The Bress-Gali breed of chickens was first mentioned in chronicles dating back to 1591. France at that time was not yet a unified state and clashes often broke out between feudal lords. Bress-Gali chickens were so valued that only 24 heads were considered sufficient gratitude for help in battles. The first mention of the Bresse-Gali breed of chickens is associated precisely with the conflict between feudal lords and the presentation of 2 dozen chickens to the Marquis de Treffault as gratitude.
The Gallic rooster was very highly prized in France. So much so that this breed has become a symbol of France. In 1825, the famous gourmet Brillat Savarin wrote in his book “The Physiology of Taste” that the Bresse chicken is the queen of chickens and birds.
The first association of breeders of the Bress-Gali breed was created in 1904. And in 1913, 82 specimens of this breed were presented at the Paris Poultry Exhibition. At the same exhibition, Bress-Gali chickens were noticed by poultry farmers from other countries. After the exhibition, the export of the Bress-Gali breed to America, Canada, Brazil and England began.
In 1914, the Bress-Gali breed standard was established and the acceptable colors were established: gray, white and black.Later in 1923, Count Gandele, the president of the Bress Club, introduced and added blue plumage to the standard.
One of these colors (fawn) was obtained as a result of crossing with the blue Bress-Gali with fawn Orpington. To obtain red, Rhode Island red was added to Bress-Gali.
general description
Bress-Gali chickens are a meat breed. The bird is medium-sized, elongated, elegant, lively. The skeleton is elegant. Very thin and white skin. The live weight of a rooster is from 2.5 to 3 kg, of a chicken from 2 to 2.5 kg.
The size of the Bress-Gali chicken corresponds to the standard can be determined by the diameter of the ring. For a rooster, the ring should be 18 mm in diameter, for a chicken, 16 mm.
The white Bress-Gali rooster has a ring size of 20 mm (the largest size for poultry), while the hen has a ring size of 18 mm. The larger size determined the greatest distribution of white Bress-Gali chickens in the world.
Characteristics of a rooster
The elongated body is well balanced, slightly raised. The head is rather short and thin. The face is red and smooth. The comb is red, leaf-shaped, medium size. The comb has a fine texture, triangular teeth, and the back of the comb is raised above the back of the head.
The earrings are red, medium length, smooth. The lobes are white, medium-sized, almond-shaped. The eyes are large and brown in color. The beak is relatively long and thin. The color of the beak depends on the color of the bird.
The neck is short, the mane has well-developed lancets. The back is wide, long, slightly sloping. Shoulders are broad. The wings are set high and fit tightly to the body. The loin is well developed.The tail forms an angle of 45° with the line of the back, thick, with numerous well-developed braids.
The chest is wide, full, prominent. The abdomen is well developed. The thighs are powerful and well muscled. The metatarsals are of medium length, with small blue scales. Unfeathered. There are four toes on the paw.
Chicken Characteristics
The description of Bress-Gali chickens almost coincides with the characteristics of a rooster, but adjusted for sexual dimorphism. The tail is very similar in set and fullness to a rooster's, but without braids. A well-developed ridge stands straight up to the first tooth, and then falls to the side.
Serious defects
The description of the exterior of Bress-Gali chickens indicates defects in which the bird is excluded from breeding:
- tail set high;
- body too narrow;
- poorly developed ridge;
- a comb that falls to the side of the rooster;
- white coating on the face and earrings;
- eyes not dark enough.
In Russia, in fact, only the white color of birds of this breed is present, while the French description of Bresse-Gali chickens provides for four varieties of plumage, one of which is also divided into subtypes. And this is precisely the white color, although at first glance there is nothing to separate there. But the French have a different opinion.
White
Completely white feather. Standard white chickens have a red comb, wattles and face. The beak is bluish white.
The bleached white is distinguished from the standard by a pale pink face comb and earrings. The texture of the comb and earrings should be smooth, without roughness.
Color defects: yellowish tint of feathers and feathers of any color other than white.
Black
The plumage is pure black with an emerald tint. The beak is dark. The metatarsals are gray in color and may not be very dark.
Color defects: the presence of feathers of any color other than black; purple tint of the feather instead of green.
Blue
The rooster has black feathers on its mane. The tail is black. The back and lower back are covered with black feathers with blue specks. Only the chest and belly are uniformly gray.
The color of the chicken repeats the “wild” partridge color in other breeds, but in “blue tones”. The feathers on the neck are darker than the main color of the body. The back, chest and belly do not differ in color.
Beak with dark horn. A small light edging around the edges is allowed.
Color defects:
- blue color is too light;
- red feathers on the neck;
- yellowish tint of plumage;
- black or white feathers.
Quite ambiguous requirements, since when black feathers are banned, roosters are half black. Although, when looking at the photo, the description of the blue Bress chickens becomes clear.
Grey
The oldest color of Bress-Gali chickens.
The rooster has white feathers on its neck, lower back and chest. On the body plumage, each feather has gray spots, which are often hidden under longer decorative plumage. The white wings have two transverse dark stripes, which are called “double cuffs”.
A photo of roosters of the Bress-Gali breed of chickens clearly shows high-quality and low-quality cuffs on the wings. On the right is a good breeding rooster.
The tail feathers are black. Braids should be black with a white border. The color of the down is slightly reddish, the color can range from pure white to slightly grayish.
Color defects in a rooster: “unclean” neck, back, chest and lower back plumage; braids with a lot of white.
The chicken has a white head, neck and chest.The feathers of the rest of the body show alternating white and black areas. In general, the chicken looks mottled with a predominance of white. The tail feathers are also colorful. The belly is white, sometimes it can be greyish. The metatarsus is usually dark gray, but may be bluish.
The photo shows the feathers of Bress-Gali chickens, corresponding to the description in the standard.
Color defects in chickens: dark stripes on the feathers of the head, neck and chest; completely black feather shafts; completely black tail feathers.
The beak of chickens of this color is bluish-white.
The description of Gallic chickens also includes a “golden” color. This is the partridge we are used to.
These chickens are distinguished from the usual village laying hens by dark metatarsus, white color of the lobes and strict requirements for the comb, similar to those of the Bress-Gali.
Crest
French poultry farmers believe that the shape and development of the comb are of great importance when assessing a rooster as a sire. Considering the relationship between the development of the comb with wattles and the testes of the rooster, this opinion is justified. Don't dissect a rooster to make sure it could be a good breeding bird.
Comb quality assessment
Accompanying the photo of these roosters of the Bress-Gali breed of chickens is a description of the combs and the reasons why these birds should be excluded from breeding.
1. The beginning of the ridge does not meet the requirements of the standard. There are too many small teeth on it. Different in height, they violate the overall harmonious line. The rear is also unsatisfactory. The end of the comb is not triangular and is too small. The general combination of shortcomings makes the comb too rough and disharmonious.
2.This comb has too thin and long teeth with a small base. There are a lot of small teeth at the beginning of the ridge. The first large tooth has an additional process; as a result, the top of the tooth is also irregular due to the perpendicular growth of the excess part. Such a tooth is called split. In addition, the back of the ridge fits tightly to the back of the head.
3. In the third photo, the comb is satisfactory, but the first tooth is poorly “connected” to the comb, possibly due to injury in youth.
4. The 4th photo shows a description of the vicious comb of the Bress-Gali breed of chickens. At the very beginning of the ridge, the tooth closest to the beak bifurcates. This is not yet a vice, but it is already a disadvantage.
Further, the bifurcation of the ridge continues on individual teeth. The whole ridge looks inharmonious. This rooster should not be allowed for breeding, since such defects persist for a long time in the offspring.
5. The comb is not harmonious. There is a strong difference between the first cloves and the subsequent ones in height and width. The comb-shaped blade at the back is too much "cut", when it should end in a continuous curve in the form of an arch.
6. A rooster with a good simple comb, suitable for breeding.
7. In this photo, the comb fully corresponds to the description of the Bress-Gali chicken breed. The comb has beautiful, regular teeth and a fine texture.
The disadvantage of this comb is the small distance from the back of the head. The last tooth of the comb should be arched, but here it is spoiled by the last tooth, due to which the comb is pressed against the back of the head.
8.The comb in this photo is interesting because its back part follows the curve of the back of the head, without touching the head and neck. For Bresse Gaul cocks, this is a satisfactory space between the neck and crest.
But the comb has other disadvantages: there are unwanted micro-teeth in the front part, the growth on the second tooth is not needed, and the ridge line is severely cut. This rooster is also undesirable for breeding.
Productive characteristics
The French standard wisely indicates the weight of eggs - 60 g and the color of their shell - white, but not a word is said about the egg production of these chickens. According to reviews of Russian chicken breeders, Bress-Gali chickens can lay up to 200 eggs per year.
As an advantage in the description of the Bress-Gali breed of chickens on Russian websites, they often indicate the possibility of obtaining eggs from 4 months. Supposedly with proper feeding. But the French claim that with proper feeding, laying hens will mature by 5 months and this period should not be rushed. To the point that it is recommended to separate hens and cockerels, giving them different diets.
But this breed is valued mainly because of its tender, melt-in-your-mouth meat. Roosters gain weight quickly. At 2 months they can already weigh 1.6 kg. But when keeping young animals for fattening, certain rules must be followed.
With such strict restrictions, you will have to come to terms with the fact that there cannot be Bress-Gali chickens in Russia, just as there cannot be champagne and cognac. These brands belong to specific French provinces.But the change in name is unlikely to affect the productive characteristics of the breed.
Nuances of maintenance and diet
There are practically no Bress-Gali breeds of chickens in Russia. Only a few farmers brought these birds to the Russian Federation. Therefore, no experience has yet been accumulated in raising these chickens in Russia.
According to reviews from French farmers, Bresse-Gali chickens should be divided into groups by sex as soon as it becomes clear where the cockerel is and where the hen is. This occurs at the age of 2 months.
After dividing the livestock by sex, roosters must be limited in movement for better weight gain. Heat is harmful to Bress-Gali chickens, so in their enclosures the birds must have enough shelter from the sun's rays and constant access to clean water.
Roosters should be kept separately to avoid them fighting with younger chicks. In a calm environment, they gain weight better. In addition, this makes it possible to develop a separate diet for males that promotes weight gain.
Chickens should not gain fat as they grow, so a diet is developed for them that does not allow them to gain excess fat. You also need to ensure that the feed does not provoke early ripening.
As roosters grow, they become pugnacious and are advised to wear special “glasses” to help stop fights. Intensive growth in this breed ends by 4 months.
According to reviews from experienced breeders of the Bress-Gali breed of chickens, such measures allow them to receive maximum benefits from breeding these birds.
Beginning of egg production
Thanks to advertising about “eggs from 4 months”, delayed egg laying causes concern among inexperienced owners. In the absence of eggs, there are two options for what to do if Bress-Gali chickens do not lay eggs. If it is related to age, then nothing. Wait until they grow up. In other cases, egg production may stop due to molting or short daylight hours. You need to wait out the molt. Increase daylight artificially.
Chickens may also stop laying eggs due to illness or lack of vitamins. It is necessary to establish the cause of the decrease in productivity and eliminate it.
Reviews
Conclusion
The Bresse-Gali breed is a legitimate source of pride for French poultry farmers. It is hardly possible to get objective reviews from them about the Bress-Gali breed of chickens. But with the appearance of these birds on the farms of Russian farmers, in a few years it will be possible to accumulate our own statistics about this breed.
