Gauloise noire de Bresse: a chicken breed finally revalued for its eggs

One of the oldest French chicken breeds, the Gauloise black, reemerges from the past. Bored, she is back in Bresse, her homeland, in Huilly-sur-Seille (Saone-et-Loire). The hen has a typical look: black plumage with green highlights and blue legs. With his companion, Morgan Louche made the bet to reintroduce this old variety to perpetuate the tradition. Once prized for its eggs and his flesh, the Gallic black had disappeared since the post-war period, in favor of the Gauloise white, which made the glory of thePDO Bresse poultry.

Since last year, the couple raises 600 laying hens. They had to learn everything about this ancient race. “We had to grope a bit because we don’t necessarily have a reference on this breed. She is quite advanced at the layer level to succeed in obtaining eggs”, explains Morgan Louche, breeder. The Gauloise Noire lays medium-sized, white-shelled eggs that are very popular with chefs in the region.like to make a poached egg with vegetables and aromatic herbs. The breeder couple also wants to upgrade its flesh.