Buckeye Breed Thread

[duckhunternate]

I'm wondering what to expect with a really light colored Buckeye chick that I've got. We've taken to calling it blondie because of its light coloring. Here are my lightest and darkest for comparison, both at two weeks old. I'm curious what to expect to see as an adult. It's the smallest of my Buckeye chicks but it just has a neat look. It otherwise appears to be perfectly healthy.


Big Red at two weeks old. This is the largest and darkest colored of my chicks. I'm starting to wonder if it's a cockerel by virtue of its size. Is there a hard and fast rule there for determining sex this early?


I have to say it is impressive to see birds like these scratching through the litter, doing what they do best. Not only is it entertaining to watch but it's incredible to realize that it's all instinctual - nature at work. I'm a wildlife biologist so it's always amazing to me to see instinct taking over in domestic birds. Cool stuff!!

 

[Pathfinders]

I'm wondering what to expect with a really light colored Buckeye chick that I've got. We've taken to calling it blondie because of its light coloring.

That first chick is rather light looking, very interesting. Bear in mind, the background of Buckeyes being so varied, every now and then some odd stuff does pop up.

And I think Chris will agree with me, there is, in some years, a wide variety of down color in chicks, and yet they all grow out to be colored the same. He even marked and followed several one year (as I recall him saying) which were lighter, and they grew out to be colored just the same as the darker chicks in the end.

So while it might sound logical to say that chicks with dark down produce birds with dark feathers, that is not always the case in my (and other people's) experience. There is not a proven correlation between chick down color and the final feather color of the grown bird. You have to remember, these birds go through seven sets of feathers between hatch and final feathering. A lot can (and does) change between chick down and final feathers.

As well, there are other factors that can influence final feather coloring and quality, not the least of which is the quality and quantity of the feed ration (poor quality feed can definitely produce poorly colored birds); access to pasture, (exposure to dew and even rain produces excellent quality feathers, as a bit of moisture is important for proper feather development); and excessive heat stress can produce feathers which have striations that run horizontally across the feather and which cannot be removed.

So how a chick is raised can have a profound effect on how it feathers out and how it looks once grown. A breeder can provide good genetics to a customer, but it's up to that customer to do their part to provide that chick with all the right elements to grow into a good quality bird.

Ok, getting down off of soapbox now...

(And no, that's not one of my chicks, for those who are wondering.)

 

[Pathfinders]

 

[FlashPointFarm]

Wooo! NIce!

 

[AinaWGSD]

Just a few pictures of the buckeyes from this morning...


My cockerel, Pepsi, and one of the pullets. He's been pretty wary of us ever since we evaluated the cockerels last weekend (guess he's not a touchy-feely kind of guy) so it was a little difficult to get a good shot of him.


Two of the girls.


Checking out the shovel. Don't mind the messy feathers, we're feeding fermented mash and it gets a little sloppy sometimes.

And a few of the 17 week old chicks from last week's hatch.

 

[SigningChickens]

Cute! But how did you stop at just one? They're like potato chips for me, can't have just one, LOL. Do you know who the breeder was who had them?

I wanted more but this was the only one the lady had left. She will have more at the next meet. It is in Harold, FL.
Buckeyes have to be the cutest chick possible.

 

[Pathfinders]

And just so you'll all know, Cliff Calhoun has donated 12 Buckeye eggs to a 4-H fund raising auction for the Ohio Ashtabula county 4H group, which is dedicated to raising rabbits, poultry and fiber goats. You can bid on the auction at this link:

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=505180399537114&set=o.437236406347525&type=1&theater

 

[Canieldonrad]

I'm wondering what to expect with a really light colored Buckeye chick that I've got. We've taken to calling it blondie because of its light coloring. Here are my lightest and darkest for comparison, both at two weeks old. I'm curious what to expect to see as an adult. It's the smallest of my Buckeye chicks but it just has a neat look. It otherwise appears to be perfectly healthy.

Could very easily be a sport, happens to a lot of color varieties. Especially so with a history of the buff color being used in the original birds. In birds with multiple colors you don't see a lot of chicks with wing feathers of a uniform color. They should all look like the second bird.


But as stated, birds can shift in their colors between early molts. BB Red pattern is a perfect example of colors shifting early on.

 

[Canieldonrad]

Have an unusually large buckeye chick, noticably larger than the other chicks. Eats a lot, usually sleeping in or near the feed. The chicks are about 2 weeks old and he barely has his wing feathers, where as most have tails and a few breast feathers already. My past experience is telling me this one could grow to be a monster of a bird. Here is to hoping it does.

 

[FireAntFarmer]

Have an unusually large buckeye chick, noticably larger than the other chicks. Eats a lot, usually sleeping in or near the feed. The chicks are about 2 weeks old and he barely has his wing feathers, where as most have tails and a few breast feathers already. My past experience is telling me this one could grow to be a monster of a bird. Here is to hoping it does.

I have six chicks that are a month old. I have never been around this breed but I have one chick that is much larger than the others too. It is the most friendly of them all as well. I can't get over the difference in personalities these chicks display!