How did you become a poultry farmer ?

In 1992, I took over the farm from my grandparents, who were both dairy and poultry farmers. They produced about 900 chickens a year. In the old days, people used to keep chickens in every farm courtyard for extra income.

How do you work ?

My farm has 16 hectares, with 10 devoted to cereals to feed the poultry and 6 hectares reserved for the chicken to live in “penned” freedom. I just work with my wife, Adeline. I produce 4,000 Bresse AOC chickens a year; this is the only AOC poultry in the world. To do this, I buy one-day old chicks – they already know how to eat and drink - and I monitor the product up to the end consumer. We have to go through the selection centre that manages all genetics and supplies farms with chicks, according to our very draconian specifications. We also have 5% guineafowl (not AOC) per chicken batch to protect the latter from predators (crows, buzzards and other small birds). In fact, the guineafowl start squawking on sight of any bird of prey and chase away a large number. While my losses amount to 1%, some of my colleagues often suffer over 5% loss, depending on where they are located.

What are the specificities of poultry breeding ?

We produce Bresse chicken and fine poultry such as fattened hens (20-week old virgin females) and capons (male castrated at 6/8 weeks to develop muscular mass). These three products benefit from an AOC label. We work with small units of 500 fowl. Each building (50m2) is adjacent to a 5,000 m2 grass area run and takes in a batch of chicks for at least four months. They are fed a wholemeal feed with no bone meal or GM cereals until they are five weeks old. At five weeks, regardless of the weather conditions, the fowl are moved to an enclosed plot of grass as stipulated in the specifications. Afterwards, the feed is based on corn from the farm and wheat. I add some goat’s milk, more digestible than cow’s milk, but not as expensive and rare as mare’s milk. The fattening process is completed with corn flour and occasionally some cooked rice once they are in wooden cage. Started in February-March, the capons (most fattened) are slaughtered Christmas and New Year end festivities. This period is four months minimum for chickens, and five months for fattened hens. All Bresse chicken breeders cannot do other poultry species.

What is the Bresse poultry production ?

The Bresse chicken is a unique product. It is distinguished by its blue feet, white plumage and red comb. There are 250 breeders in all, and we produce about 1.2 million chickens/year. All fine poultry must be presented wrapped, i.e. surrounded by a clean cloth (linen or cotton). The purpose is to spread the fowl’s fatty layer all over the limbs in an oblong shape and bring out the grain of the skin. In the old days, this practice helped preserve it, (8 days at 17°C), when there were no cold rooms. Today, it can be kept for over 15 days in a cold room. Every Bresse chicken is displayed with some of its feathers to certify its origin. Bresse chicken is rather like the Rolls Royce of poultry. They should be prepared as simply as possible if you want to fully appreciate the flavour. On this point, the competition “Les Glorieuses de Bresse” is our biggest showcase and 50 breeders take part every year in this great competition, created in 1862. Bresse chickens are also bred on the farmer’s devotion and know-how and the price is fully justified. My goal is to maintain the same level of quality for the same livestock.

What do you think of Rungis Market ?

It’s a vast, impressive market and a market of excellence. I sell part of my production through Rungis Market to a certain number of key clients. Furthermore, 40% of Bresse poultry production is sold in the capital.