Buckeye Breed Thread

[fowlman01]

What are the differences in the current sop from when the breed was first recognized?

None that I am aware of.

Walt

 

[Blueface]

T

None that I am aware of.

Walt

Thanks Walt

 

[buffalogal]

my index finger touching (just touching) his beak hardly constitutes me " stretching it's neck up like a stove pipe", I just mearly stood the bird up because he was wanting scratch. This kind of thing is done ALL of the time especially when judging OE and moderns bantam/standard alike. I've witnessed this done for every breed of poultry. I'm sure Walt will tell you but I can get confessions from no less than 30 other judges that do this. I hear "his wings are too low...his wings are too low" crap...even get emails telling me "your birds wings are too low" or it's the wrong back angle (like it really means anything)......so I actually stand him up to prove when the bird stands up his wings are not "too low" and his back slopes properly. Now I'm "stretching his neck".......you can't make this stuff up..... as far as "rather long" for the back description....rather long compared to what? Longer than a cornish......shorter than a RIR.....if thats the case...wouldn't "rather short" mean the same thing? Afterall the bird is supposed to resemble (obviously not the same as) a cornish style body. Never a dull moment.......as far as color......this will be a never ending battle.....some see it one way and others see it another. The same can be said with judges. Some interpret Nettie's writings one way and other's try to relate it to the SOP. The bird is a dual purpose bird, there is alot of problems getting the type correct let alone the color. I've heard judges point out the darkest bird in the row of buckeyes and say "its a shame that bird doesn't have a body; his color is nice" and visa versa with color/type. Never a dull moment.......

I have seen owners and exhibitors use their hands (without actually touching the bird) to get a timid, crouching bird to stand up, but not a Judge at a show, that's why I asked about it. Nudging the bird's beak so it will stand up like "Red Cloud" does in his picture isn't awful. (Though I think it would be if someone had to 'position' their bird and then retouched their hand out of the picture.) The 'stovepipe' reference is from back when I hung out at dog shows; handlers referred to 'assisting' an animal to stand up by straightening it's neck. with a dog, that's done by pulling the leash straight up from the front legs. It's usually done to help steady the dog, level the topline and make the front appear straighter; don't know what it would accomplish on a chicken.

As for color; I'm headed to town in a few minutes and if i can remember it, I'lll see if I can pick up some paint chips in a becoming shade of Buckeye.

 

[Pathfinders]

Seeing some very nice yellow shanks and feet in the three month-olds:

 

[mendocinosunris]

Quote:
Lol - THIS. This is what I need. I can't see colors that well, especially subtle color differences. But I can hand the pantone card to my DH & tell him what I'm looking for. I can hear it now -pick out all the 1815s, please...

Seeing some very nice yellow shanks and feet in the three month-olds:

Now THAT color I can see. Nice bright yellow!

 

[Metella]

Is there a reason for the yellow color in the legs ?

I have seen many chickens with yellow legs, and many with other colors. I (totally personal and subjective) think the yellow is awful - It looks like dead bird legs to me. Probably because that was the color I saw when they were hanging in the market that I would walk past as a young girl - and I thought it was scary.

So I would have bred for grey legs But that is purely a personal like ... I am wondering if there is functional reason? Or some cultural reason ? Or just it started that way and now it was written into the standard ?

No answer is better or worse - I am just wondering. That is the only thing I don't like this bred so far .... so just wondering if there is some background on this.

 

[Tailfeathers]

I am disappointed in the fact that I pay for my standard and the Poultry Press but people post the standards and whole articles from the PP online. I guess I won't need to purchase either again.Is there not a copyright restriction on either?!?! I will post a pic later of a buckeye cock that has been free ranging for a year and a half. He still is as dark as the day I opened his coop. So in my opinion using the sun as an excuse is just that. That is unless the UV and sun is different in Kentucky than it is everywhere else. Or maybe it is that a dark bird doesn't fade as quickly as a lighter bird to begin with. Or possibly it has something to do with the under color. Who knows. Mine are dark or they don't breed. In the sun or not.

I'm playing catch up so perhaps someone has already commented on this and I am just a broken record. If so, I apologize in advance. If not, I'd like to say that I agree with DRB in that I've got a cockbird that is about 2 years old and is as dark now as he was his first year. Of course I know birds molt but I've never seen the lightening that was mentioned.

God Bless,

 

[Pathfinders]

Is there a reason for the yellow color in the legs ?

I have seen many chickens with yellow legs, and many with other colors. I (totally personal and subjective) think the yellow is awful - It looks like dead bird legs to me. Probably because that was the color I saw when they were hanging in the market that I would walk past as a young girl - and I thought it was scary.

So I would have bred for grey legs But that is purely a personal like ... I am wondering if there is functional reason? Or some cultural reason ? Or just it started that way and now it was written into the standard ?

No answer is better or worse - I am just wondering. That is the only thing I don't like this bred so far .... so just wondering if there is some background on this.

Well, yellow legs/skin is very common in many breeds of poultry, including those which were used to create the Buckeye, and it has had them since it was created. It is specifically mentioned in the Standard for the breed, under "Color - Male and Female" where it dictates: "SHANKS AND TOES: Yellow."

I do find that some Buckeyes tend towards white in their legs, and this is to be avoided, generally speaking I would not want to breed a cock bird who had whiter legs, but again, it's a minor trait, and with all things relating to color, it should come second behind type, IMO. But it is something to watch for. We've talked previously in this thread about how females will tend to lose some of their yellow leg color as they lay, this is a normal process, although it is not as defined as what happens to say, a commercial White Leghorn when she lays. But it does happen somewhat.

But the Standard dictates that a good male should always have yellow legs, not white.

 

[Tailfeathers]

This is exactly why I stopped coming to Backyard Chickens, people want nothing but to create conflict.


Breed your birds, if you don't agree with another breeder then mind your own business and don't use their birds for your matings. Don't come here trying to stir up a swarm of hornets. No one benefits. Go beat your keyboard against someone else on another website(or preferably don't do it to anyone, anywhere). If you can't promote the fancy and all you can do is bash someone you don't belong in the show community. I'm sick and tired of this, when I grew up in the show community it was about fellowship of breeders who enjoyed birds. This is nothing like the show community I grew up with 20 years ago. This is toxic, this is why show poultry is dying, if you ignore the fact that people are turned off by this you are ignorant.

I'm confused. Aren't you doing exactly what you're complaining about?

God Bless,

 

[Pathfinders]

I'm playing catch up so perhaps someone has already commented on this and I am just a broken record. If so, I apologize in advance. If not, I'd like to say that I agree with DRB in that I've got a cockbird that is about 2 years old and is as dark now as he was his first year. Of course I know birds molt but I've never seen the lightening that was mentioned.

God Bless,

Can you post some pictures of this cockbird? Does he free range outside in the sun all day? Walt has said that all birds of all colors fade in the sun, I would love to see some photos of these magical birds that never fade, assuming that is, that they do in fact range outside in the sun all day, rather than spend their lives indoors or under shade at all times.

That being said, as I have stated before, some lines of Buckeyes do hold their color better in the sun than others (in my experience, Urch birds are the best I've found in this regard, which is why I added some of his lines to my flock.)

But all birds fade in the sun, if they are exposed to it enough. Saying you have a non-fading bird is disingenuous if the bird never spends extended time outside, and is only let out for an hour or so every day.

Here again is a recent photo of one of my hens, who spends time outside from morning 'til night, and she has pretty good dark color, despite the strong power of the sun to fade feathers of all colors (that's the Urch influence in her.)



And here's one in the snow, from this past February:




Let's see some photos please.