Buckeyes are a great dual purpose breed for any backyard flock.
My LF rooster is the leader of our mixed flock, and he is dominant, but gentle to the roosters and hens.
Utility Info: Buckeyes are very hardy due to their small pea combs. Buckeyes are a very healthy breed that grow quickly and if supplemented with extra protein as chicks, will produce a large, tasty carcass. Without the protein, they still grow to a large size. The weight of a LF rooster is 9 pounds. The hens are frequent producers of nicely sized brown eggs. These birds are very tenacious free rangers, but do well in confinement.
Temperament Info: Buckeyes are truly gentle giants. Never has a rooster challenged me or bullied his hens, and keeps the squabbling minimal, even with other roosters. They are fun to pick up and hug because of their size, and though they will run away, they do not struggle when caught. Buckeyes are useful because they were created only for utility from a mixed flock. An interesting fact is that they were created by a woman and because they were made more recently, they haven't lost their utility purposes, they were never bred for more aesthetic purposes, just for a great meat and egg bird. That way, you can breed to the standard without too few eggs lost in the strive for perfection, because the better utility, the more likely the bird is to meet your goal. If you don't like your rooster, you can eat him, he will have a good carcass, but with longer legs.
I also own bantams. They are just as nice pets, and adorable, though they have less dual purpose qualities.
The Buckeyes are the birds on the right.
Babies!
In loving memory of Mabel.
My LF rooster is the leader of our mixed flock, and he is dominant, but gentle to the roosters and hens.
Utility Info: Buckeyes are very hardy due to their small pea combs. Buckeyes are a very healthy breed that grow quickly and if supplemented with extra protein as chicks, will produce a large, tasty carcass. Without the protein, they still grow to a large size. The weight of a LF rooster is 9 pounds. The hens are frequent producers of nicely sized brown eggs. These birds are very tenacious free rangers, but do well in confinement.
Temperament Info: Buckeyes are truly gentle giants. Never has a rooster challenged me or bullied his hens, and keeps the squabbling minimal, even with other roosters. They are fun to pick up and hug because of their size, and though they will run away, they do not struggle when caught. Buckeyes are useful because they were created only for utility from a mixed flock. An interesting fact is that they were created by a woman and because they were made more recently, they haven't lost their utility purposes, they were never bred for more aesthetic purposes, just for a great meat and egg bird. That way, you can breed to the standard without too few eggs lost in the strive for perfection, because the better utility, the more likely the bird is to meet your goal. If you don't like your rooster, you can eat him, he will have a good carcass, but with longer legs.
I also own bantams. They are just as nice pets, and adorable, though they have less dual purpose qualities.
The Buckeyes are the birds on the right.
Babies!
In loving memory of Mabel.
