| My Journey with Bresse
My parents were immigrants from Italy who landed in Brooklyn where I was born and grew up till I was 9. Then we
moved out to Long Island which seemed like a transition to real country living to me. I was always drawn to
keeping pets of all sorts, and my parents always kept a garden full of vegetables and of course the tomatoes for
making the sauce. So I always had this ingrained association with gardening and raising animals. So as time
passed, life found me moving to Deland, Florida where I settled down on my acre and a half of land. Which to a kid
from Brooklyn seemed huge. Of course first things first, and in went the garden and the coop for some chickens.
It is a very well established fact that once you have chickens it is impossible to keep just a few. You start off with
this and then you must have some of those, so the never ending saga of chicken math kicks in. They just keep
multiplying! There is an infinite variety out there to be had and those irresistible urges must be satisfied. Now personally
I am a very utilitarian and practical so I managed to keep control for at least some part. At first the chickens were
obtained the normal way, you know through catalogs, Tractor Supply, or Rural King. But then eBay struck and I found that I
could order hatching eggs for the most gorgeous, exotic and rarest chickens in all chickendom. Then the practical side
kicked in and my sensibilities were restored and being cheep helped too. Chickens take up space, time, labor and
MONEY. I had to set practical goals that would allow me not to be dependant on buying new stock in order to replenish
my flock every year. So again through eBay - my source for the extraordinary, I began reading descriptions for the
best tasting chicken in the world, a heritage breed from France called Bresse that were also known for their laying
abilities. So I bit onto the hook and bought a dozen hatching eggs. Right off the bat the eggs that came were quite large,
about 70 grams each which is a jumbo egg. So that first impression was good. Next when the chicks hatched, because
they came from jumbo eggs, the chicks were quite large and they were very vigorous and grew significantly faster
than any other chicken I have raised except for the Cornish X. This now was another positive trait that impressed me.
As mentioned they grew fast and filled out to a good size quick. Most breeds look big until you take off the feathers
and underneath you find a scrawny thing with a huge keel bone. When you're used to supermarket chickens or Cornish
crosses most heritage breeds are quite pitiful. The Bresse are heavier than they look and when you handle them you
can actually feel that meat on the breast and not just a huge keel bone. At one point in my chicken history, I bought
heritage Cornish from a breeder. When I went to lift up those birds I was impressed because being hard feathered
they look small but that little hen had to be every bit of 10 pounds. She was a little bowling ball with feathers. BUT
raising them is a challenge. They lay few eggs, mine probably laid 120 eggs per year. They would lay a clutch and
then go broody for several weeks and wouldn't lay again for over a month sometimes. So overall they were chunky
yes, but production was slowwwww and they are heavy eaters besides. So back to my Bresse, right at 16 weeks
of age my hens started laying and they laid very well. The pullets start with a 50 gram egg which is a decent medium
egg. Then they quickly mature to get eggs that average 73 grams. Some of my hens were consistently laying 80+
gram eggs and they were not double yolkers. OK, so this is now favorable impression number 3. The extra roos
well, they went to freezer camp and yes they are delicious. Some people describe the meat as being marbled with
fat but it's more like layers of fat between the muscle groups. Of course we all know that fat is flavor and Bresse tend
to have more fat than most. Just keep in mind this is a heritage breed and NOT supermarket birds so there is a
learning curve in preparation skills. I am now up to positive impression number 4. Bresse lay well and if given the
opportunity the are excellent foragers, this of course lowers the feed bill. While out foraging, the roosters are very
attentive and very protective of the flock. So while the roosters are good at being protectors, they are the most
mellow breed out there. The roosters are chillin. I have heard reports of a very few saying they have a mean
rooster - well, send it to freezer camp and find a better rooster because that's just not the Bresse I know. So we are
up to favorable impression number 5 with foraging because any way to lower the feed bill is very favorable. Final
impression: I have not bought another chicken since 2016. I have been breeding Bresse exclusively from my own
flock all these years. I am not dependant on buying frankenchickens from some corporation every year. My chicken
and egg supply is self sustaining for as long as I am physically able to manage. Needless to say I got rid of every
other breed I had and now only breed Bresse exclusively. If you really have to have blue eggs or green eggs or
chocolate colored eggs or fancy colored feathers, that's all fine. Go for it. I personally just love the feeling of
independence more than I need anything fancy. And that right there is the greatest attribute that makes me love my
Bresse. This is why I have stuck with them since 2013. You have to consider that this breed was created in France
over 500 years ago and while many breeds have come and gone over these centuries, the attributes that I mentioned
above are what have kept breeders loving these birds all these centuries. They have been a phenomenon in
France and Europe for all these years and now we have them here in the USA and I believe their phenomenon
is only going to continue to grow.
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