Ambresse Acres

Ambresse Acres is a small homestead on a few acres dedicated exclusively to American Bresse chickens, especially their utilitarian aspects. We are focused on sustainably raising most of what we eat in a clean and holistic manner.

(Click on photos to open in a full-size window.)

To that end our chickens provide all the eggs and meat we need, plus overages for others. We also plant and tend a large vegetable garden, and forage for edible mushrooms and medicinal plants in season.

Ambresse Acres Info

Ambresse Acres Poultry Farm is located in Port Angeles, which is on the north Olympic Peninsula in Washington State. Or as we say, the "top left USA."

Facebook: AmBresseAcres
Website: www.ambresse.com
History of Ambresse Acres.
About Karen, owner of Ambresse Acres.
Products: Chicks, started birds. Fertile hatching eggs very occasionally available.
Would you like to sample some American Bresse flavor? For our local community, inquire about organic frozen frozen chicken products for you, and for your pet dogs and cats. 
Local pick-up only, we aren't shipping at this time. 
Contact Us Here. 
(1/9/2022; updated 9/17/2026)

History of Ambresse Acres

I first heard of American Bresse at the outset of 2020 when someone remarked, "I raise American Bresse chickens." After some serious research, I acquired a shipment of forty chicks, and then allowed the barnyard chickens to age out (into the stew-pot). I now raise American Bresse chickens exclusively. 

Ambresse Acres, a Poultry Homestead, Takes Shape

The initial forty birds making up our foundation stock were culled down to the best 8 birds by the end of the year. We added another 8 birds via hatching eggs from Sunny Acres Farm in Ohio in 2020, and then whittled these down to the best two cocks. 

The selective breeding and culling process continued for the next two and a half years. By mid-2023 the flock had improved significantly, especially in body type, balance, and bone structure. 

In mid-2023, a mission of mercy brought me from Washington State as far east as Missouri. If I could travel another eight hours to Cincinnati, Ohio, Mandelyn Royal was willing to spare me a good handful of started birds. I made the trip and collected the birds gratefully.

We reviewed her birds and chatted in the barn while a summer thunderstorm pounded the roof and drenched the landscape. It was still pouring as we loaded the young birds into their travel bins.

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Ambresse Acres in 2024

There is truth to the statement: You don't know what you don't know. And if you've not laid hands on young, truly meaty, American Bresse birds, you may not realize what you're missing.

Early growth is an essential trait for a meat bird. This doesn't mean an AB chick will grow into a freak of nature like a Cornish Cross. It just means that it will achieve its genetic growth potential much earlier than is typical for heritage chicken breeds.

As we hatched from both Mandelyn's and my bloodlines at Ambresse Acres starting in February of 2024, it was very quickly obvious that chicks hatched from MR genetics grew fast and were meaty almost from hatch. They grew into beautiful birds meeting the Standard, and were ready for processing by 13-15 weeks.

My original AA birds were not even close to matching the speed of early growth seen in Mandelyn's birds. Yes, they did become meaty, but weeks after the MR birds. They did have one strong trait - exquisite TASTE.

2024 - 2026: Double Dominant White, with NO Recessive White

Since 2024, we have genetically tested every breeding bird to identify the presence or absence of the recessive white gene. Additionally, we obtained black American Bresse birds in order to locate any birds that were NOT double dominant white. Those tests wrapped up in 2026.

All adult breeders have now proven themselves to have double dominant white, and NO recessive white. We will continue the testing process, should it be necessary, to ensure that our flock remains that way.

Two Bloodlines

For the foreseeable future, we plan to maintain two separate bloodlines. First, a pure MR bloodline birds. And second, my Ambresse Acres birds, to maintain our high flavor line. Both will be bred toward the SOP, and we will focus on early growth and conformation in the AA birds.

We use wing bands on every chick to assist in the process of selective breeding. In early 2027, we'll branch into pair-hatching and compensation mating. I look forward to the results!

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Perfection is a never-ending but exhilarating pursuit...!

Ambresse Acres: Chicks, Birds, Eggs

We DO offer chicks and started birds for sale, and very occasionally, fertile hatching eggs. Feel free to contact us and ask questions.

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Day-Old Chicks, Young Chicks, and Started Birds

ALL of our birds at Ambresse Acres are 100% American Bresse, and have ALL the qualities that are characteristic of the American Bresse breed, including the unique flavor and fat marbling.

Available: Day-old chicks - inquire early as we may have a wait list. USD$18.00/each, straight run, as we do not sex our chicks. Pick-up in Port Angeles, WA, or other agreed-upon pick-up point.

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Started Birds

Price depends on age. Contact us for details.

EVERY breeder of quality birds, without exception, finds that their stock divides itself into two sorts: The birds that have the potential to improve the overall quality of the breeding flock, and the birds that, if used for breeding, will add extra steps and a bunch of extra time to the selective breeding process.

The question then becomes: What to do with the birds that we don't plan to use for breeding??

• Birds that don't make the breeding grade go into our freezer. They taste GREAT and make superlative bone broth and chicken soup. 
  
  
• IF you happen to want only homestead egg-layers for personal use, timing will be key. It is not our goal to sell anything except birds that meet the Standard of Perfection, however, sometimes it's just really clear that an individual or homestead family only need or want good layers, and in that case, we're happy to help. Timing has to be right, however.
  
  Because on processing day, all birds not intended for breeding find their niche in the freezer. Reach out to us as soon as you make your decision, and we'll add you to the wait list.

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Fertile American Bresse Eggs for Hatching

U-Pick-Up. We are located in Port Angeles, in the north of the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State (USA). 

• Cost is $85/dozen. 
• We include extra eggs with your purchase to help insure against failure to hatch. (Our hatch rates vary between 97% - 100%, however the transit between my farm and your incubator does carry risk.)
• We meet you off site to give you your hatching eggs for reasons of bio-security on our homestead. The meeting location will be determined at the time of purchase, for mutual convenience.
• We don't yet have an "Order Form." To place an order and arrange for pick up, or to inquire about availability of fertile hatching eggs or chicks, please contact us via our Contact form.

September 2026 Note: Ambresse Acres sells fertile American Bresse hatching eggs infrequently. Please contact us for more info regarding availability and/or a spot on our waiting list.

Eating eggs are almost never available. We and our extended family eat nearly all of them. Any extras are dehydrated or donated. You can certainly inquire....

Too Far Away for Pick-Up?

We are acquainted with a LOT of excellent American Bresse chicken breeders, and are very happy to refer you to the American Bresse Breeder listings or the American Bresse for Sale page. Many of these breeders are selling and shipping hatching eggs, day-old chicks, and young birds.

(I am not able to personally vouch for every one of these breeders, of course. Please do not fail to do your own research and then contact the individual[s] of your choice when you're ready to obtain American Bresse hatching eggs or chicks.) 

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About Karen Patry, Owner of Ambresse Acres

Pictured: Karen Patry in a photo taken a "few" years ago. I've since grown out the gray...

Karen is the main chicken keeper at Ambresse Acres, and also the owner, author, and webmaster of the Ambresse.com website.

For years my main focus was rabbits. I spent much of my time writing the website, www.Raising-Rabbits.com. I raised and showed Rex rabbits (including a Best-in-Show!), developed a clean caging system, took thousands of rabbit photos, and wrote scores of website pages about every aspect of raising rabbits.

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Storey Publications published my informative book, Rabbit Raising Problem Solver, which was well-received and is in its second printing.

The Rabbit Raising Problem Solver is available in the Raising-Rabbits Store, and wherever good books are sold, including Amazon.com (4.6 stars).

(Storey is also the publisher of Storey's Guide to Raising Rabbits, by Bob Bennett, and Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens, by Gail Damerow.)

During all those years, chickens had access to the rabbitry, ranging under the dozens of rabbit cages and generally making themselves useful. They foraged for tidbits like flies, maggots, bugs, and even mice. They churned up the rabbit droppings until they were perfect for the garden. The eggs were a delicious bonus.

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When I discovered American Bresse chickens in early 2020, I plunged head first into breeding these amazing chickens.

And then the same passion that drove me to write about rabbits knocked me over the head....

The rest is history! This website, Ambresse.com, got its start in mid-2021. It is rapidly growing in its ability to provide practical information about American Bresse chickens to anyone interested in the American Bresse breed, or even in chickens generally.

And now you know both how I came to raise American Bresse chickens, AND how Ambresse.com came to be. Specific details about the Ambresse website are here.

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How Ambresse Acres Enjoys Delicious American Bresse Chicken!

In France, Bresse chickens are traditionally packaged with head and feet attached in order to prove authenticity. Here in North America, shrink-wrapped "head-on" birds would likely be a hard sell, but we DO leave the feet on at least some of our American Bresse whole chickens. 

For Fluffy and Fido...

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Canned Chicken and Bresse Bone Broth

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I hope that Ambresse Acres and the Ambresse.com website will be of genuine help to you. Enjoy your chickens!

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