American Bresse - Special Finishing Comparison - 18 weeks

6 cockerels, 2 methods. 3 received 6 weeks of 1/3rd Cracked Corn, 1/3rd Wheat Berries and 1/3rd of their regular 20% All Flock feed. The other 3 received just their 20% ration. No one got pasture, it was Winter for their growth.
Finishing diet began at 12 weeks old through 18 weeks old. We were late on doing the deed, since life stuff happens. But these birds will store "on the hoof" in those instances.

[@MrsStevenBrown]

The real test is the taste! A finished on corn and milk tastes SO much better!

[@papawsplace]

Just received my Bresse starter birds today. One Rooster and 3 hens six weeks old.

[@folsterfarms]

This is really helpful info Mandelyn! Each of us has a responsibility to improve the breed, (or at least not ruin it with bad breeding) and it’s channels like yours that help will do just that! I’ve gotten hatching eggs from California, and Colorado… and day old chicks from the North… and now 3 grown roosters from a local source. I can’t wait to get my hands on these birds (literally) to see if I can tell good from bad and begin applying what I’ve learned from you so far. Thanks again for what you’re doing for those of us trying to learn the “right way” to raise this breed of poultry. ❤

[@arcadianorchard]

Thank you. In hindsight, I should be mentioning more often on what applies to the other dual purpose breeds as well. Fleshing, condition, structure, bone spacing, growth rate, rate of lay... that's all supposed to be in birds that are dual purpose. A lot has been lost in the last 70 years once the commercial hybrids came into play for meat, so the other varieties were pushed into laying efficiency or the meat aspect just wasn't looked for/selected for anymore.

[@Wakeywhodat]

My 30 Bresse arrive in 2 days and I have another homesteader nearby on a similar timeline. Your channel looks extremely helpful so thank you!

[@debbalog5270]

I am learning so much from you Mandelyn. We have decided to get some American Bresse. Your experience and knowledge in invaluable. Thank you

[@cess308]

I love the professionalism you bring to your craft. Do you sell your birds? I would love to get some chicks or even hatching eggs!

[@arcadianorchard]

No eggs or chicks at this time, still exploring the genetics and working the kinks out.

[@TheFamilyFarmstead]

Great video. I have very little experience with the breed but loved the first generation I raised. Looking forward to seeing if I improve the second.

[@dave1212ish]

Thank you for these videos.

[@megriz4486]

Nice freezer fillers! Traditionally they crate them, I wonder how big a difference that would make? Last year I tried milk soaked corn for the last couple weeks. Should have been longer, quality of the birds probably didn't help either. But this is how we learn. Thanks for this comparison, and the detail - it's nice to have these results to look at when planning your next experiment.

[@arcadianorchard]

I gave them spacious pens indoors, I don't have the heart for caged living longer than a couple days... Let alone weeks!

[@LowcountryMan]

Thank you

[@uprightfossil6673]

One spring I finished some birds off on strawberries, corn and feed. You should try that. The ones I finished on corn and pumpkins did nicely also. I highly recommend fruit for finishing

[@oldbird4210]

Super interesting and helpful. Thank you!

[@arturobelmonte6803]

I heard a lot about the breed and how they taste different , but when I compared with the regular store bought cornish they tasted the same , just like chicken.

[@LolliPop_Farm_VT]

I wonder if my Chantecler will present similarly if given the finishing diet.

[@CapnBubbaa]

add capons into the special finishing, these to be the special ones...

[@mickraker1342]

NO MILK? YOU DID NOT PROPERLY FINISH! SACRE BLEU!!!

[@VanTheGamer07]

What about the milk soak in corn

[@lisaporria7307]

I can't wait to begin breeding next month and experience our first round of meat ! Do you find there isa difference in size when butchering in spring v. fall? Just curious. Another great video.

[@arcadianorchard]

I don't have an accurate assessment of seasonal size variations because my Fall hatches are usually different breeding/genetics from what I did in the Spring. I usually flip the boys around mid way through. It could only be accurate if the breeding arrangements remained the same.

[@lmullens75]

Really great video! You are so well spoken! I say um too much and loose track of what I’m saying to do anything like that. 😹 So, most of my 7 roosters (who hatched Sept 27th) feel like their keel is more prominent like your guy who didn’t have enough fleshing. Could it be because they’ve been in with the pullets and not getting adequate feed while squabbling over the hens? Even my heavier guys seem to have more keel than breast meat when I pick them up. Growing them out to see how they develop before I process - which should have happened by know, I know. 🤪

[@arcadianorchard]

When I first started I had to really nitpick the fleshing on the birds to find it and express more of it through breeding selection. It helps them grow to their potential to be separated from the girls and to not have anything to fight over. If they're ranging and the forage is poor quality, that can also contribute. With age, after that 20 week mark, they may get so girl focused that they lose weight/condition... Especially if one of them is guarding the feed from the others. There was also a batch of birds we brought in that just weren't ever going to get meaty and their bodies were oddly shaped with caved in chests and/or crooked keels. As if their breeder hadn't been handling what they were breeding forward.

[@lmullens75]

@@arcadianorchard Good to know! I mean, not good that you got birds like that first thing. Okay, ours are about that age that they’d be possibly loosing weight, so it’s finally time to decide. 🤪

[@OJAV08]

Do you sale them ready to cook?

[@choosewisely067]

Something that caught me off guard here is the live weight to dressed. It seems like these is an unusual amount loss compared to other birds. My recent Freedom Rangers had lives weights in the 6-6.5 lbs range and were consistently 4.5-5 lbs dresses. I saw the same with the smaller birds, 5.5 would dress out just above 4, making a very consistent 1.5lb loss. The Bresse don't seem heavy feathered - at least my two boys (~14-15 weeks) don't, so how are you losing over 2lbs in some cases here?

[@arcadianorchard]

Their necks, heads, feet, innards (plus any feed that was in the crop/gizzard/gut) and tail nubs all come off. I'd imagine that the feathers don't weigh that much. I wonder how much feed is actually inside, since I'm notorious for forgetting to pull the feed the day before.

[@TomDeMarcus]

Did you cook one from each trial to see and taste the results. Your birds are absolutely beautiful. I cannot imagine the time that you spend just thinking about your next move. I am excited to see what you teach us next. Also I am interested in selective breeding. Any suggestions on videos or books...

[@arcadianorchard]

If you mean plotting and scheming on which birds are going to get matched up with how and contemplating the range of those possible results... then yes, I do that a lot. 😅 Book wise, check out "Fundamentals in Breeding Poultry", "The Mating and Breeding of Poultry", "Breeding and Selection of Commercial Poultry" (from 1917) and there's a host of others. Though you may encounter different schools of thought surrounding genetic diversity vs tight line breeding.

[@emaster01]

Do you have a spreadsheet?

[@richardcapellesr7031]

When you get four fingers in there. I'll let you know about a girlfriend I had.😅

[@arcadianorchard]

Nah, we can skip that little story. 🤣😂