Buckeye Breed Thread

[Blueface]

[COLOR=B22222]I have said it before, I'll say it again, the presence or lack thereof of slate bar does not influence fading of the color.[/COLOR]

How do you really know?

[COLOR=B22222]Some of my original birds from Urch had very dark color indeed, but the slate bar was nowhere near as strong as some of the lighter Brown birds I had.  And just fwiw, slate bar should only be in the back feathers, according to the Standard. Having it in other areas of the body is not correct:

Food for thought?!?!?!!

I'd rather have it in all areas than not all, IMO; but that this just me. I think it makes the birds offer a darker more uniform appearance. I know the judges that have judged my birds certainly love it their!! They have told me this.

UNDERCOLOR OF ALL SECTIONS: Red, except for back which should show a bar of slate. [/COLOR]

Sounds about right?!?!? I've read that a bunch of times. Some people are still struggling with it aren't they

 

[Blueface]

With all due respect.
In her own words the picture was altered to take out the magenta her camera threw.
And she said it was altered. I agree that online color is all over the place
But when specifically debating color you do not change it or digitally enhance it and then argue over it. SIlly!!!! Argument.
And again I was stating that to breed a buckeye the thought process should be the original one (Nettie) and the rest to follow the sop. Why is this concept so difficult to grasp on this website?

Everyone on here lives to argue and debate. How any chicken breeding or raising gets done ?? You all must be better multi taskers than I. But I'm just a simple Ohio girl with Kentucky roots.
What I hate is the learning you can receive on this thread gets lost in the middle of the rooster to hen posturing. And all the other chicks leaping in for their chirps on the debate. Good night! It's exhausting.

It's not all that exhausting; I guess it's all in the way you approach it.........you can get quite a bit of information between the lovely comments and insights?!?..with that being said.........I like you and you make a tremendous valid point!!!!! Thanks for your input!!!!!!

 

[Marengoite]

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.

In a word, the yellow color comes from diet. If I'm not mistaken, it's caretonoids from the plant materials free ranging birds eat. If you raise your birds in a pen exclusively on bagged feed they will not show this color in their legs or their egg yolks. While there is a genetic component (I've also raised Hamburgs which have slate legs and they never turned yellow), once the genetics are there, the rest is diet. I bought some pen-raised Buckeyes from a breeder last year and their legs were very light colored compared to my girls. However, as the summer wore on and they got used to ranging with my girls, by that fall, everyone was the same color.

So, if you don't want bright yellow legs, keep them in the pen and feed them only bagged feed and table scraps with no caretenoids. Don't let them eat your marigolds or any wild mustard either. They love those and both will turn their egg yolks and legs a bright orange-yellow.

 

[fowlman01]

As long as they guys keep up this crazy arguing you will be doing a great dis-service to the Buckeye breed. I have seen this before......but I got to say that you guys argue over the weirdest things. One would have to think that there is a lot more to this than meets the eye. Arguing over pictures is just silly. Pictures of chickens online are not accurate! Altered or not...... digital photographs are always going to be off......always. I can go out and take a picture of a buckeye in full sun and then take another in shade and you will have two different colored birds.

See sample...not Buckeyes, but see how the shade affects the color. Now why don't you give some good information to the lurkers, instead of driving them away..



Note how the color darkens in the shade.....but you guys already knew that didn't you?

Walt

 

[campbellorchard]

Pardon my ignorance. But someone who is learning and uses this site to enhance and grow their knowledge. Is a "lurker"??!!!!
Interesting concept when this site is promoted as a place all can come for learning.
I don't know why that term offends me but it does.
I do agree with this gentleman that less arguing and more sharing of positive posts and helping all do the best for this breed is why I "lurk" on here.
Have a great Saturday I'm off to lurk somewhere else. Have fun.

 

[Tailfeathers]

Quote:
Outstanding pictures! Just the kind of educational and information posting that is truly terrific. A great resource that anyone could find helpful and useful and continually go back to.

Oh oh, gotta run. Buddy is sounding off. Coyote in hard yesterday....

God Bless,

 

[Tailfeathers]

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

Very nice indeed. Hang on to that because it can be lost "very" easily too!

God Bless,

 

[Tailfeathers]

Quote:
I think I've posted pics of him on here before. You're free to go back searching if you'd like. Yes, he free ranges all day. No, I don't have any "magical" birds. I have no doubt that the bird hasn't "faded" somewhat from being out in the sun. Someone else mentioned that all things fade in the sun due to the UV rays. I was only pointing out that I have not seen the "bleaching" or extreme fading that was being discussed.

But it's nice to see that the jabs and cheap shots just keep flowing on here. And not just toward me either. It's really getting old. Like I said, I was playing catch up. Still got a few pages to get thru but I imagine it'll be some time before I'm back - again. Another good reason not to belong to the "club". The constant back and forth sniping has to make anyone question why they would want to even participate in this breed. Let alone the "club". And that comment is not directed solely at Laura.

And btw, just for everyone else, I'd be more concerned about the cushion and backlines of those two pullets/hens than I would the color of them.

And since this will probably be my last post on here today, with regard to the yellow leg color. According to Kenny Troiano, the yellow leg color is not only recessive but sex-linked and therefore the mother does not pass the gene down to her daughters but only to her sons. White being dominant can quickly take over. I don't know about gray (or is it grey?) so I can't speak authoritatively but would guess that it a form of white. I would NEVER intentionally breed a white or gray legged bird that is supposed to have yellow legs unless it was my absolute last choice.

And again, I'm not absolutely positive about this either but I would guess that the yellow leg color is tied to the skin color. I have noticed in two of my other breeds that the birds with white or grey legs also have white skin. Haven't found a bird yet that had yellow legs and white skin or vice versa. So Metella, to answer your question I would say that one of the reasons is not only to conform to the SOP but rather the SOP is conforming to the desired trait of having a yellow skinned bird. Some folks like a white skinned carcass and some a yellow.

For me, because of the ease of losing leg color and difficulty in getting it back, this is an instance where I would choose "color" over Type as long as I had good birds that I could go back to for the Type. And I'm not talking about overall Type but one or two traits within the Type.

And yes, diet has been shown to increase the leg color. Especially the betacardines (sp?) I think. Greens for one. I think most know that it also turns yolk color an orange vice yellow. Carrots and pumpkins do wonders! But it is also genetic. If folks like Kenny can be believed and I believe he can be. And, as I stated before, when the subject of leg color was being discussed, I do think there is more to the genetics that is being given the attention it deserves because I see the difference in my birds. I've had a closed flock for years now and they all get the same feed and the same treatment. Yet there are a couple of gals who have legs that stand out like neon signs. And yes Laura, they lay the same as the others. So either they have a propensity to go out and eat a better amount of just the right food or they have something better genetically. My guess, and it's only a guess, is that it has something to do with genetics.

God Bless y'all. I'm outta here for awhile.

 

[fowlman01]

In many breeds with yellow legs the male has no problem being yellow, but the females do. I am not talking about the female legs changing because of laying etc, but more of the females having dusky or off colored legs. Feed can intensify yellow leg color, but if the leg is not really genetically yellow....... feed won't help.

Walt

 

[buffalogal]

Tailfeathers, is this the male? https://www.backyardchickens.com/g/i/5234715/a/6252301/buckeye-breed-thread/sort/display_order/

He's pictured in a show cage here, so we'll have to take your word for it that he's out loose all day. Handsome fella.
For the person who asked, Buckeyes have yellow legs because they are supposed to have yellow skin per the SoP. If your bird doesn't have yellow legs (white or blue) you aren't going to be able to feed it anything to make them yellow. The magic feed ingredient is xanthophyl, specifically lutein, found in marigold, yellow nasturtium, chard, kale, carrots, (you can grate them and the birds will gobble them up) and yellow corn.