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Poule de Bresse chicken
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Poule de Bresse chicken
Any experience wiht Bresse chicken?
We have Poule de Bresse and Barbezieux chicken from France, and Jersey Giant Chicken my favorite.
What we love about the Bresse is the perfect dual purpose chicken, great layers and meat. Such active free Rangers, saves feed and give the eggs and meat a excellent taste. Also the part feeding the meat birds with high protein feed, maize and milk.
The Barbezieux are also great like the Bresse, good free rangers and 100 g eggs.
Jersey Giant are a special kind chicken, with a real American attitude that is wy they are my nr 1. There meat is great but they need a long time, but o boy that turkey like meat is worth it.
Wondering witch experiences you have with Bresse and other chicken?
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40 Replies
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I have been aware of the Bresse chicken for a few years now but I was under the impression that they were unavailable in the states. We have only raised Cornish cross for meat or the occasional roosters that my hens hatch out. The cornish are so input heavy and with the feed prices what they have become I would love to find a better alternative aka a great forager. We did try freedom ranger that was a slower grower but they were still input heavy.. maybe because we ran a semi confinement on pasture dew to heavy predator issues.
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Watch Living Traditions Homestead. They just did a video where they butchered some of their American Bresse roos.
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Poule de Bresse is a protected name, most likely you can find them under a different name like American Bresse in the USA.
We have had some but they were just not the real one, after years we have gotten some from France. And o boy what a difference, no comparison with all the others.
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Can you share how you managed to obtain the real deal from France?
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It was a long journey with a lot of different Bresse, the German ones that are related from the France but become totally different. You can say they have become German Bresse, the American would love them because they are so big and heavy. And the Dutch ones that should have bin the France, but a totall failure.
To be honest we gave up on the Bresse, but than a France breeder contacted us for Jersey Giant and other breeds. So we helped each other out and exchanged different breeds and lines.
We have different lines from the breed and AOC, also Barbesieux.
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Just a funny thing… I live 25 minutes from Bourg en Bresse, which is the homeland of the poulet de Bresse! Everyone around here sells them and raises them 🙂
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Lucky you! Maybe you could send us all some hatching eggs 🤪
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I’m flying to Ohio for Christmas. I’m sure the border patrol won’t mind at all if my carry on is filled with le chickies! 😅
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Our Jersey eggs fly all over the world that way, but today less and less easier and doable.
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You are so lucky, hope you enjoy the Bresse to?
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I do, but we have been raising another breed, the Cou Nu (naked necks) because they are a great dual purpose race.
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Exactly that breed is next on my wish list! To make the flock(s) complete, how are your experiences?
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They are super hardy and easy to raise. We have the red ones… they aren’t here for beauty, that’s for sure! But we’ve never had a problem with them, the meat is really good, AND the hens are good layers. The rooster is nice and hasn’t been aggressive with anyone. We recently put them together with our other layers, who are 2 years old. I’m hoping “Woostah” will make us some fun cross breed babies!
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Verry nice!
They must be easier to pluck right?
Love to get the wite and black ones, to match the Bresse, Barbezieux and Jersey.
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It’s true! My hubby and I were so surprised the first time we butchered them. Honestly, they were plucked in just a couple of minutes… crazy!
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That and ther hardiness is so cool.
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We got American Bresse from Greenfire farms here in Florida several years ago. Lets just say they are way over priced but they did better than the American Bresse we got from Texas which were all sickly and died pretty quick. I would love to try the true version. I havent been impressed with weight and find them pretty tough but I havent finished them in the traditional way… I still have them just in case I cant get other meat birds but I really havent found anything special about them since Ive had them to be honest
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Any time I buy a poulet de Bresse from the farmer’s market here, they always tell me “Now remember, you don’t prepare this chicken the same way you would any other or they can be tough.” If anyone is interested, I can post the cooking instructions from the “official” poulet de Bresse website here in France.
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For sure yes please do!
France cooking is a special way to cook, would love recipes with instructions.
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It’s a little long, but I put the instructions through Deepl, and this is what I got! Enjoy 🙂
In order for it to retain the maximum of its qualities, it must therefore be “cooked in itself”: after having salted it inside, place the bird on its thigh in a casserole dish; add salt and pepper and drizzle it with olive oil.
Halfway through cooking, turn it over onto the other thigh.
Avoid pricking it and baste it with its juice every 1/4 hour. Count 45 minutes per kg, thermostat 200°C.
At the end of cooking, prick the inside of the leg; if the juice is pink, the cooking is not sufficient: reserve the chest with the fillets and detach the legs to put them back in the oven.
We advise you to keep the roasted chicken under a sheet of aluminium foil for a quarter of an hour before carving and serving to your guests.
Translated with http://www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)
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Thank you so much, this is exactly how we can help each other all over the world!
First way we are going to prepare the next Bresse.
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Hang on there, if you find the real deal you will find out.
The Bresse are the best free rangers no bug is save, Barbezieux are also good free rangers but like more greens and the Jersey are depending on us and need the most feed. They free range just for fun, but o so proud Americans they sure stand united.
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Greenfire brings in all types of rare breed 1st time breeds . Greenfire is the group that brought the original Bresse here from France. They had a problem with their first flock but was supposed to have got more from France to improve the flock several years ago. Most of the people who have them here in the us got their breeder stock from Greenfire. If you got yours that are true french bresse I would love to know where so I could get some to see the difference.
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Just curious where do you get the Barbezieux chicks / eggs from?
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I have been thinking about the Canadian Bresse but the eggs are quite pricey. Now, you have me rethinking
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We got our first batch of the Black Bresse from Bresse Farms this year. All was going well until 3 hawks took out 11 in one afternoon 😵💫 we have 4 hens a 1 rooster left. Hoping to breed them next spring. Adding Blue and White from hatching eggs coming from AZ Chickens in a few weeks.
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You do know that the different colors are different purpose breed?
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Please share information on the purposes, if you know. Thx
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Black eggs, white meat, blue between and flash different depending on lines.
Blue is also not a true steady color like with Jersey.
We choose to have only the white breed and AOC, and only the original color black Barbezieux and Jersey. The white we sold to a other breeder, so we can introduce the Cou nu when the time is righ.
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Did you say black eggs?? Like black inside? Mine are not laying black eggs LOL but that would be awesome especially during Halloween!!
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For …
Do you believe in unicorns to, just kidding.
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hahahahaha
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Lorelee thank you very much for all your knowledge and being willing to share!
Two turtles! I had NO idea there were black Bresse! I have wanted to try them after Simeon from Swedish homestead talked so reverently about them, but I was told that white chickens attract aerial predators and black chickens look more like crows, so are more off-putting. Your post blew that theory out of the water for sure! I am so excited. Now I need to go look for some Bresse of some color that doesn’t attract hawks. Do they come in plaid? 🤣
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The Black Jersey and Barbezieux are just a pray as well to, chicken have to lurn fast to the dangers and have enough hiding places.
Remember the color gives the use, white for meat and also good amount of eggs, and black for eggs.
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Well, I have had a good time reading all your Bresse stories! I purchased some from a hatchery. But would really like to get some from you Jersey or some eggs. Of both the Bresse and the Black Barbezieux. How beautiful they are! How can we make that happen?
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Personally I do not sell eggs anymore, just young chickens so I can select breeders. All that are not suitable for breeding, stay for freezing camp.
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I have guineas that I use to protect and warn me and them of danger from predators. They do a pretty good job. I raised them with my chicks and they are like their caretakers. They stay with them and roost with them. They can be pretty bossy at times but it is worth it. They are scrappers when any hawks or such come around and they scare them off with their noise!!
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