Chickens

The basic quality of French chickens has remained reasonable. The consumer here is used to good taste and firm bones, and fully aware of the benefits of quality labelled food. Label rouge is a nationwide label of quality, and a label rouge chicken goes beyond a free-range chicken in the UK. To qualify, chickens must be reared outside, all day long, live for 81 days minimum and eat a balanced meal of minerals, vitamins and cereals. There are strict hygiene and health checks too.

Paul and Noel Renault have been farming poultry for over twenty years on their farm in Louvigné de Bais, near Vitré. They rear chickens, pigeons and ducks with a simple philosophy - putting the birds back into their natural environment. The birds live in grassy parks, with ponds dug especially for the ducks. Paul has reintroduced rare chicken breeds such as the Coucou de Rennes, which had virtually disappeared since the 1960s. Minimum rearing time? 130 days. And everyone is fed with grain grown on the farm, pesticide-free, bien sûr. It’s a far cry from the ‘ordinary’ chicken which has only six weeks to make friends in his hangar before meeting the checkout girl.