# Bresse Chickens



## nicko (Oct 5, 2001)

Does anyone know if it is at all possible to get Bress chickens (the chicken with the blue feet) found in Bourg en Bresse, France? If that is not possible does anyone know of any farmers who are raising chickens in a similar fashion?

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Thanks,

Nicko
[email protected]


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## isa (Apr 4, 2000)

Nicko,


Here is some information about poulet de Bresse. 

The poulet de Bresse is the best chicken one can find. To be given the mark (appelation) poulet de Bresse, the chicken has to belong to the Bressane race. The main characteristics of this race are as follow: red cockscomb for the male, white feathers and blue feet.

The raising of the chicken is strictly regulated. At 35 days the chicken is released in a pasture where he is allowed a minimum space of 10 square metres. The chicken will remain in this pasture for nine weeks. He is then put into a cage for eight to 15 days. This will help the development of its characteristic white flesh. The chicken is slaughter at 16 weeks.

The feeding of the chicken is what gives it its main characteristic. cereal flour, corn, dairy products with, among other things, worms, mollusc and the insects the chicken finds on the ground.


All Bresse chicken have a tricolour tag on their leg.


Hope this will be helpful


Sisi


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## shroomgirl (Aug 11, 2000)

I went to an Organic Farmers Conf. last Feb and they were discusing pastured poultry. Breese came up in the conversation. what I would tell you Nicko is talk to your Dept of Ag in Ill. I have contacts in Springfield (I spoke at the speciality farmers conf 2000)if you need them and find poultry farmers willing to experiment for you...do a special grow.....get specifics and see what the farmers can do for you.


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## nicko (Oct 5, 2001)

Thanks Sisi and Shroomgirl. I worked in Bourg en Bresse France, for awhile and so I was wondering if a chicken of similar quality was available. Shroom I did talk with a good friend of mine who had also worked in Bourg en Bresse and he was working with a local Illinois farmer to see if they could raise some chickens with similar characteristics. It wasn't easy as I remember, and I don't think it ever came to fruition.

------------------
Thanks,

Nicko
[email protected]


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## shroomgirl (Aug 11, 2000)

HMMMMM if this was not in the last year or so...you may want to try again, I could swear that there's been talk of bresse in USA


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## isa (Apr 4, 2000)

Nicko,

Check this out :
http://www.volaille.aoc.bresse.com/homepage.htm


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## isa (Apr 4, 2000)

Opps sorry try this:
http://www.volaille.aoc.bresse.com/


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## grassfarmer42 (Oct 15, 2010)

I pasture raise a breed of poultry from France called Freedom Rangers. In France this is the breed that is sold for their Label Rouge. These birds I raise are beyond Organic.

I am located in Peotone IL.


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## vohrtex (Apr 21, 2009)

Look at this article:

http://nymag.com/nymetro/food/features/14787/

I know D'Artagnan is commonly available in NYC specialty shops, and they do mail order as well.


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## mezzaluna (Aug 29, 2000)

Guys, this thread is almost 11 years old...........


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## kyheirloomer (Feb 1, 2007)

......and a whole lot has changed in the culinary world along the way.

One of the positive changes is the greater availability of heritage livestock breeds. People are raising all sorts of old-time breeds, in poultry, hogs, and even cows.

I'd say interest in heritage livestock right now is about where heirloom vegetables were in the early to mid-90s; that is, it's sort of an agricultural subculture with ever growing numbers of participants. If it follows the same progression, we're sure to see many of those varieties mainstreamed in the near future. Meanwhile, if you search around, you can find them.

Shromgirl, I know, has been very active on the hog end, and can probably make references. Poultry probably is even bigger, in terms of breeders, because there were so many more varieties, and they require less room.

All in all, it's a great time for real food.


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## gonefishin (Nov 6, 2004)

Hi grassfarmer42...welcome /img/vbsmilies/smilies//smile.gif

Have you got a website that you can either post here or pm me?

thanks,

dan


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## greenfire (Oct 3, 2011)

We have a small farm in North Florida. In 2011 we successfully imported Bresse into the United States. You can see them at:

www.greenfirefarms.com


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## kuan (Jun 11, 2001)

greenfire said:


> We have a small farm in North Florida. In 2011 we successfully imported Bresse into the United States. You can see them at:
> 
> www.greenfirefarms.com


Very nice! I love your selection!


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## greenfire (Oct 3, 2011)

Thanks very much.  It's funny that this thread was started a decade ago and now we actually have some chickens to talk about!

We're hatching our first white American Bresse this week; the first ever hatched in America to the best of my knowledge.  We will be building them a rolling coop to put out on pasture in a couple of months.

The American Bresse are beautiful birds with muscular bodies and balanced proportions.  What I hadn't read but have now experienced is that they also have excellent personalities.  They're confident and inquisitive, and even the hens  --commonly flighty in other breeds-- are calm and enjoy people.


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## kkotcher (Oct 10, 2011)

D'Artagnan Farms-- It's a domestically bred blue footed chicken that's the closest you can get to in the U.S.  Apparently the French are very proprietary and have not let any Bresse chicken eggs get smuggled out of the country!  Warning:  they are very expensive and come with the feet on which you have to figure out how to lop off.


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## greenfire (Oct 3, 2011)

Until recently it is true that the only birds available in the US were the blue-footed chicken; a Bresse facsimile bred to look like a Bresse but genetically not an authentic Bresse. This changed in 2011. *There are now authentic Bresse in the United States.*

While it is true the French government banned the export of live Bresse, other European countries did not. And, over time, small flocks of authentic Bresse were established in a few of those other European countries. Greenfire Farms legally imported chickens from these other European countries. In 2011, our imported Bresse were approved with a USDA import permit and quarantined for 30 days in the USDA quarantine facility in New York. We call the birds we raise American Bresse to distinguish them from birds hatched in France. But, the parent stock of our birds traces its lineage directly to the Bresse of France.


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## french fries (Sep 5, 2008)

greenfire said:


> While it is true the French government banned the export of live Bresse, other European countries did not. And, over time, small flocks of authentic Bresse were established in a few of those other European countries. Greenfire Farms legally imported chickens from these other European countries.


So if the French government banned the export of live Bresse, those other European countries got their Bresse chickens... illegally? Then Greenfire Farms legally imported illegal chickens? /img/vbsmilies/smilies/eek.gif


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## greenfire (Oct 3, 2011)

For years Bresse have been in a number of European countries other than France. For example, here's an article that addresses Bresse being raised in the Netherlands:

http://www.aviculture-europe.nl/nummers/07E02A04.pdf

It is not illegal to import into the United States chickens from these other countries, nor are the Bresse that are currently alive in those countries "illegal" chickens. Our importation of Bresse was perfectly legal, and hopefully over time it will grow to benefit Americans who treasure the taste of world-class food .


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## french fries (Sep 5, 2008)

greenfire said:


> (...) nor are the Bresse that are currently alive in those countries "illegal" chickens.





greenfire said:


> the French government banned the export of live Bresse


If the French government banned the export of live Bresse, how could live Bress end up legally in other countries? /img/vbsmilies/smilies/confused.gif


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## lhamid (Jan 29, 2012)

I recently acquired Bresse eggs from a farm that had been commercially producing them here in California, one of the few places that have real Bresse. The company that was marketing them went belly up and they destroyed all the birds. The man that was responsible for raising them salvaged 360 eggs. I have eggs due to hatch in 3 days, there are 140 eggs that made it into the hatching tray. I am interested in marketing the meat. Not sure how to go about that. Anyone interested, please contact me at [email protected]


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## french fries (Sep 5, 2008)

lhamid said:


> a farm that had been commercially producing them here in California, one of the few places that have real Bresse.


The only real Bresse chicken (or eggs for that matter) are in Bresse. Just like you cannot have any real Champagne from California or China or Russia, or from any French region other than the region of Champagne for that matter. If I buy a chicken egg in Bresse and drive 20 miles in one direction so that I am now outside the region of Bresse and raise a chicken, I cannot legally call it a Bresse chicken.


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## greenfire (Oct 3, 2011)

Oh, gosh.  I guess I'll need to rename my Rhode Island reds since I don't live in Rhode Island.


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## french fries (Sep 5, 2008)

greenfire said:


> Oh, gosh. I guess I'll need to rename my Rhode Island reds since I don't live in Rhode Island.


All names don't mean the same thing, and all names aren't controlled. I've never claimed that French Fries came from France or Italian dressing came from Italy. But Bresse chicken's are a controlled application and their name means something very specific: that the chicken were born AND RAISED under strictly specified rules and guidelines in the Bresse country. Just like you can't buy Champagne grapes and grow them in China and call it "Champagne wine", you can't get a Bresse egg, raise the chicken in the U.S. and call it a "Bresse chicken".

I was born and raised just a few miles from Bresse, and yet we had no right to name our chicken "Bresse" chicken, just because we weren't IN Bresse. I find it amusing that someone would today raise chicken in the U.S. and claim that they are "TRUE Bresse chicken". /img/vbsmilies/smilies/wink.gif


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## shroomgirl (Aug 11, 2000)

Pollo Real in the Santa Fe area raises interesting pastured chickens.


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## lhamid (Jan 29, 2012)

French Fries, thanks for correcting me. I understand exactly what you are saying re: the term Bresse being controlled like the term Champagne. Would it be improper to refer to them as descended from Bresse stock?


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## french fries (Sep 5, 2008)

lhamid said:


> Would it be improper to refer to them as descended from Bresse stock?


I suppose that would be ok.

The breed and the selection are only a part of what makes "Poulet de Bresse". The way they are raised, the strict feeding times (the chicken have to be able to peck around early in the morning and late at night, which means more work for the farmers), the space alloted for them to roam, the local Bresse soil and grain, the absence of antibiotic treatments and many other factors all contribute to the famous taste of those chickens.


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## chrislehrer (Oct 9, 2008)

In passing: I have tried the D'Artagnan blue-footed chickens, and was not persuaded that the quality is worth the enormous price. I find it particularly irritating that you can only get them dressed one way: plucked and drawn, feet on, some (not entirely consistent giblets), neck and head lopped off. I figure if I'm going to pay for chicken this expensive, I want all the bits: cockscombs, tongues, neck skin, everything. I was told, apologetically, that this cannot be done.

On the other hand, D'Artagnan's standard organic, free-range chickens are very good indeed, much better than what I can find in places like Whole Foods and so forth.

I intend no comment or criticism on what Greenfire is talking about, which is completely different and I haven't tried. (But I will probably be in touch....)


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## lhamid (Jan 29, 2012)

Thanks French Fry. Do you have details on how to feed them to approximate the way they do it in France?  I have just a few birds (got a poor hatch, eggs were quite old). We will just be using them for our consumption eventually so I can take the time and effort to do it right. I don't feed my birds any antibiotics or junk.They get a good quality feed and have access to pasture, insects, and organically grown fruit and veggies from my garden. I currently raise Marans and Buff Orps. I raised Freedom Rangers for meat last year. They were quite good but as they are a hybrid, they don't breed true. We like the idea of a sustainable breed like the Blue Footed Whatever I Will Call them (not Bresse!). Any suggestions on the feeding regime would be greatly appreciated


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## french fries (Sep 5, 2008)

I do not have all the details, however you can find them online. Here is all the legal information:

http://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/affichTexte.do?cidTexte=JORFTEXT000021496520&dateTexte=vig

... with all the information you are looking for at the following link:

http://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/affic...96520&dateTexte=20120205#LEGIARTI000021502358


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## lhamid (Jan 29, 2012)

French Fries, Thank you very much for the links.  Very detailed information. I appreciate it.


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## french fries (Sep 5, 2008)

lhamid said:


> French Fries, Thank you very much for the links. Very detailed information. I appreciate it.


You're welcome! Now you can copy/paste it in Google translate. For your convenience, here's the translated bit about the geographic area - as you can see it is very strictly described. 


> The geographical area of the appellation of origin Bresse chicken in which selection, multiplication, hatching, rearing, slaughtering, preparation of poultry and, where applicable, their freezing take place extends to the territories of municipalities or parts thereof the following:
> Department of Ain
> In part:
> Abergement-Clémenciat (The), Ceyzériat, Châtillon-sur-Chalaronne, Coligny, (etc etc...) Villegaudin, Vincelles.
> For municipalities where only part of the territory is included in the geographical area, the limit thereof is transferred to graphic documents filed in the town hall of the municipalities concerned.


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## lhamid (Jan 29, 2012)

i just pressed 'translate now' when i accessed the link and it automatically translated the whole thing. i will read through it in more detail. thanks again!


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## achefinparis (Feb 8, 2012)

Sadly, I doubt it would be possible to raise a chicken descended from Bresse in any comparable fashion in the United States. This simply comes down to "terroir" as the French call it. The feed, the grass, the sun, the weather; everything is specific to Bresse. That is not to say that any contraband that may have been descendant could not take on similar characteristics; not at all. Surely it can. However, nothing will match. Just as the Americans saved French grapes from extinction, the flavors still differ between here and there. Once again, the idea of "terroir." I've done blind tastings, and it is hands down the easiest to taste a true Poulet de Bresse.

Second point, here. Though the Poulet de Bresse is the best chicken I have tasted, this was in a simple, traditional roasting method of cooking. What I found beyond that is, if you select a farm raised chicken, and give it an amazing brine, be it a Bresse or a basic "Label Rouge" will have delicious, similar outcomes....especially when you look into cooking methods. Hope that helps!

Greenfire- I'll cook a soup and say it's your grandma's soup, exactly the same, I just made it in my outdoor kitchen in the jungle somewhere. That's a bit like the offense. Not to deliberately offend unnecessarily, but come on. People spend their lives dedicated to the proper raising and protection of these birds, so it isn't taken lightly or with such ignorance. These birds are a passion not a selling point, and they sell because it strictly remains as such.


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## greenfire (Oct 3, 2011)

You express an interesting opinion, but a different opinion is that "terroir" as it applies to chickens --as opposed to a plant rooted in the soil-- is a speculative concept at best.  Chickens are not grapevines, and the interplay of the environmental and genetic factors that affect their respective food products is very different.  Hearing the argument for chicken "terroir" as a barrier to trade reminds me of the time the Japanese government imposed high tariffs on American snow skis under the rationale that Japanese snow was somehow "different" than American snow.  At some point these notions can become protectionist myths that are no longer tied to reality.    

Since nobody has yet done a blind taste test between American and French Bresse, it is impossible at this point to say whether there is a consistently discernible difference in flavor when the birds are raised and processed under similar conditions in separate locations.  Hopefully, in the not-too-distant future that experiment can be run, and we'll know the answer.  But, whatever the outcome, it's hard to view it as a negative that a new type of meat chicken will be available to American chefs.  The poultry realm is full of examples of chicken breeds that were branded with the name of their local origin (Bresse, Sussex, Orpingtons, New Hampshires, Delawares, Hedemora, etc.) and are now consumed across the globe.  It seems to work out just fine.


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## french fries (Sep 5, 2008)

greenfire said:


> You express an interesting opinion


Beyond opinions, we're communicating with words, and we give those words a meaning. We refer to various authorities who control the meaning of those words. In Europe there is this thing called "Appelation d'Origine Controllee". It means the name of certain food products like Champagne or Poulet de Bresse are controlled and have a very strict meaning described in the AOCs such as the one I linked to for Poulet de Bresse.

Whether or not they taste the same is irrelevant to the naming discussion. If you imported some Champagne grapes and could grow them to have the exact same characteristics as the ones grown in the Champagne region, and turned them into a wine that tasted exactly like Champagne, you still wouldn't be allowed to call it "Champagne", just because it was not produced in the Champagne region. That's the whole point behind AOC: they don't control taste, they control the production methods AND geographical location. Same with Poulet de Bresse.


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## greenfire (Oct 3, 2011)

The champagne analogy is thrown around quite a bit here, but what hasn't been mentioned is that the United States federal government doesn't acknowledge the protectionist effect of the AOC designation for all types of foods.  It is, after all, a French law and one that is not necessarily given effect in other countries.


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## jay jay mack (Feb 8, 2012)

"Controlled origin" is hype and marketing, in reality a lot of it is the skill of the craftsman passed down through generations.

That being said it only took people in the Willamette Valley of Oregon about 40 years to figure out how to grow Pinot Noir as good as the French - And wine is a difficult, fickle thing to produce

So after reviewing the Poulet Bresse organization's video online, which shows exactly how they are raised*, I would make the bold prediction that in a relatively small number of years here in America we will be producing a superior product to what is coming out of France.

*Lot's of room, but still pretty industrial - not as good as the conditions the british guy raises his "label anglicia" or whatever they're called.


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## bluefootfan (Feb 11, 2012)

Hi,

I've never been to France but I'm guessing they have hamburgers, french fries and hot dogs!  Do they call them by their name or are they called something else?

So back to the Bresse/Champagne comparison.  In American we refer to Champagne as "Sparkling Wines".  They come from the Champagne grape but the end product is labeled "Sparkling Wine".  With that said, the Bresse chicken, after processing in this country, could be labeled "Blue Foot" chicken. 

If you start with an authentic Bresse/Champagne, Chick/Vine and the only difference is in the region of growth, the end product would then be labeled Blue Foot/Sparkling Wine as apposed to Bresse/Champagne.  The Sparkling Wines, Bordeaux, Pinor and other French based wines in our Northern California wine country regions are overtaking the French wines by leaps and bounds and I suspect that the Bresse/Blue Foot, if monitored stringently will be no exception. 

I agree that soon, very soon, there will be many Bresse/Blue Foot chickens available in this country.  I know of at least four breeders that are actively working on the Bresse/Blue Foot.

I also must say that a price tag of $399 a chick is just ridiculous.  IMHO


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## boar_d_laze (Feb 13, 2008)

BlueFootFan said:


> I've never been to France but I'm guessing they have hamburgers, french fries and hot dogs! Do they call them by their name or are they called something else?


"They call a Quarter Pounder with cheese a Royale with cheese."

BDL


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## bluefootfan (Feb 11, 2012)

That is what "McDonald's" calls them.  American ingenuity right there.  Great marketing on their part actually.  I think the French would much rather purchase a "Royale with Cheese" than anything called "A Big Mac"!  lol  Same "Bird" different name, goes to my point.


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## bluefootfan (Feb 11, 2012)

I so agree.  The Bresse will soon be available throughout America and equal in quality to the ones found in Bresse, France.  I don't believe it will take 40 years either.   We aren't talking rocket science here.  Provided that a breeder raises them the same, finishes them the same and processes them the same they will be unrecognizable from what you would expect from France.  What I have noticed with most of the Bresse I've read and heard about in this country is that the breeders tend to try and short cut the process and also the finishing.  Using powdered milk is NOT the same as using whole milk and finishing is a week or two doesn't do it.

I live in an area close the a major river, so close in fact that my soil is some of the richest to be found in the country.  30 feet of dark, rich river loam, perfect for growing rich grasses and clovers.  Anyone want to give me some Bresse to raise?


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## lhamid (Jan 29, 2012)

I have been to France. My mother and grandparents were from Paris. The French are passionate about food. I have raised the Freedom Rangers (French hybrids), which were excellent birds. I currently raise Marans (dual purpose French birds), and the extra cockerels very respectable table birds. Now we are discussing the premier meat bird, the Bresse. Let's face it, the French know what they are doing when it comes to food. I believe it is not just the conditions, it is also the genetics of the breed that makes it so special. BOTH NATURE AND NURTURE. The more we can learn about how the French raise these birds, the better the American product will be. I am not debating what they should or should not be called. Personally I have no problem respecting the AOC's. To me it is immaterial what they are called. The end product will speak for itself one way or the other.  It will never be identical to the French birds, but that doesn't mean it will be inferior either. As I recall, several years ago there was debate about the quality of California wines vs. French wines. In a blind test with French wine experts, the California wines actually won, much to the chagrin of the French. That doesn't diminish the French product, it merely shows that excellent wine/meat/whatever can be produced if you use the best ingredients and raise it and process it properly.


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## french fries (Sep 5, 2008)

lhamid said:


> I have been to France. My mother and grandparents were from Paris. The French are passionate about food. I have raised the Freedom Rangers (French hybrids), which were excellent birds. I currently raise Marans (dual purpose French birds), and the extra cockerels very respectable table birds. Now we are discussing the premier meat bird, the Bresse. Let's face it, the French know what they are doing when it comes to food. I believe it is not just the conditions, it is also the genetics of the breed that makes it so special. BOTH NATURE AND NURTURE. The more we can learn about how the French raise these birds, the better the American product will be. I am not debating what they should or should not be called. Personally I have no problem respecting the AOC's. To me it is immaterial what they are called. The end product will speak for itself one way or the other. It will never be identical to the French birds, but that doesn't mean it will be inferior either. As I recall, several years ago there was debate about the quality of California wines vs. French wines. In a blind test with French wine experts, the California wines actually won, much to the chagrin of the French. That doesn't diminish the French product, it merely shows that excellent wine/meat/whatever can be produced if you use the best ingredients and raise it and process it properly.


Your post made SO MUCH sense, Ihamid. I would never purchase a "Bresse" chicken in the U.S., because before I purchase it, I know it's not what it says it is, and I know the vendor is lying to me. So when they tell me how they raised it, how do I know if they're not still lying?

On the other hand, if you sell me a "Blue Foot" chicken, and you tell me how it was raised, I'll have more confidence!

The same way that there are excellent "Sparkling Wines" in California, and I've bought many, but I would never, ever buy a California wine labeled "Champagne", because I know it's most probably just going to be a cheap imitation. Anyone who knows anything about wine knows that you cannot call a California sparkling wine 'Champagne', and anyone who's serious about raising birds should know that you cannot call a bird raised in the U.S. "Bresse" (which by the way is the name of the _region_ where it is raised). I'd rather buy my food from people who know what they're talking about.


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## lhamid (Jan 29, 2012)

Marans is also the REGION in France where Marans chickens originated. They are famous for their dark brown eggs.


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## bluefootfan (Feb 11, 2012)

Yes, the Black Copper and other varieties of the Marans are from the Marans region. In this the country the breed retains it's authentic name "Marans"

A rose by any other name, still smells as sweet! I like the name "American Blue Foot"


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## phatty mcbutter (Jun 9, 2012)

I'm very excited that this breed is now avalible in the US, hats off to Greenfire for getting them started here. I noticed on Greenfire's site they list them as "American Bresse" - so much the better I say. Only time will tell which is truely the better end product, but isnt it great that someone has found a way to give us here an oppurtunity. Some will dilute the bloodlines,some wil go mad science and breed them in search of an even better chicken, some will do their best to mimic the French methods to the nth degree and some wont. As with all things time and quality will win out in the end.  I'm just excited to have the chance to try something like this that we havnt been able to try before. Thank You Greenfire!


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## greenfire (Oct 3, 2011)

Thanks for the supportive words! The interest about our American Bresse has been amazing. There are now a few dozen small farmers in the United States and Canada raising this breed. I assume you'll see some served for dinner for the first time in 2013. They've proven to be hardy, self-sufficient birds that put on lots of muscle as they free-range. They have great personalities and take seriously their pastoral duties. This week I took a picture of two young roosters cruising around our pasture (note the blue legs) intent on finding seeds and insects.


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## bluefootfan (Feb 11, 2012)




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## lhamid (Jan 29, 2012)

Now that I have had the opportunity to sample the meat from my Northern California Poulet Bleu (that is what we are calling them), I can give an opinion. Disclaimer: I have never had authentic Bresse.

I finished my birds with goat's milk and corn for the last 6 weeks.  We took them to a USDA inspected processor.  We had them air cooled, not water chilled. They hatched on January 31 and were processed on May 21 so they were 16 weeks old. 

The meat is amazing.  It is moist and tender, not soft, fatty, bland and flabby like store bought meat. The meat has a pinkish opalescent quality. It has a real flavor, not gamey, just flavorful. It's hard to describe. The skin is dark blue, almost black around the legs. The fat is bright yellow and succulent. The breasts are meaty and juicy (white meat can be dry). The dark meat is incredible (I like dark meat best). I am not a liver/heart/gizzard eater, but my husband pronounced them 'best he ever had'. I think the combination of genetics, how they were raised and how they were processed all contribute to the final product. I am not selling these birds, just raising them for my family. 

I kept 12 pullets and 2 cockerels. The pullets have started to lay.  The personality of this breed is delightful. They are friendly and curious; calm, not flighty; good foragers; seem quite hardy (survived 108 degree temps here recently).  

All in all, I love this breed. They are easy to raise, hardy, calm and superior table birds.  It remains to be seen if they go broody. I haven't seen any comments on this one way or the other


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## greenfire (Oct 3, 2011)

That's awesome!  Congratulations. 

They are not inclined to go broody.


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## lhamid (Jan 29, 2012)

That's good to know.  I have Marans and Buff Orps and they are broody fools!


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## elmers end farm (Sep 12, 2012)

We imported Bresse Chickens & breed them here in the UK we raise them as near to the french way as possible if you require any more info feel free to contact me


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## lhamid (Jan 29, 2012)

You imported from France?  i would be interested in adding to my flock. I am in the USA though. Not sure how I could get eggs from you?


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## lhamid (Jan 29, 2012)

How can I contact you? <edit> Please PM me


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## chickenwrangler (Nov 25, 2012)

So I personally am EXTREMELY excited that Greenfire have imported this breed. People may think that 400.00 a chick is ridiculous, but I'm not sure that they realize just how extensive as well as expensive it is to import any sort of animal let alone poultry. I can't afford $400 per chick but am glad that there are those that can. I'm currently in the process of obtaining a small flock by way of hatching eggs from a few breeder friends who did make the investment. I plan on having a small permanent flock of two roosters and about a dozen hens and hatching out about 50 chicks to process for meat.

We personally are going to raise them in an orchard that has about 30 different heritage fruit and nut trees. They'll have organic non gmo feed in their coop and will have and acre of pasture to free range on. We're still doing research on finishing methods as I'd rather not have to put them in a confined space or use corn. I feel like there are other natural resources more suited to our region that we can implement.

As far as terroir, yes it will make a difference, but to the extent some are implying, I doubt. We're in Oregon and in our area of the world, i.e. from Napa up to the Willamette Valley, we've managed to rival and at times outperform the French with particular varietals. At the end of the day it's the combination of terroir and attention or care for the product that really makes something really special. I feel like the living conditions and environment are EXTREMELY important when raising ANY animal, especially for food. I'm sure there are people in the Bresse region who raise chickens really well and those that don't and I assure you that when they're not raised properly, the terroir is of no concern. We currently raise small batches or Berkshire pigs which we let forage in forest where they've found white truffles and finish them on hazelnuts. They also have an acre of pasture that they access at anytime from their barn. I know that I'm biased, but as a chef taking a break to farm and raise children, I've had some prime quality pork in my time and our last pigs were of a higher quality than ANY pig I'd butchered in my fine dining experience. Will my Bresse be anything like those of the french region? I guess we'd have to have an international test of taste like that of the Judgement of Paris with chicken instead of wine!


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## salvador organi (May 1, 2013)

Hi  Nick, my name is Salvador and i am based in a beautiful lake resort 2 hours away from  Mexico City; Valle de Bravo.

2 years ago we formed Valle Organico; an Organic Minded food company. We started with the production of slow growth chickens and we imported Breeders from France.

 Today we are producing in Mexico Organic & Pastured Raised Free Range Chickens, this is what they call in France "Poulet Fermier".

I had some luck in our second importaion of breeders and was given as a gift 30 White feathers, blue legged breeders used in Bourg for Poulet de Bresee.

This coming saturday i am having my third flock of 10 thousand broilers and i am expecting around 500 Poulet de Bresse type briolers to be born in our hatchery.

Sincé my breeding hens are yellow leggs and the White breeders are blue legged, we will loose the blue legg gene, being blue legg a recesive gen. However i am importing blue legg hens so that we can produce the original Poulet de Bresse in Mexico. We will no be able to call them Poulet de Bresse, since it is a controlled production in France, but we will have the same breed and product made in France. I would love to send you some frozen chickens as a gift, but am not so shure if i can do so with the NAFTA agreement.

Anyway, just wanted to let you and your readers know that if someooen ever wants to breed Poulet de Brese chickens, they will have to import the breeders from France and make sure that the Males and Females are slow growth chickens (8 to 10 weeks of feeding) and that both breeders have blue leggs.

If you ever come to Mexico, please let me know and i will be happy to invite you to a top restauant in Mexico City named PUJOL from Chef Enrique Olvera and have you try our Mexican Poulet de Bresse,

Regards

Salvador


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## wickedsluggy (Aug 9, 2014)

French Fries said:


> All names don't mean the same thing, and all names aren't controlled. I've never claimed that French Fries came from France or Italian dressing came from Italy. But Bresse chicken's are a controlled application and their name means something very specific: that the chicken were born AND RAISED under strictly specified rules and guidelines in the Bresse country. Just like you can't buy Champagne grapes and grow them in China and call it "Champagne wine", you can't get a Bresse egg, raise the chicken in the U.S. and call it a "Bresse chicken".
> 
> I was born and raised just a few miles from Bresse, and yet we had no right to name our chicken "Bresse" chicken, just because we weren't IN Bresse. I find it amusing that someone would today raise chicken in the U.S. and claim that they are "TRUE Bresse chicken".


I was born in the USA. If my mother and father are both French, then in a resonable sense, I may also call myself French, so long as I dont misrepresent myself as being "from" France or a French citizen. We understand that these chickens are very deliberately named using their place of origin as an essential component of the definition. And I am sure that the Bresse chamber of commerce would appreciate your willingness to enforce the definition. The French would like to maintain control of this definition and maintain jurisdiction worldwide over the name and to pocess all the goodwill that it implies. But they can't. Once they leave France, it is no longer under French coultrol. They only have proclaimers like yourself. The rest of us may find genetics to be more important. Calling the chickens American Bresse chickens may violate the French standard, but it doesn't violate reason. It is up to the market to decide weather these Amercan chickens are as good or better than the French originals, but it makes sense to include their heritage in the name.


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## cjbuchholz (Feb 2, 2015)

I just picked up a small breeder flock of white Bresse (blue footed) chickens.  Looking forward to trying them and comparing our cornish cross chickens.  Our cornish cross have by far more texture and taste than the store bought versions (our's get whole wheat, cracked corn, etc. and are air chilled) but I've heard the Bresse are fantastic.  Might also try to cross some with our dark cornish roosters.


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