The Buckeye Thread

[MnMPoultry]

That's a real nice pea comb there.

 

[Blueface]

The sire male has a great comb as well, he topped a class of 163 American birds last fall in Lucasville, his grand sire is Champ. That bird has a looooong list of accolades and still running strong

 

[Blueface]

Here is the grand sire and the bird above is shaping up to be just like him with a better build and weight distribution at an earlier age.

 

[Minniechickmama]

I love the way it really hugs the head and doesn't stick up in the back more like a wedge on his head, Joe.

 

[slfarms]

Here's a pic of a really nice buckeye comb. It's attached to a 5 month old cockerel that weighs 7 lbs 5 ounces. This bird is showing excellent potential!! He should be ready for the ON and the National meet in TN.

Very nice head and peacomb. I love the look of his eye and scowl as Josh put it. You're showing your breeding consistency. Great job.

 

[Blueface]

What I love about posting is the world gets to see what a buckeye should look like!! I see the views bump every time I post. I know there are people that are ever so curious about what I'll say next. People that are trying to shape a breed should be honest so people can learn from them. If someone tells you are wrong, do the background research if you feel differently and lead by example to stand up for yourself. There is no need to alienate people for different views.

Motivation is a powerful thing. Motivation is the driving force that causes the change from desire to trying to achieve in life. I've read comments regarding what drives me as a person?

What motivates me as a breeder as it relates to the buckeye breed? As with most people, I find success rewarding. To feel a sense of self-accomplishment for the time and energy that was vested. I try my level best to lead by example; not only for my daughters but for other inspiring breeders to see that hard work and true understanding does actually earn favorable results. So with that, I lead by example to bring this amazing breed of poultry back to respect in the exhibition arena and to help others see a clear difference between birds that fit that standard description compared to others that try and persuade you that anything less is acceptable. If you are serious about the breed, it is NOT difficult to see the differences on a fundamental level.
Nettie Metcalf’s written description inspired me very early on when I was researching this amazing breed. I noticed some minor differences between her descriptions of the breed and the current Standard of Perfection that the APA supports. The good thing is that I feel that the Standard has enough leeway so that Nettie’s mongrels can be bred in her image and still meet every aspect outlined within the Standard. This combination has been my template per say and I hold it very steadfast.

So why so adamant about the appearance of this breed? Nettie Metcalf endured and overcame many obstacles while FIGHTING (yes, it was fighting!) for the Buckeye Reds to be accepted by the APA and admitted into the Standard of Perfection. The only thing that she had to surrender was the term “Red” from the breed’s name. The early 1900s was not a strong era for women’s ideology. She was often ridiculed and scoffed at for the mere thought of a woman working on a new breed. It was a male dominated society (including the poultry association) where many of the women took second fiddle if they had an instrument at all. In addition, the buckeye garnered more scrutiny from the male dominated Rhode Island Red community. They would have liked nothing more than to erase the Buckeye from existence to ensure that they were the ONLY “Red” breed accepted. Yet, the Buckeye survived.

Can you imagine the great sense of pride, self-worth, and accomplishment to have overcome so many of the obstacles, to put in the physical leg work, to stretch a non-existent budget and still succeed? I often find it funny and quite ironic that the first Rhode Island Reds ever exhibited where in Cleveland, Ohio and were actually single combed Buckeyes bred by Nettie herself. That qualifying event helped the Rhode Island Red breed gain acceptance and recognition by the APA. That woman worked hard and persevered to ensure the buckeye had a place at the table. To propagate her breed any other way than by her written record would be insulting to the woman who developed them, IMO. That is why I’m so adamant about their appearance. The APA places much less emphasis on color as compared to what Nettie placed on her fowl. Nettie considered color to be just as important has type and so shall I. Anything less would be an insult to her and the buckeye breed.
Yes, I’m relatively new to the breed. I’ve only been involved with them for approximately 5 years, but my background in poultry has been life long, literally. Another example of what can be done in a short amount of time if one is dedicated!!!

Upon entering the scene if you’d like to call it that; it was obvious what needed to happen for the breed to gain favor and any type of recognition. Inferior quality birds were and still are currently being bred and peddled in an effort to make a dollar bill while exploiting the “endangered” label that was slapped on them by a group that conducted an extremely misleading survey. The backstory that accompanied such peddling was a great one!! Developed by a woman, highly endangered, rare, homestead, organic, dual-purpose, self-sustaining, friendly, mousers, dinosaur roar, winter hearty, genetic diversity…..and the list goes on! Who wouldn’t want some of these birds with that kind of resume? So thousands of them were mass produced under a “gold-standard” breeding program…..the buzz words just keep coming don’t they? If anybody wanted to create a stir; at least make it sound the part…right?!?!?
The whole problem with breeding is…….if you go into your brood pens with inferior birds, how in the world are you going to get anything other than inferior out? Rather than start out with a few single matings to test the waters and see if the result was genetically and fundamentally sound, this peddling outfit flying the “preservation” flag, jumps right off the mountain and spreads their birds to everyone that wants a “buckeye” regardless of how bad and how far removed they were from Nettie’s breed description not to mention the APA Standard of Perfection. Its mind boggling to me how people claim that color can be fixed in as few as three years in a breeding program. I know people that have been breeding these birds for nearly a decade now and the color still is all wrong. But in their defense, they can claim “excellent” heart girth and proper wing carriage. it too me 2 years to establish proper type and the rest has been working on color while maintaining type. Like I said, you put inferior fowl in the brood pens and you are going to get the same out. No amount of culling is going to fix it.

The fact remains that buckeyes are just chickens. The buckeye is no different than any other breed when proper selection is being taken into consideration. The basics are just that…basics. The concept of selective breeding has been around for decades. From day 1, I’ve had a goal set in my mind for what this breed should be and unlike many others, I continue unwavered. My methods and the way I view the breed have never changed. My success inside, as well as out of the exhibition arena is proof of that. There is no such thing as a “secret bullet” or magical “nic” when crossing lines. A simple term called “hybrid vigor” results from an outcross and usually is a better specimen but if one doesn’t know what to do with the product; no real value will ever be recovered. It leads to a “one and done” scenario. The principle of breeding successfully all goes back to properly selected breeding stock. If inferior goes into the breeding pens, inferior will be the results.. I’m getting quality pullets and cockerels yearly and each year they are only getting better. I have successfully placed a bird from every breeding season on Champion Row. So this whole idea of good years and bad is non-sense; if you are breeding quality fowl, quality fowl will be the product. If anyone says anything different, they need to be honest with themselves.

So why am I so brash? I have learned a great deal in the past few years. I’ve been able to systematically improve the features on my buckeyes to yield better reproducibility across the board utilizing selective breeding methods. I actually cared about what I’ve been breeding and selecting. When I see people misleading others interested in the breed and its creator’s breed description to peddle a couple extra birds to unsuspecting people; I get frustrated. They know exactly what they are doing and they don’t seem to care. I really care about what I’m doing and I feel an overwhelming responsibility to help others. It is up to others to listen. You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make him drink.

I suppose that some may consider my commitments and resolution toward the breed as a form of hostility. The term “bully” has been thrown at me a time or two. The truth of the matter is that I stand up for myself, am confident in my abilities and openly call out inconsistencies to make the breed BETTER. I’ll never be a member of the village people holding hands petting each other’s egos singing kum-bay- ya.

So what drives me? Whenever I attend a poultry show; due to my competitive nature, I am there to win! Why would anyone just take birds just to be an entry? The idea that the buckeye can be a consistent show champion on a yearly basis if bred properly is important to me. For the buckeye to take its rightful place as the best “Red” in the country sitting at the top of its class is exciting. Ensuring that the buckeye maintains its dual purpose-responsibility for decades to come is satisfying. That aspect in itself is unique considering most exhibition type fowl frequently lose their rightful purposes to hide behind a pile of feathers. My buckeyes will not have that fate. I want to help everyone see the fraudulent aspects of this hobby and better prepare themselves to ask the questions that need to be asked along with the ability to see through smoke and mirrors propaganda that has been hindering the breed. At no point has my views or methodologies ever hindered my ability to produce anything less than a beautiful buckeye. My tract record speaks for itself.

The buckeye is here to stay and it’s only going to gain favor in the exhibition community due to those that take the breed and breeding seriously. This orange colored, fluffy version that is floating around are never going to make the grade. I’ve been contacted by numerous people that have fallen victim to the orange plague and are now seeking a more representative example of the Buckeye breed, so the word is getting out regarding the preferential buckeye of choice. Many judges are taking note as well and here often hear comments regarding this very thing. I often wonder what Nettie Metcalf would think?!?!

 

[Blueface]

I've been posting a series of desirable traits and birds as they relate to the buckeye breed. Now I'd like to share the other side of the spectrum. I purchased 3 dozen eggs a couple years ago. From those eggs, 3 birds hatched and only 1 chick lived. The bird pictured below is that bird and I kept him to teach people a couple things. Soon after I purchased these eggs, I was approached here on BYC and was told that I got champion caliber buckeyes due to my purchase. I fed this bird identical to the other fowl. Yet, he never grew to standard weight (actually weights over a pound underweight), has a split wing on both wings, has a terrible head, has no undercolor, and no reddish horn in his leg color (not to mention thin shanks...directly related to poor bone structure) ...oh yeah....a wry tail with white in it?!?! This is exactly what I mean when I tell people to do their homework.....and not to let people blow smoke! The conversation is still posted here on the site Nothing positive can ever be done with this bird except teaching people what they don't want!! Yet people still breed with it?!?! Champion birds?!? He wouldn't even make a good stewpot bird!! Which further justifies the statement.....not all buckeyes are created equal!!

 

[JoshU]

I've been posting a series of desirable traits and birds as they relate to the buckeye breed. Now I'd like to share the other side of the spectrum. I purchased 3 dozen eggs a couple years ago. From those eggs, 3 birds hatched and only 1 chick lived. The bird pictured below is that bird and I kept him to teach people a couple things. Soon after I purchased these eggs, I was approached here on BYC and was told that I got champion caliber buckeyes due to my purchase. I fed this bird identical to the other fowl. Yet, he never grew to standard weight (actually weights over a pound underweight), has a split wing on both wings, has a terrible head, has no undercolor, and no reddish horn in his leg color (not to mention thin shanks...directly related to poor bone structure) ...oh yeah....a wry tail with white in it?!?! This is exactly what I mean when I tell people to do their homework.....and not to let people blow smoke! The conversation is still posted here on the site

Nothing positive can ever be done with this bird except teaching people what they don't want!! Yet people still breed with it?!?! Champion birds?!? He wouldn't even make a good stewpot bird!! Which further justifies the statement.....not all buckeyes are created equal!!

 

[Blueface]

Hmmmm......there it is?!?! Well if the shoe fits; you better lace it up.....so I've been told. I've chosen to take the nameless approach. Accountability is something more people need to adopt. How can the buckeye ever gain a favorable opinion with birds like this being sold to represent the breed? The interweb is a funny place! The pics that represented this bird or the parents of looked NOTHING like what I hatched!! This happens all too often with purchased chicks and hatching eggs.
The real shame is most people don't know any better......it's a shame and further signifies my longer response above. In fairness, I gave that bird time to mature but unfortunately.....it didn't help. This example of a "buckeye" is not what Nettie intended the breed to be!!

 

[Blueface]

Josh, that linked thread brings back awesome memories..,..a walk down memory lane is always a good one!!! I particularly like post 175......glad I didn't make him wait too terribly long.....LOL