Buckeye Breed Thread

[vmdanielsen]

Quote:
hey chickie! how old are the cockerels? Comparing them to mine--hatched june 8, 2011.

Hello!
These birds pipped on April 4th of this year.
Sept 4th they were 5 Months old........in a few days they will be 6 months old.
You can tell from the pics (taken a few days ago) that the pullets look fantastic, and will gain weight, but the cockerals will fill out ALOT & grow into his bones.
These are such NICE birds, too, always 'talking' to me, curious, and friendly.

Edited to add: Great packing & shipping Chris!

 

[vmdanielsen]

Quote:
Hello!
These birds pipped on April 4th of this year.
Sept 4th they were 5 Months old........in a few days they will be 6 months old.
You can tell from the pics (taken a few days ago) that the pullets look fantastic, and will gain weight, but the cockerals will fill out ALOT & grow into his bones.
These are such NICE birds, too, always 'talking' to me, curious, and friendly.

Edited to add: Great packing & shipping Chris!

Ahhh, they are two months older than mine. Mine are still filling out and still look like gangly adolescents!

 

[Chickielady]

So does this cockeral, look at the long shanks & neck he has to fill out, but thick shanks, he will be a big boy.
I did Eprinex on a few coops of birds this morning, catching, eye-dropping & releasing the bird out into the pen.
And did 4 breeds.
Of the 4, these Buckeyes were the calmest, some pullets even walking to me to see what I had, what's going on?
Awesome temperments & intelligence to go with their beauty.

 

[punky rooster]

Quote:
So. . . You like them??

Told ya!!

 

[Chickielady]

Quote:
So. . . You like them??

Told ya!!

Awwwwwwwwwww I cannot honestly say I do like them, but I can honestly say I LOVE them..and better, they love us!!!

 

[punky rooster]

They certainly seem to. I love these birds, also.

Mitch

 

[vmdanielsen]

So, at what age is the optimum harvest age?

 

[Chickielady]

Harvest, as in cull birds for the table?
Hard for me to say, but most of my other breeds in LF go in the freezer at about 5 months , after that, layers can get tough, and meat on cockerals can be not unlike dental floss in coarseness.
Some breeds do have finer meat rather than coarse..it is up to you.
I am planning on putting 2 Buck hens in a breeding pen with a Dark Cornish Cock bird for a few weeks, to harvest & set eggs to raise for meat birds.
Currently I have the Cornish over White Rocks..so we are trying both, and will see what produces the tastiest fare.
As far as eating a purebred Buckeye, I have not done so, I am too busy trying to increase my flock size.
Hope that helps???

 

[vmdanielsen]

I use the word "harvest"because it sounds tastier than slaughter....same deed
I was figuring on about 5 months. I don't need 9 males and 8 females....poor hens!
Thanks

 

[Chickielady]

Maybe if you have space, try building a simple pen, with a plywood cover, just for the cockerals.
We have one, and call it the bacelor pad.
This is good for watching them grow, observing who is aggressive & who is show quality.
Then you can choose which to keep & which to "harvest"