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Bresse Chicken Breed Info

Modified: Feb 7, 2023 by Phil · This post may contain affiliate links ·

This French breed is known as the “queen of chickens.” Although hens produce a good amount of cream-colored eggs, they are known for their top-notch meat.

A beautiful Bresse Chicken on a green pasture.

These rare chickens have a unique bone-to-meat ratio. Their thin, dainty bones, large muscle mass, and thin skin contribute to their reputation as the most delicious chickens in the world.

Jump to:
  • Bresse Chicken Breed Quick Info
  • Origins of the Bresse Chicken
  • Some Things to Know About the Bresse Chicken
  • How Easy is it to Keep Bresse Chickens?
  • Special Care and Considerations for Bresse Chickens
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Bresse Chicken Breed Quick Info

Bresse Chicken Description

Bresse Type/Size:Standard
Feather Color:White
Leg Type:Clean
Leg Color:Blue
Skin Color:White
Bresse Ease of Raising/Keeping:Difficult
Bresse Special Care Needs:Yes
Is the Bresse breed a common, rare, or protected breed of chicken?Rare

Bresse Use

MeatYes
EggsYes
Dual PurposeYes
Bresse Temperament:Docile
Bresse Ability/Likelihood to Free Range:Yes

Bresse Egg Production

Egg ColorCream
Egg SizeMedium
Estimated Number of Eggs Per Year230
Likeliness to Brood Eggs/Raise ChicksLow

Bresse Meat Production

Dressed Weight Male4 ½ lbs.
Dressed Weight Female3 ¼ lbs.

Bresse Climate Tolerance

HeatExcellent
ColdGood

Bresse Age to Maturity

Number of Months to Reach Full Size5 Months
Number of Months to Start Egg Laying5 Months
Number of Weeks/Months to Reach Meat Harvest Size16 Weeks

Bresse Size at Maturity

Male6 ½ lbs.
Female4 ½ lbs.

Origins of the Bresse Chicken

A Bresse Chicken flock in a chicken coop.

The Bresse chicken originated in the Bresse region of France, and they are still raised there today. In fact, a chicken can’t be certified as a Bresse unless it comes from that region.

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About a million birds are raised there by a handful of breeders who have been trained by previous generations on how to raise and process these chickens.

The Bresse first arrived in the United States fairly recently, in 2011. Today, you can find American Bresse sold at American hatcheries. This is a different breed than the original French Bresse. If you want the original, you’ll have to book a plane ticket to France.

Some Things to Know About the Bresse Chicken

Two Bresse Chickens roosting in a chicken coop.

The Bresse proudly display the colors of the French flag: they have a single red comb, bright white plumage, and steel blue legs.

You can also find them in a few other colors, including blue, splash, grey, and black.

How Easy is it to Keep Bresse Chickens?

A close-up of a Bresse Chicken in a backyard.

The ease of keeping Bresse chickens is all about how you raise them. In France, the protocol for raising and butchering these birds is strict and somewhat secretive.

As chicks, Bresse are fed a diet of dairy. As they mature, they continue to consume dairy, but corn is added to their diet. They are encouraged to forage for all of their protein from the insects and greenery of the Bresse region (this is one reason that Bresse must be raised in France to be certified as true Bresse).

Even if you replicate this diet with American Bresse, it is unlikely that you will get the same result. French Bresse are genetically unique birds that process feed and distribute fat throughout their body differently than other breeds of chicken, including the American Bresse.

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If you plan to raise American Bresse under normal conditions, however, they are a fairly easy breed to care for. They do well in the heat and the cold and are known to have a docile personality.

Special Care and Considerations for Bresse Chickens

Like all chickens with a single comb, there is a risk of frostbite in the winter. A swipe of vaseline over the comb of the Bresse can help to protect it when the temperature drops below freezing.

Bresse Chicken Breed Info pinterest image.

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