Buckeye Breed Thread

[DarkRedBird]

I just started with Buckeyes and obtained a gorgeous trio from Joe Shumaker in the fall. I hatched out a dozen chicks on Thanksgiving in an incubator because you never know when something might happen to your lone rooster during winter! Then both hens went broody and I thought what the heck, let's see if they will do their job; and hardened my heart that if the chicks die, they die, because I had nowhere else to keep more chicks through winter. They hatched 5 chicks in their hoop coop in the unheated barn a few days before Christmas, well actually three then and two more some days later. One chick died (dunno why, found it pancaked one morning), and after a week or so one hen decided she was done with motherhood and returned to hanging out with the rooster, but the other hen is still doing a great job mothering the chicks. It was bitter cold last week, single digits at night, low 20s during the days, and all the chicks are still happy, healthy, and active. I DO have a heat bulb hanging directly in front of their floor-level nest box with the food and water right there as well. But even in the awful cold, they come out to eat, drink, and practice flying and jumping around the pen; then go back to cuddle under mama.

Years ago I also had a Silkie hen who successfully raised a brood starting in December, out in the barn.


This photo was a week ago, the little buggers are twice as big now. You're in the South, right? So as long as your hen is dedicated, the chicks should be fine.

Karen Bratcher in frigid northern Idaho, pining for spring and more chicks!

Here is a link to Joe Shumakers website that Karen got her stock from. http://www.shumakerfarmpoultry.com/ Very nice website with lots of great info and pics of what a trophy winning buckeye should look like.

 

[Arielle]

Congrats on the 4 cuties!

And sit on those hands-- so hard; love Laura's idea of go to the movies. Though the hatcher was the movies.

Happy hatching!!

 

[cgmccary]

I just started with Buckeyes and obtained a gorgeous trio from Joe Shumaker in the fall. I hatched out a dozen chicks on Thanksgiving in an incubator because you never know when something might happen to your lone rooster during winter! Then both hens went broody and I thought what the heck, let's see if they will do their job; and hardened my heart that if the chicks die, they die, because I had nowhere else to keep more chicks through winter. They hatched 5 chicks in their hoop coop in the unheated barn a few days before Christmas, well actually three then and two more some days later. One chick died (dunno why, found it pancaked one morning), and after a week or so one hen decided she was done with motherhood and returned to hanging out with the rooster, but the other hen is still doing a great job mothering the chicks. It was bitter cold last week, single digits at night, low 20s during the days, and all the chicks are still happy, healthy, and active. I DO have a heat bulb hanging directly in front of their floor-level nest box with the food and water right there as well. But even in the awful cold, they come out to eat, drink, and practice flying and jumping around the pen; then go back to cuddle under mama.

Years ago I also had a Silkie hen who successfully raised a brood starting in December, out in the barn.


This photo was a week ago, the little buggers are twice as big now. You're in the South, right? So as long as your hen is dedicated, the chicks should be fine.

Karen Bratcher in frigid northern Idaho, pining for spring and more chicks!

Promising. Sounds like I will give it a go with the La Fleche chicks and this Buckeye. I'll put a light out there too. I always worry about their eating / calories going toward staying warm instead of growing.

 

[Blueface]

Here is a link to Joe Shumakers website that Karen got her stock from. http://www.shumakerfarmpoultry.com/ Very nice website with lots of great info and pics of what a trophy winning buckeye should look like.

Now guys...be good....no need to ruffle any feathers. Cute picture Karen.....glad they doing well for you. Just make sure to show them birds, they should turn out to be above average. No need to think outside the box over here, they don't appreciate it and you'll probably just get ignored anyway. I'm sure they find us less than amuzing. Come on back over to the Dark Side.

 

[AinaWGSD]

In my defense, I only opened it the one time for the chick with the hernia...my husband, who is like a little kid at Christmas when it comes to hatch time...is the one who opened it the second time! I'm not worried about the first chick, he seems to be looking for food but he looks great. And great news, last night we had pips galore at bed time and then around 2am this morning we had chicks galore (ok, 7, but they are running around so much that it seems like more than that)! They really do just pop out of those eggs. There's one more buckeye egg in there that hasn't done anything, but we were pretty sure that it was a quitter when we went into lockdown so that's not surprising, and the australorp egg hasn't pipped yet either. But the rest of the chicks all look just as healthy and feisty as the first one.

 

[mbobb2012]

I had one hatch on day 23 just recently

 

[Pathfinders]

In my defense, I only opened it the one time for the chick with the hernia...my husband, who is like a little kid at Christmas when it comes to hatch time...is the one who opened it the second time! I'm not worried about the first chick, he seems to be looking for food but he looks great. And great news, last night we had pips galore at bed time and then around 2am this morning we had chicks galore (ok, 7, but they are running around so much that it seems like more than that)! They really do just pop out of those eggs. There's one more buckeye egg in there that hasn't done anything, but we were pretty sure that it was a quitter when we went into lockdown so that's not surprising, and the australorp egg hasn't pipped yet either. But the rest of the chicks all look just as healthy and feisty as the first one.

Good news then! Seven is a good number to start out with, congrats again!

 

[buffalogal]

Congratulations AinaWGSD 7 is a perfectly magical number to start out with.

 

[buffalogal]

Mbobb, your new peeps are adorable. What breed is that in the background?

 

[buffalogal]

This photo was a week ago, the little buggers are twice as big now.

You must be very proud.