Buckeye Breed Thread

[MeanV2]

Me too! Mine are still at that awkward phase at 12 weeks old. But they've finally stopped acting like the sky is falling when we step out the back door and are reverting more towards how they were the first few weeks in the brooder. I nearly stepped on three of them this morning when I went out to feed them!

My oldest ones are only 6 weeks old so I have a ways to go!

Dan

 

[Pathfinders]

Little cuties, two weeks old, eating out of the trough at the brooder. Not very good focus because I took it with my phone and couldn't use the flash (scared them away the first time I tried), but too cute not to post.

 

[Pathfinders]

And a nice bit of news for your Sunday:

The American Buckeye Poultry Club is pleased to announce that we will once again be assisting the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy with a census of Buckeyes in North America. The last time a formal census was done was over 2010-2011, and we assisted them then as well.

Once we get things more formalized, I'll have a better idea as to exactly how we'll be going about it this time. We might do a form, such as the Dom club is doing, or might go with emails/phone calls, as we did before, not sure. But it will be exciting to see how many adult birds there are now, as I am sure the numbers will be much higher than they've ever been before!

So stay tuned, more info as it develops.

Laura Haggarty

 

[Pathfinders]

And to add some detail to the above message, this census will not include any club affiliation, and none is required, not ALBC, ABPC, APA, or other.

Its purpose is simply to determine the number of adult Buckeyes in North America. We will also be noting lines/strains, as delineated by the ALBC. I am waiting on a reply from them as to which will be recognized by them. Once I have that information I will post it here.

 

[cgmccary]

I want to congratulate Jerry Couch for winning the American Class at the Saturday show of the Alabama Chicken and Egg Festival in Moulton, Alabama (the largest of the triple show). Jerry won with a two year old cock bird from pure Laura Haggarty line (bought as a chick from Laura). I guess congrats to both Jerry & Laura!

 

[FlashPointFarm]

I want to congratulate Jerry Couch for winning the American Class at the Saturday show of the Alabama Chicken and Egg Festival in Moulton, Alabama (the largest of the triple show). Jerry won with a two year old cock bird from pure Laura Haggarty line (bought as a chick from Laura). I guess congrats to both Jerry & Laura!

Congrats!!!

 

[Pathfinders]

I want to congratulate Jerry Couch for winning the American Class at the Saturday show of the Alabama Chicken and Egg Festival in Moulton, Alabama (the largest of the triple show). Jerry won with a two year old cock bird from pure Laura Haggarty line (bought as a chick from Laura). I guess congrats to both Jerry & Laura!

Congrats to Jerry!!!

But, a small point of interest. I do not now, nor have I ever claimed to have my own "line" (this is not for Chris, but for the lurkers, and you know who you are.)

I would never have the hubris to claim such a thing. My birds are project that is ever-evolving. I tinker. I add things in. I take things out (goodness knows I take things out!) I fiddle.

Until such time as I feel like I have my birds right where I want them, I will not even consider letting folks say they have "Laura Haggarty" or "Pathfinders Farm" birds (although I know some people do, and it makes me very uncomfortable, and when I find out about it I always contact them and ask them not to do so.)

My adult birds are, at this time, about 15/85% ALBC/Urch, give or take. I have winnowed out all the Brown that used to be in there (too many problems with Brown in my experience, not the least of which was black speckling and fading of hens, in particular), and with the addition of Chris's magnificent cock bird to my main breeding pen, chicks I am hatching and shipping this year will be about 50/50 ALBC/Urch.

Hence my unwillingness to claim a line. It's a work in progress. IMO there is no such thing as a "perfect Buckeye" and I know I will continue to work on my birds until I can no longer walk to the pens...

 

[cgmccary]

Congrats to Jerry!!!

But, a small point of interest. I do not now, nor have I ever claimed to have my own "line" (this is not for Chris, but for the lurkers, and you know who you are.)

I would never have the hubris to claim such a thing. My birds are project that is ever-evolving. I tinker. I add things in. I take things out (goodness knows I take things out!) I fiddle.

Until such time as I feel like I have my birds right where I want them, I will not even consider letting folks say they have "Laura Haggarty" or "Pathfinders Farm" birds (although I know some people do, and it makes me very uncomfortable, and when I find out about it I always contact them and ask them not to do so.)

My adult birds are, at this time, about 15/85% ALBC/Urch, give or take. I have winnowed out all the Brown that used to be in there (too many problems with Brown in my experience, not the least of which was black speckling and fading of hens, in particular), and with the addition of Chris's magnificent cock bird to my main breeding pen, chicks I am hatching and shipping this year will be about 50/50 ALBC/Urch.

Hence my unwillingness to claim a line. It's a work in progress. IMO there is no such thing as a "perfect Buckeye" and I know I will continue to work on my birds until I can no longer walk to the pens...

When I talked with Jerry last night, I asked him more about the bird. He had been saying good things about this Buckeye male for some time to me. I give credit to Jerry that he has followed advice, learned the breed, learned what to look at and how to interpret the SOP was able to tell this was his best bird (and it is the only one he put in the show!). This was Jerry's first ever show, so his first show he wins Champion American (entering a single bird).

Jerry said a close friend of his ordered Buckeye chicks from Laura Haggarty. The friend raised them until they were 4 months old and the friend chose the cockerel he was going to keep. Jerry bought the discarded cockerels at 4 months old -- and it is one of those who won CH American Class at the Jerry's first show . . . so part of culling is knowing what to cull. Jerry said his friend was at the show with him and rooting for the bird as well. I recognized that I had the same problem (knowing what to cull early on) after I almost culled a superb bird in 2009. It was an accident that I did not cull. After that, I grew out a whole bunch of Buckeyes keeping them way longer than I normally would so I could see how they developed & grew. I was surprised that some I had given such great promise actually fizzled out and a couple of others blossomed -- in other words, what I thought I knew at 16 weeks maybe was not so much -- again though, I will add, I am selecting for rate of growth first, so what becomes a nice looking bird at 9-12 months old does not necessarily have the best rate of growth and not the best at 16 weeks . . . if you are selecting for showing, your selections will be different . . . however, we're eating ours here first.

It is nice to know that someone who does not promise you SQ Buckeyes (like some other folks) actually is putting out chicks who can grow up to be SQ if you take care of them and raise them good . . . . Jerry is not the first person to get Buckeyes via chicks from Laura H & go on to win shows with them. I think Janet Hatch did the same thing and then kept winning with the line. A couple of other people have had success at shows with Laura's birds. Laura's birds have a history of doing well at shows going back to Laura winning when she was showing -- particularly, Reserve American at Lucasville with a pullet in 2009.

I distinguish strain from line in that there is Urch strain and ALBC strain but my line of that strain, your line of that strain, etc. I see a "strain" as the population as a whole, kept in many locations, with each of us who have had the birds ast least 2-3 years having our own "line" of that "strain" . . . . having had Buckeyes now for about 7 years, Laura, you have your own line of Urch/ ALBC strain, the same as I.

 

[ocap]

I distinguish strain from line in that there is Urch strain and ALBC strain but my line of that strain, your line of that strain, etc. I see a "strain" as the population as a whole, kept in many locations, with each of us who have had the birds ast least 2-3 years having our own "line" of that "strain" . . . . having had Buckeyes now for about 7 years, Laura, you have your own line of Urch/ ALBC strain, the same as I.

I have read several people posting the opinion that a breeder can ruin a line with only one breeding. I agree with the above post, that after3 years the line can be claimed, especially if the opposite is true that a strain can be lost in only one year.

 

[ocap]

always amazing to me that the cockerels start fighting when they are only seven days old