Mistral Gris Chicks - Artisanal Meat Birds

Pricing:

Mistral Gris (“Mee-strahl Gree”)

Our Mistral Gris are a “Label Rouge” style of pasture-raised meat bird — the best choice for anyone wanting healthy, flavourful, naturally grown chicken. These birds grow faster than the best heritage breeds but much slower and steadier than commercial broilers, giving them excellent structure, strong legs, and balanced weight gain.

They are robust, active foragers that feather quickly and are ready to move outdoors within just a few weeks. Mistral Gris thrive in outdoor environments and handle both heat and cold extremely well, making them a dependable, year-round option for small farms and homesteads. They’re well suited to pasture-based systems where birds can explore, scratch, and forage naturally.

Mistral Gris are best raised to about 12–14 weeks, when they make exceptional roasters with incredible flavour and tenderness — truly a gourmet farmstead meat. Processed at this stage, birds typically average 3.5 – 6 lbs, with hens weighing slightly less than roosters. You can process them as early as 10 weeks, or keep them longer — they continue to fill out beautifully after 10 weeks, and the meat stays flavourful and tender even beyond 14 weeks. Many keep a few Mistral Gris within their mixed flocks year-round, using them as dual-purpose birds that fit well into diverse farm systems.

They have broad breasts and well-developed thighs, and despite their darker plumage, they dress cleanly and easily. A simple rub of butter and an open-pan roast brings out the most divine flavour imaginable.

Mistral Gris resemble Barred Rocks, with black-and-white barred feathers, single combs, and yellow skin. They were developed from Barred Rocks and several other heritage breeds using traditional “three-way cross” breeding methods. It takes over ten generations to perfect a line like this, and the parent lines are refreshed every few years to maintain vigour.

No genetic engineering or “terminal genes” are used — this is true old-fashioned breeding. While Mistral Gris themselves grow too large to breed naturally, their lineage remains a living heritage project here at the farm.

🌾 Note on Chick and Feather Colours

Our Mistral Gris come from two core parent lines that were originally built from many heritage breeds over the last twenty-plus years. Because of that rich background, most birds will grow into the classic barred grey/black pattern — but every so often, especially in roosters, you’ll see gorgeous gold or green tones appear as they mature.

About one in a hundred chicks may hatch almost completely golden. Think of it as your little golden prize — the same line, simply showing a recessive trait. You may also see chicks with slightly golden faces or a golden back; as they feather out they’ll still show the barring with a warm golden sheen.

We choose not to cull for feather colour, focusing instead on health, growth, and vigour. This means you’ll see a touch more visual variety in our line — a kind nod to the many beautiful breeds that went into its creation.