Smallholders Insurance from Greenlands

Author Topic: La Bresse Gauloise & Indian Game Project  (Read 38005 times)

RPF

  • Joined Feb 2015
La Bresse Gauloise & Indian Game Project
« on: June 28, 2015, 06:49:40 am »
For those interested in meat birds and or La Bresse and Indian Game, I thought that I'd share my experience with my project so far. I would have put it up sooner but illness had got the better of me so this is where I am as from now.
The chicken tractor in the photo was what I used 20 years ago for my exhibition OEG. When I went to uni and stopped mucking around with my birds to pursue birds of a new sort, my old man put it in the woods. I dragged it out recently and it was completely overgrown. I've done some minor repair work for the time being but ultimately the sides up to 1m will have windbreaker mesh and half the roof of the run section will been covered with tin. It's about 40ft x 10ft including the accommodation. Chicks go there from 36 days. I'm working out how long for because they need to reach a size where the Kites won't get them out in an open pen, approximately 4weeks.
Chicks start in a brooder hut. I try to follow the La Bresse protocol as much as I can for rearing them but I have adapted methods to suit my local environment. EG mine get mainly wheat and barely as maize costs a fortune over here and there's no local stuff readily available. I shall not be employing the epinettes method as I feel it is cruel and kind of goes against the whole concept of free ranging. However, a few weeks prior to slaughter, birds will be put into smaller fattening pens and the sheep barn, when not in use.
My aim is to do 100 to sell as stock fowl and a 100 to sell oven ready at 16 weeks, 20 weeks and 24 weeks, the latter being for own consumption to experiment to see if extra time makes any difference to size and flavour.
The fowl in the photos are some dark IG, LB and LBX Jubilee IG. Lavender markings seem to have been bred in from the IG when crossed. The cocks take on the IG but hens take on LB, even the legs, which is why I missed them as I originally thought the blue leg was a weak gene so went to flesh coloured like in the males when crossed.

Robin

devonlady

  • Joined Aug 2014
Re: La Bresse Gauloise & Indian Game Project
« Reply #1 on: June 28, 2015, 09:12:33 am »
That is a lovely healthy looking bird, keep up your good work! Whereabouts do you live?

RPF

  • Joined Feb 2015
Re: La Bresse Gauloise & Indian Game Project
« Reply #2 on: June 28, 2015, 10:57:56 am »
Sorry about pics

RPF

  • Joined Feb 2015
Re: La Bresse Gauloise & Indian Game Project
« Reply #3 on: June 28, 2015, 10:59:36 am »
Another pic

RPF

  • Joined Feb 2015
Re: La Bresse Gauloise & Indian Game Project
« Reply #4 on: June 28, 2015, 11:05:48 am »
Another pic

RPF

  • Joined Feb 2015
Re: La Bresse Gauloise & Indian Game Project
« Reply #5 on: June 28, 2015, 11:15:24 am »
Thank you Devonlady, she's a lovely girl, may have to keep her as she's so friendly! I'll probably keep back a trio of LB X IG as they are great looking birds but also to see what they turn out like. I have some BrahmaXDark IG's, which I'll keep back a trio and then sell the rest.
I live in South Oxon. My out-laws live in South Zeal, is that far from you?

snowyriver

  • Joined Dec 2012
  • Montgomeryshire
Re: La Bresse Gauloise & Indian Game Project
« Reply #6 on: June 28, 2015, 06:25:49 pm »
For those interested in meat birds and or La Bresse and Indian Game, I thought that I'd share my experience with my project so far.

Hi Robin.
Please keep the information flowing as I'm interested in this kind of project.
I've hatched La Bresse and Indian Game chicks over the past couple of years with very mixed results and in september last year purchased a trio of well bred, dark egg laying, english cuckoo marans. My plans for 2016 is to cross some of these with an Indian Game cockerel.

devonlady

  • Joined Aug 2014
Re: La Bresse Gauloise & Indian Game Project
« Reply #7 on: June 29, 2015, 07:09:27 am »
Thank you Devonlady, she's a lovely girl, may have to keep her as she's so friendly! I'll probably keep back a trio of LB X IG as they are great looking birds but also to see what they turn out like. I have some BrahmaXDark IG's, which I'll keep back a trio and then sell the rest.
I live in South Oxon. My out-laws live in South Zeal, is that far from you?

Other side of the moor! Indian Games were my passion until foxy struck but, with a keen Grandchild I have a fancy to start again!!

RPF

  • Joined Feb 2015
Re: La Bresse Gauloise & Indian Game Project
« Reply #8 on: June 30, 2015, 08:20:03 am »

Hi Robin.
Please keep the information flowing as I'm interested in this kind of project.
I've hatched La Bresse and Indian Game chicks over the past couple of years with very mixed results and in september last year purchased a trio of well bred, dark egg laying, english cuckoo marans. My plans for 2016 is to cross some of these with an Indian Game cockerel.


Yes, of course. I'll be posting a translation of the LB rearing protocol that I have translated the the French site as well as other LB producers so we can all sing off the same hymn sheet, like in France. It's slightly different to the info that I've obtained over here but nevertheless they are fairly akin to one another.
How come you had such mixed results?
Please also keep me up to date with your Marans story, sounds like an interesting mix. I grew up with Marans, English type, so could be interesting.

RPF

  • Joined Feb 2015
Re: La Bresse Gauloise & Indian Game Project
« Reply #9 on: June 30, 2015, 08:27:35 am »
Other side of the moor! Indian Games were my passion until foxy struck but, with a keen Grandchild I have a fancy to start again!!

IG's or CG's (my wife says that Cornish Game sounds better than Indian Game, as it highlights their English provenance) are lovely docile birds, that are very friendly and inquisitive. I like their colouring and their cannon ball stature. I have the bantam version too, which I believe to be pretty rare.

Dave C

  • Joined Aug 2014
  • Teesdale, Co Durham
Re: La Bresse Gauloise & Indian Game Project
« Reply #10 on: July 13, 2015, 06:22:30 pm »
Very interesting Robin, this is pretty much my plan for next year.
Any chance of an update

devonlady

  • Joined Aug 2014
Re: La Bresse Gauloise & Indian Game Project
« Reply #11 on: July 13, 2015, 08:10:41 pm »
Other side of the moor! Indian Games were my passion until foxy struck but, with a keen Grandchild I have a fancy to start again!!

IG's or CG's (my wife says that Cornish Game sounds better than Indian Game, as it highlights their English provenance) are lovely docile birds, that are very friendly and inquisitive. I like their colouring and their cannon ball stature. I have the bantam version too, which I believe to be pretty rare.

'ere don't go go calling us Cornish English!! Cornwall is another country ;D ;D

RPF

  • Joined Feb 2015
Re: La Bresse Gauloise & Indian Game Project
« Reply #12 on: July 13, 2015, 11:20:27 pm »
I'll be giving an update this week about ration plus some photos to so how they are coming on

RPF

  • Joined Feb 2015
Re: La Bresse Gauloise & Indian Game Project
« Reply #13 on: July 13, 2015, 11:22:39 pm »
Quote

'ere don't go go calling us Cornish English!! Cornwall is another country ;D ;D

Apologies to the Cornish!

RPF

  • Joined Feb 2015
Re: La Bresse Gauloise & Indian Game Project
« Reply #14 on: July 14, 2015, 10:29:03 pm »
La Bresse and La Bresse x Cornish Game cockerels circa 9 weeks. Note the bird food bucket as indication of size

 

Forum sponsors

FibreHut Energy Helpline Thomson & Morgan Time for Paws Scottish Smallholder & Grower Festival Ark Farm Livestock Movement Service

© The Accidental Smallholder Ltd 2003-2024. All rights reserved.

Design by Furness Internet

Site developed by Champion IS