Buckeye Breed Thread

[Pathfinders]

Here's a question to everyone. We know that too much calcium for developing pullets can be harmful, but what do you do if your pullets are free-ranging and have access (limited as it may be) to the layer rations that the hens are eating. I can't really prevent them from getting some of the layer pellets and they do get the majority of their food on pasture, so it's not as if they're eating the layer ration exclusively. Thoughts?

I honestly don't think it will be TOO much of a problem, but I don't have any hard data on this, as I am able to keep my pullets away from the layer ration until they're old enough to be eating it. Can you somehow create a temporary pen for them until they are older? A hoop house or tractor for example?

 

[Pathfinders]

My little buckeye baby isn't doing so well. She doesn't seem to be growing and is 5 weeks now. Her one eye seems to be infected. I've got her in a cage by herself and added Unpasturized vinegar to her water. She seems to be sleeping a lot too.
Is there anything else I can do? She is my favorite chick and it would break my heart if something happened to her!

The photos you posted look as if her eye has been injured, is it possible another chick pecked her? Can you get some ointment of some sort? Are you keeping her eye clean at least? That would be important for sure.

There will be chicks that will have "failure to thrive" in every breed, I am not sure why that is, don't know if anyone knows, I think it's just natural selection. My younger daughter always seemed to fall in love with those little ones the most, they are sad and lonely looking, and our hearts go out to them for sure. But when you take a step back and look at them from a clinical perspective, you have to realize that in a natural setting, they would be the ones that predators would catch, and thin out of the herd. So I would not breed them, not to large or bantams, myself, as they have within them poor genetics and would pass them onto their offspring, which we don't need in the bantam breed at this time.

So while that seems like a good idea, I just don't know if it is, in the long run.

It's hard to watch them struggle, I know. We've had several over the years, one in particular was a little Dutch pullet that we named Little Pip. She never did thrive, didn't live past a year, and never laid an egg. That was the last time we ever named one, as it broke our hearts when she died. In fact we've stopped (for the most part) naming birds altogether, as I don't like being too sentimental. Chickens can be very fragile in some ways, and I don't like naming things that will just up and die on me suddenly, as they can do at the drop of a hat.

 

[Pathfinders]

This morning I found my only Buckeye roo dead. This is the third one in 4 months and now I don't having any left. No hens have died, just roos. Any idea what could cause this? By that I mean is there any diseases or illnesses that only effect roos. He wasn't that old (1 1/2 years at the most), so age is not something I suspect.

Did he have a dark red comb, almost purple colored? That would indicate that he had a heart attack.

There is nothing that I know of that affects only male birds. I do know that a friend locally had a male die, had not a mark on it that he could find, and he took it to be posted, and the result was that it had been bitten by a poisonous snake. So you might want to make sure you're not dealing with snakes, as apparently they can bite and not leave obvious marks.

 

[Pathfinders]

I am new to raising chickens and have purchased some really nice buckeye chicks but was hoping to find 2-3 nice buckeye hens in or pretty close to Arkansas. Does anyone know of someone in Arkansas that may have some? I know it's the wrong time of year to be looking but I still want some. My wife and I love to watch them around the yard.

Hi there. You are determined, aren't you. LOL...

 

[chickensnew2me]

My wife calls me stubborn. I like determined better!

 Hi there. You are determined, aren't you. LOL...

 

[bigredfeather]

Did he have a dark red comb, almost purple colored? That would indicate that he had a heart attack.

There is nothing that I know of that affects only male birds. I do know that a friend locally had a male die, had not a mark on it that he could find, and he took it to be posted, and the result was that it had been bitten by a poisonous snake. So you might want to make sure you're not dealing with snakes, as apparently they can bite and not leave obvious marks.

Only snakes we have are garters, so I can rule that out. It just seems really strange that it's three males and no hens. Like I said, he's only a 1 1/2 years old. I noticed a few weeks ago he was spending a lot of time on the roost and seemed very inactive. I guess I should have done something about it then.

 

[chickiemomy]

Quote:
I am very new to chickens - so please take this with that in mind...

Was at a workshop last weekend - a vet who specializes in poultry made mention of diseases/illness that she sees in roosters who have access to layer pellets. the extra calcium can be an issue for - can't recall - was it their liver? She mentioned ways to keep roosters feed separate - by putting their food higher, so the layers don't get into it -- and placing barriers, in the manner of extra screening, or smaller food access holes, to keep the larger rooster beak from the layer food.

this would be more of an issue, I would think, for those chickens who forage less.. I know many do not try to keep feed separate hens from cocks.

again, I do not know - but this recent piece of info came to mind - since it was just your males who were ill.

 

[Pathfinders]

I am very new to chickens - so please take this with that in mind...

Was at a workshop last weekend - a vet who specializes in poultry made mention of diseases/illness that she sees in roosters who have access to layer pellets. the extra calcium can be an issue for - can't recall - was it their liver? She mentioned ways to keep roosters feed separate - by putting their food higher, so the layers don't get into it -- and placing barriers, in the manner of extra screening, or smaller food access holes, to keep the larger rooster beak from the layer food.

this would be more of an issue, I would think, for those chickens who forage less.. I know many do not try to keep feed separate hens from cocks.

again, I do not know - but this recent piece of info came to mind - since it was just your males who were ill.

Oh, that's a great point I hadn't thought of, perhaps the feed contained an excess of calcium that was damaging the kidneys (not livers, as I recall) of the males, and it was just enough to somehow tip them over the edge. Good thinking ChickieMommy!

 

[ocap]

I have seen rattlesnakes in New York and Pennsylvania, copperheads in Missouri, have any Ohio residents seen any poisonous snakes?

 

[chickiemomy]

Quote:
I had read/heard kidney damage before too -- but if I'm recollecting correctly - (big IF) - she had a quite graphic picture of a liver disease - said it turned their livers into a 'pate' type texture - & eventually causing overall organ failure. Regardless there was a lot of discussion on how to keep cocks out of layer food which did stick in my brain. Maybe the pic was for some other cause --- or disease -- wish I had a copy of her slides - it was a very good talk. Made me rethink some things.

o & BTW it is momy --- comes from my daughter's first mother's day card - she was just 3 yo - & spelled mommy phonetically -- & I've been MOMY ever since - 30+ years later -- & she was always my chickie -- so chickiemomy was the obvious pick for screen name for BYC! And I'm NOT one of those - chicks in the house with diapers on either!

--barb from WA - the wet side!