Buckeye Breed Thread

[tandersphoenix]

I don't know about their Buckeyes but I will say this. I had pretty much all of their long tails at one time (phoenix and yokohama) and sold eggs to them. The owner tries to find people who are experienced in a breed and cares about them to head up his breeding programs. I have been really impressed with the quality and the bloodlines he obtained and sent me to work with.

 

[SlowMoneyFarm]

I don't have an SOP but have ordered from Cackles before. My showing 'experience' was the county fair in OK and they won champion there (Wyandotte or NH usually). But this batch is just different. Even the 5 buff orpington and 5 australorp in with them are quiet. Hyper aware - they aren't in any way sick and not flighty - but see everything happening, just not real big 'talkers'. Usually at feeding or refilling water most chicks peep peep and get excited - these don't but sure dive into the refilled feeder and water, tap at the bubbles (quart jar) from water etc. It's been warm enough this week the light is mostly off - 80-90 - and they've been comfortable. I really like them so far!

 

[serinat]

Woot! I finally got me some Buckeyes! Here's a (poor) picture of my eight juveniles from our own Buckeye Dave:

So these guys don't like to roost. They haven't even tried to jump up to play on the roosts. My other chicks/juveniles have always started sparring on the roosts at a young age. Are Buckeyes just more docile? They certainly seem so.

Just so excited to finally be raising Buckeyes. Thanks to Dave for the birds - I'm looking forward to seeing how they change as they grow. They are a beautiful color already, and so different from the Buffs we already have. Nice to have something new to look at.

When do Buckeyes typically being laying? I might get some eggs from these before late fall/winter set in.

 

[punky rooster]

Quote:
Mine started around 6 months, but it will vary in different strains

 

[jenjscott]

A lot of my Budkeyes don't roost. You might try putting a roost in down just above ground level to get them started.

 

[HallFamilyFarm]

Quote:
Whats a Budkeyes? Is it related to a Buckeye?

Took us awhile to get some of ours to roost. But all of our Buckeyes roost now. It took the kids weeks of nightly picking them up and placing them in the brooder house from the run, but finally they started going in on their own. Roosting was easy once they got use to going up the 2' in. to the brooder house. My wife says the Buckeyes are the dumbest chickens she has ever seen. However, they are also the friendliest.

 

[serinat]

Quote:
I wasn't going to say it first (and I mean this in the nicest possible way!), but they do seem rather...slow. LOL. I find it charming, endearing, and a little puzzling to see juveniles so big not roosting. The lowest roost in their chicken tractor is not even a foot off the ground! They just don't give a flying leap about it. They don't play much, but neither do they quarrel. So fascinating. They are incredibly different from the other chickens we've raised. I'm going to give them some more time and then place them on the roosts after dark again.

I guess it doesn't matter to me if they don't roost, except that it was surprising!

 

[cgmccary]

Roosting is more an age thing, but it can also be in their rearing. When a game hen has raised my Buckeyes, she takes them eventually to a bush or tree and the Buckeyes go up too. My older Buckeyes must always roost and will roost on anything up (even a waterer, a cinder block) whatever is available (except for one old hen who is blind as she can't see to jump up to roost but she always gets up on the baseboard of the run 6" up off the ground and behind one of the roosting coops). It has more to do with how they are raised and what they get used to -- the older hens or hen raised chicks ALWAYS roost early (if given a roost young). I have a set of 9 raised by a Buckeye hen and the hen did not have a roost in her pen but a cardboard box. The juveniles chicks, all ten weeks old now, still pile in the box together at night. They have roosting poles, and they do fly up and sit on the poles in play. They also fly over in the other pens.

I don't believe Buckeyes are any less intelligent than other breeds that I have owned or own now (I now also have some Game, a Buff Orp and some Dominiques & in the past, I have had Easter Eggers, Australorps, Cochins, Brahmas, Plym Rocks, mutts). Instead, Buckeyes are very trusting and they are more curious than afraid. Their curiosity gets them in stupid trouble sometimes too. They scare me getting under my cows trying to catch feed the cows drop. They move when the cow's feet move though and nobody has gotten killed.

Buckeyes are a real easygoing, friendly breed and not aggressive toward other birds or animals (other more aggressive breeds will run over them) -- my hens have little skirmishes amongst themselves but it is always a skirmish 'tween a broody hen & an unbroody hen -- none of them like putting up with the broodies. At any one time, I have 5-6 broodies & I am always breaking them up). My Buckeyes have never drawn blood on each other. I can let my Buckeye roosters stay outside together (I don't pen them together though when they are older as the pecking order puts too much stress on them).

What I find different about the chicks, at least with mine, is that they eat and eat and eat-- they are always eating, scratching and hunting food -- they are some of the most voracious eaters I have seen. I have a couple of chicks in with a couple of BR poults. The Buckeye chciks crawl all over my hands when I fill their feeder -- and try to eat it out of the cup before i can put it down. They then dive into the food. The poults eat but the Buckeye chicks are always eating. Even my older hens eat whatever I put out whether I increase or decrease it. There doesn't appear to be a limit -- they polish off whatever is there. Just my take & my experience. Others may have different experiences.

 

[Quirky]

Fascinating posts! My Buckeyes are 5 weeks. They didn't show much interest in the roost, but the two Norwegian Jaerhons I'm brooding them with took to the roost right away.

I have also found Buckeyes to be voracious eaters and early and vigorous foragers. They're very sweet.

 

[Quirky]

Here are some of my birds at 5 weeks old (they have outings in the tractor every day that the weather cooperates). They don't all look the same. The lighter ones are considerably smaller. What do y'all think?


DSC_0292 by Quickbeam2009, on Flickr


DSC_0290 by Quickbeam2009, on Flickr