The Buckeye Thread

[Black Cochin Bantams]

My thoughts on this thread over the last 24 hrs.

This is a manufactured argument about Buckeyes. It is really seems to be about personal interpretations of the SOP. I have been judged by Terry Britt many times and KNOW he knows how to judge correctly.

If anyone wants to exhibit a better bird Please enter them. If not then keep mouths shut and go back and breed a better bird. It smacks of jealousy and pettiness.

I was there and looked the class over.on Sunday morning before many people were there. I thin a good job was done on the Open show birds. I can not comment on the Jr birds as I did not look those over well enough to draw an opinion.

I think the breed is in a better place than it was even 5 years ago on several fronts. More breeders and exhibitors as well as more birds being shown is a good thing. There have always been a few good birds but have not seen as many decent birds show at once before. I don't have the numbers but feel this was a much better representation of the breed than I saw at Crossroads in 2011.

So my congratulations to the breed for growing and getting better.

 

[Apdeb]

I want you people to know that guy roys new hampshires will probably win every show he enters they are that good!!! Stunning really
I am proud to carry on the buckeye tradition here in new england!!! I acquired a pair of bantams from jason and plan to use them with a 4h project im working on!!! Buckeyes are prettier and more fun than rirs its just going to take a wee bit of arm twisting!!!! The fact that they are rosecombs huge here!!! Thanks to laura and Daniel for a fun tour of ON!!! And it was great seeing Jan Brett and P. Allen
Happy thanksgiving and hoping to see some of you in Knoxville at Dixie classic

 

[bunnibird55]

I agree! canieldonrod....the fact that there is this much interest growing in the Buckeyes is huge! To see a good representation at ON was, in my newbie mind (newbie in the show world), terrific As I looked over the birds and noted different things I really liked about certain birds there was a gentleman who came up to me and started asking questions about what to look for in the Bucks. I currently have a flock with 30 Buckeyes, three of them are, according to what I can read from every source available, very, very promising and I will be breeding those three this spring and working on improving that trio. I was able to tell this gentleman enough of what their personalities and tendencies are and what to look for that he is now purchasing some stock and going to work on also breeding a line to the SOP. We need to extol the virtues of this breed more and encourage people to not only breed to the SOP, but to breed a DUAL PURPOSE bird that is successful in small backyard environments. And yes, to a previous comment about someone saying they had never seen a Buckeye be a mouser, well, you might not have mice around your farm, but I have, that is until I have seen my birds scratch out mouse nests and actually catch all the little mice and devour them. Nothing funnier than watching about 15 hens chasing the little mice and then taking off with one in it's beak with several other hens in hot pursuit! My one rooster caught a mouse that got into his small coop and now there are no mice snitching his food! I spend a lot of time out with my chickens, watching, studying and just paying attention to the way they act in a natural environment. They are all free-range and they are much better at everything than my New Hampshires, although I do love the quirks of my NH's and Buff Cochins, Buckeyes are a perfect all around bird that I would highly recommend for other people to raise.

 

[cgmccary]

nevermind

 

[cgmccary]

nevermind

 

[Blueface]

Great post. I agree with you 100%. Your arguments are sound, and we should all read this and take this advice.

Didn't see that one a coming but thanks.

 

[slfarms]

I want you people to know that guy roys new hampshires will probably win every show he enters they are that good!!! Stunning really
I am proud to carry on the buckeye tradition here in new england!!! I acquired a pair of bantams from jason and plan to use them with a 4h project im working on!!! Buckeyes are prettier and more fun than rirs its just going to take a wee bit of arm twisting!!!! The fact that they are rosecombs huge here!!! Thanks to laura and Daniel for a fun tour of ON!!! And it was great seeing Jan Brett and P. Allen
Happy thanksgiving and hoping to see some of you in Knoxville at Dixie classic

I agree on the New Hampshire. I had never really looked at them before as the bucks and welsummers always caught my eye. Beautiful breed and his birds are phenomenal.

 

[PA Farmer24]

WOW, This thread really went wild since I was last one. Sorry been busy with work and now fighting some sort of bug that has had me down for the count for a week now.

I spent last night reading thru the 400 plus comments and all I can say is WOW, I will not argue with some of the members here on past remarks that seemed to be trying to make me look like I don't know what I'm talking about. That's alright I know how to read labels and administer supplemental or medical treatments as needed.

Welcome to the new comers to the group nice to have you here.

As for recent winners, well congrats I guess is in order regardless if there was not more entries from other breeders and a win is a win regardless of the size of show. I guess....

I can say that after reading and catching up on everthing that I missed over the last two weeks that there seems to be a member or two who really just seems to be a post stirer and I'm sure they know who they are, I will leave names out as I am not trying to stir anything up just an observation on trying to catch up with the thread.

Hope everyone is feeling ok and hope that no one gets this bug as it is nasty. Take care and be safe.

 

[slfarms]

WOW, This thread really went wild since I was last one. Sorry been busy with work and now fighting  some sort of bug that has had me down for the count for a week now.      

I spent last night reading thru the 400 plus comments and all I can say is WOW,   I will not argue with some of the members here on past remarks that seemed to be trying to make me look like I don't know what I'm talking about. That's alright I know how to read labels and administer supplemental or medical treatments as needed.

Welcome to the new comers to the group nice to have you here.

As for recent winners, well congrats I guess is in order regardless if there was not more entries from other breeders and a win is a win regardless of the size of show.   I guess....

I can say that after reading and catching up on everthing that I missed over the last two weeks that there seems to be a member or two who really just seems to be a post stirer and I'm sure they know who they are, I will leave names out as I am not trying to stir anything up just an observation on trying to catch up with the thread.   

Hope everyone is feeling ok and hope that no one gets this bug as it is nasty. Take care and be safe.

Glad you are back PaFarmer. Sorry to hear you are under the weather.

 

[Natashka]

Though you have a point about the upfront cost, buckeyechicken, they all eat the same amount of feed to raise.  You might pay $2  more per chick from a breeder (or not) but you will likely get a better bred to the breed standard flock out of it, plus personally knowing who bred and raised the birds as well and know where they came from specifically.  You can go to a hatchery and get birds that sometimes look like they could have had some other breed  mixed in that throws off what the Buckeye really should be.  For instance, Buckeyes are a tight feathered breed which means you can see more like what the birds body is from the outside, whereas something like an Orpington or Cochin is a whole lot of fluff.
I started with hatchery birds for the sake of finding the breeds I liked best.  Out of the 30+breeds I 'tried on', Buckeyes are my favorites.  You would truly enjoy all aspects of this breed from the personality and hardiness to their usefulness as a layer and meat bird.  I hand people my Buckeyes when they come for young birds and let them FEEL the difference between them and other breeds I have.  They always get big-eyed and are surprised that even chicks of a couple weeks old have some real substance to them, even the pullets.  
I would be curious to know what it is that your husband would not like about a rooster?  Roosters in a flock serve a very useful position.  They are not just there to breed the hens, but to be the caretaker of the flock, if you will.  They are the guardian from danger and should warn the flock of danger. They also will find all the goodies to eat.  I like a rooster who will find a worm and call all the girls over to eat it rather than the one who charges in and grabs it up and gulps it down.  I do not find that my Buckeyes crow excessively either.  They actually have been slower to start crowing than many other breeds I have raised.  I also enjoy what I find to be the unique sound they make, especially as juvenilles which is similar to a purring sound that I have never heard in other breeds.
This is a wonderful breed, but be careful to sort through what is fact and what is myth.  There are claims about them that may be true for some flocks, but not others, like Buckeyes being mouse hunters.  Yes, most birds are curious about anything that will move like mice skitter around and they will go after it.  My best mouse chasers are my Cochins, of all breeds.  I would say any chicken is potential a mouse CHASER, but to be a mouser as a cat would be and actually hunt them, I think is a stretch.

Welcome to the world of the dark red Buckeye.  I hope you find them as enjoyable as the rest of us do who have them.

My husbands objections for a rooster are due to crowing. We do have 5 acres and are surrounded by people with some acreage, but I don't want annoy other people. If I could get a bird that doesn't crow very loud, that'd be okay. I think I could convince the hubby that we need a rooster eventually.

We won't be getting chickens for awhile. The earliest is next spring, because it will be a learning curve for me and I have two very young children (almost 5 months and 17 months). Until then, I'm learning all I can (from books and this forum).

I like the idea of buckeyes and helping the breed, but I had no idea it would be so complicated! I do not plan in showing chickens at this time, but my kids may want to when they are older.

I'm enjoying the lively discussions on this thread.