Buckeye Breed Thread

[Pathfinders]

Wow, those are some great looking birds...we got all the way down to 36 last night, 69 today in Central California

...

Thanks!

And oh my, that's pretty cold for you all, isn't it?

 

[bayocum]

Thanks!

And oh my, that's pretty cold for you all, isn't it?

To be honest, we have actually had "colder" weather out here lately. About 3 weeks ago, we were hitting the 20's almost every night for 10+ days in a row. That's cold for us...so 36 is a warming trend

. We're getting some really nice sunny days, so I'm hoping everyone gets into the swing of laying again soon. Right now its just the faithful orps that are keeping things going.

 

[Beka123]

Hi everyone, I acquired 2 buckeye hens 3 days ago. When I got them home I realized they were obviously inbred and culled bc of their attributes, one hen has 5 toes! They both have extremely bad knuckles on their toes but the one that does not have 5 toes has knuckles that curve so badly it makes me think she may have pain when she walks? Neither girl likes to roost on the bar, they have both been taking over a nest box and pooping everywhere in it. last night I found one in the corner on the floor. I keep putting them on the bar after dark but in the morning there is always massive poops in 2 nest boxes so I guess they move back. Could this be bc of their knuckles making it hard for them to roost? And one laid an egg that was so soft shelled it felt like a snake egg. Also this morning there was a MASSIVE poop the size of an egg, and broken off at the end like a dog poop, very hard looking. I'm guessing it has to do with the diets they were fed...? Help making these girls more comfortable would be greatly appreciated! This is just my back yard flock so their happiness and chasing me around the yard looking for treats is what I want most. I know they don't lay that many eggs and i obviously cannot breed them bc of how bad they are but that's not my priority, I just want happy chickens! thanks.

 

[bayocum]

Beka123,
I can tell you that diet makes a big difference, as do living arrangements. Any time you change these things, the immediate effect is to cause some anxiety to the bird's system, even if its an improvement. However, it wont be long before you see some improvements, both in their physical and emotional health. Give them a good feed ration, a safe, clean housing environment with fresh water, and soon they will show signs of reduce anxiety and health. I can't say much about the physical ailments without seeing what you're describing, but good food and good quarters is a big step toward happy birds. Soft-shelled eggs could be laying cycle, or lack of nutrients, but either way that's something you can improve. Just keep at it and let us know how things are going in a week or so... Good luck!

 

[Pathfinders]

Hi everyone, I acquired 2 buckeye hens 3 days ago. When I got them home I realized they were obviously inbred and culled bc of their attributes, one hen has 5 toes! They both have extremely bad knuckles on their toes but the one that does not have 5 toes has knuckles that curve so badly it makes me think she may have pain when she walks? Neither girl likes to roost on the bar, they have both been taking over a nest box and pooping everywhere in it. last night I found one in the corner on the floor. I keep putting them on the bar after dark but in the morning there is always massive poops in 2 nest boxes so I guess they move back. Could this be bc of their knuckles making it hard for them to roost? And one laid an egg that was so soft shelled it felt like a snake egg. Also this morning there was a MASSIVE poop the size of an egg, and broken off at the end like a dog poop, very hard looking. I'm guessing it has to do with the diets they were fed...? Help making these girls more comfortable would be greatly appreciated! This is just my back yard flock so their happiness and chasing me around the yard looking for treats is what I want most. I know they don't lay that many eggs and i obviously cannot breed them bc of how bad they are but that's not my priority, I just want happy chickens! thanks.

Sometimes hens who leave very large feces are doing so because they are broody, wanting to stay in the nest boxes is also a sign of broodiness. So it's possible these new hens of yours are broody and are trying to hatch eggs.

I agree with Boyocum, just try to get them used to their new environment, give them good quality food and fresh water and let them settle in gently. Curved toes might have to do with the temperature in the incubator when they were hatched, or could have to do with their genetics, hard to say at this point. As long as they can still get around it shouldn't matter, and they should still be able to roost once they get the hang of things.

Give them some time, show them some love and I'm sure they'll turn out ok for you.

 

[Pathfinders]

Just want to congratulate Chris McCary for his awesome Reserve Champion of the Show win at the NW Georgia Poultry Club show yesterday with a Buckeye cock bird. There were over 1,600 birds in the show, and Chris's bird beat a White Rock (and everything else except a bantam White Cornish) to get there! So glad to see Buckeyes more and more on Champion Row, and Chris' hard work paying off.

Good on ya Chris!

 

[flowerchild59]

Go Buckeyes!!!

 

[bayocum]

Just want to congratulate Chris McCary for his awesome Reserve Champion of the Show win at the NW Georgia Poultry Club show yesterday with a Buckeye cock bird. There were over 1,600 birds in the show, and Chris's bird beat a White Rock (and everything else except a bantam White Cornish) to get there! So glad to see Buckeyes more and more on Champion Row, and Chris' hard work paying off.

Good on ya Chris!

Congratulations Chris... well-deserved!

 

[cgmccary]

Congratulations Chris... well-deserved!

Thanks Brice & Laura. Here in the South, it is hard to beat those OEG bantams once you get to Champion Large Fowl so I consider Reserve Grand Champion of the Show to be a major accomplishment for the breed (I do not begrudge the OEG as they are always in tip-top shape & in multitudes.). Fittingly, two of the APA judges that got my Buckeye Cock there were from Ohio: Gary Overton (a Master breeder of Speckled Sussex & breeder of LF Wyandottes too) and Tim Bowles -- both judges know Buckeyes well and have judged them all over the country -- Overton judged the class and all the LF and both judges corroborated on picking the Buckeye as both LF CH and Reserve Grand CH of the show. I also was impressed that I saw Overton go and consult the SOP. I noticed Bowles checking to make sure I had the slate bar in the back as well before placing him LF. I only mention the judges because it is good to know who is willing to let a Buckeye advance (Bowles awarded one of my Buckeye cockerels a couple of years ago as American Class Champion and also, I believe he picked Laura's Buckeye pullet as Reserve American at Lucasville 3 years ago -- right Laura?). I will also say it was a strong American Class -- remarkably, the Reserve American CH was also the Reserve LF CH -- a white Plymouth Rock cockerel (I had been told that a Reserve could be advanced like that but I don't remember seeing it actually happen at a show I attended). There were 120+ LF in yesterday's show (which is good for a show in the South as Bantams dominate). I showed the the 1 Buckeye cock and 3 Buckeye cockerels yesterday, and there were 11 LF Buckeyes in the open show. We had some Bantam Buckeyes in the show as well.

And as if these judges weren't enough to judge my Buckeye cock yesterday, this is the same bird who, as a cockerel, won Champion Large Fowl in a crowded Buckeye field in Jefferson, GA in January 2012 -- so Jim Adkins liked him as a cockerel -- there were 18 or 19 Buckeyes in that show (only 129 LF total). Jim Adkins is a Buckeye breeder himself, and it was the first time he had seen my birds. My Buckeye Cock is also the Sire to the cockerel that was BB at Ohio Nationals (36 Buckeyes). The Cock was not fully feathered in November (after molting) so I did NOT take him to Ohio National. btw, Laura has the ON Buckeye cockerel in one of her breeding pens.

I also got to meet some BYC folks yesterday and talked a lot about Buckeyes. I learn things at every show I attend from other poultry breeders. Yesterday was no exception.

Chris

 

[Pathfinders]

I noticed Bowles checking to make sure I had the slate bar in the back as well before placing him LF. I only mention the judges because it is good to know who is willing to let a Buckeye advance (Bowles awarded one of my Buckeye cockerels a couple of years ago as American Class Champion and also, I believe he picked Laura's Buckeye pullet as Reserve American at Lucasville 3 years ago -- right Laura?).

No, actually that was Michael Wasylkowski. "Waski", who is from Delaware, has been a big supporter of the Buckeye chicken for many years, has taken the time to learn the Standard for the breed and fought hard to put that pullet up on Champion Row that year (despite some flack from some people that she was a little young to be there.)

Tim and Gary are great guys too! One of the things I miss the most about showing is the people; 99.9% of all the judges I've ever met are just the most wonderful people in the world - helpful, knowledgeable, more than willing to help newcomers learn about why they've placed a given bird the way they did. Some people grouse about "politics" in the show hall, and all too often it's those who are new to showing and who don't know how many thankless hours the judges put into their work. Believe me, judges don't do what they do because they're getting rich! It's all for the love of the fancy, and for the birds. I honestly don't know how some of them do it. I've seen judges at big shows work through an entire day, not even stopping for lunch, just keep on going, it makes my feet hurt just to think about it.

I encourage everyone to clerk for a judge at a show at least once, just to get an idea of what judges go through. I think you might change your idea of "politics in the show hall" once you've done that, if you ever thought there were any. My hat goes off to the judges, it really does.