Buckeye Breed Thread

[JoAnn_WI_4-H_Mom]

I love the way buckeye chicks look. Such a cute video.

I love how they lose their "blond hair" last. Their little bodies fill out so fast.

Crossed Beak - was just so very surprised to see it. And then the DH "You spent how much for that bird?!?!!?" Reminded him about our own crooked toe issues, etc. He is more reconciled to him now.
Need to get them out of the garage. It certainly appears there are a lot of roos in there. They are charging the front of the brooder hut every time I open the door. And eating my hands. Got to break them of biting. They always think I might have something in my hand to feed them, even when changing the waterer.

 

[cbasser]

Hi, I am new to chickens and just got a little Buckeye a week and a half ago. I'm needing some help and advice. Last Saturday my Buckeye started looking sick. She pasted up and I cleaned her off. Later I noticed she had wandered off to the corner of the brooder all puffed up and very sleepy. She wasn't eating for drinking so I separated her. I didn't think she would make it through the night but she did. I treated the next day for coccidiosis. She is eating and drinking and pooping now but she is much smaller than all the other chicks I got at the same time and still seems tired. It sits while eating and peeps quite a bit more than everyone else. Is this just because of her illness or are Buckeyes just talkers and smaller than the average bird? Thanks for any input. Cathy

 

[Chickielady]

Well I have been AWOL also, with so many hatchings going on...right after I set 9 doz eggs, I had 2 Buckeyes & one Black Java go Broody...............

So I caved (finally tired of fighting with these girls all winter !) and set them all in 1 coop, and gave each one 10 eggs.
The eggs should all hatch the same day..so it well may be a hatcherama !!!

 

[Chickielady]

About cross beak...besides genetics, Stromberg's "A Guide to Better Hatching" says the beak is formed from the 6th to the 8th day of incubation.
So a temp spike during those days can critically effect the beak's formation.
Every day of incubation, a different part of the chick's body is developing.

Written by Janet Stromberg, it is a very informative book.

 

[eggdd]

a vitamin deficiency can also cause a beak to be deformed - - look for this if it's happening after hatch.

 

[Tailfeathers]

Quote:

Hi, I am new to chickens and just got a little Buckeye a week and a half ago. I'm needing some help and advice. Last Saturday my Buckeye started looking sick. She pasted up and I cleaned her off. Later I noticed she had wandered off to the corner of the brooder all puffed up and very sleepy. She wasn't eating for drinking so I separated her. I didn't think she would make it through the night but she did. I treated the next day for coccidiosis. She is eating and drinking and pooping now but she is much smaller than all the other chicks I got at the same time and still seems tired. It sits while eating and peeps quite a bit more than everyone else. Is this just because of her illness or are Buckeyes just talkers and smaller than the average bird? Thanks for any input. Cathy

Cindy, I think your chick just had a good case of Coccidiosis and you did the right thing in treating her immediately for that. By the time a chick begins to puff upand pull their head into their shoulders, they're only a day or two from death and already starving to death.

I would put some Rooster Booster in his/her water and start feeding them Gamebird Startena if you're not already. See previous posts for starting Buckeyes on 30% protein feed.

God Bless,

 

[jenjscott]

Hi, I am new to chickens and just got a little Buckeye a week and a half ago. I'm needing some help and advice. Last Saturday my Buckeye started looking sick. She pasted up and I cleaned her off. Later I noticed she had wandered off to the corner of the brooder all puffed up and very sleepy. She wasn't eating for drinking so I separated her. I didn't think she would make it through the night but she did. I treated the next day for coccidiosis. She is eating and drinking and pooping now but she is much smaller than all the other chicks I got at the same time and still seems tired. It sits while eating and peeps quite a bit more than everyone else. Is this just because of her illness or are Buckeyes just talkers and smaller than the average bird? Thanks for any input. Cathy

I agree with tailfeathers. Chicks are growing so rapidly that a couple of sick days leave them way behind. Buckeyes are usually good size, active and not escessively noisy unless they are cold or hungry. She still needs special attention to get her through this.

 

[retiredwithchicks]

I am just waiting on some Buckseyes to hatch this weekend but have 24 chicks of other breeds to hatch this past weekend. I had gotten the 30% protein feed for the Buckeyes and have been feeding it to the new peeps. Question, does the higher protein cause more pasty but?. Seems like most every chick has had a small problem with that this week and that is the only difference I have from other hatchings.

 

[Chickielady]

Good for chicks :

I ahave Celiac Disease, so cannot eat wheat, barely, etc and so I subsitute with other grains.
One I use alot of is Quinoa (Keen-Wa)
I cook it like rice, 2 cups of water to 1 cup of Quinoa grains, and at boil, shut off the pot & let it sit.
It swells up alot & is very moist.
It contains quite a bit more protein and less carbs than wheat.
So, after it cools a bit, I stuff a 1 cup measuring cup with quinoa (cooked) and invert it on a lid or small plant pot tray, and give it to the chicks. They are afraid the first time, but catch on quickly & will devour it !
The extra mositure & fiber take care of pasty butt and the babies seem to grow more sturdy, quicker.
Extra Quinoa stays nice in the frig for a treat for following days.
1 cup of Quinoa (cooked) to 12 chicks per day....
Look for Quinoa at most groceries now days although expensive, it is found bulk at Health Food Stores.



Cup of Quinoa inverted on a lid



babies are leary at first, but after they find out what it is, they devoure it !





They really love this stuff, and it has more protein and supports hydration.
This is a treat, once a day, so they have regular feed as well.

 

[cgmccary]

Hey ChickieLady:

We and my household eat a lot of Quinoa ourselves -- it is a staple about our place. I bet it would be great for the chicks. I will have to try it with my chicks.Thanks.

retiredwithchicks: yes, I do believe a high protein diet can cause pasty butt in chicks (or a higher incidence thereof) & something you have to keep an eye on.