and am trying to figure which would be better—my husband and I are concerned about the combs of the roosters.

Probably too late to be of help to you, but for anyone else who may be on here researching Lamonas…..

I’ve been raising Lamonas for 3 years now in zone 5, Finger Lakes region, NY. Our winters get down to negative 20, frequently fluctuate as much as 40 degrees in a matter of hours, and can often be very wet going down to freezing. I’ve never lost a Lamona, though their big combs do get frostbite sometimes. I have a big shed with lots of deep litter and bales against the wall that gets the most wind. I haven’t compared with Bresse, but these birds are tougher than the Orpingtons, Delawares, Dorkings, and Freedom Rangers, Plymouth Rocks, and Cornish X I raised previously.