Buckeye Breed Thread

[JamesA]

I listen to the radio show and got some good info.Laura you are doing a great job promoting this wonderful breed.

 

[Pathfinders]

Quote:
Thanks James!

Chris is doing a great job too!

 

[Baybrio]

I also listened to the show, great job. The Buckeye breed is really benefiting from your interest and promotion. I'm going to really try and study my pullet's shape. Did I understand correctly that the Buckeye's should be more a square blocky shape, as opposed to a longer brick shape? Is this blocky shape something they attain as they mature or should my July/August 2009 hatch pullets already be the correct shape?

 

[naturegrrl]

I have one buckeye hen who originated from Ideal (so just a hatchery quality bird), and I adore her! I concur with others who described the breed as friendly but not needy; she loves to hang out wherever I am when I'm outside, and investigate whatever I'm up to. She will jump up onto my lap of her own volition sometimes, but, like many cats I've known, she objects strenuously to *me* touching *her*. Still, our little flock (3 birds) is a pet flock, so I handle her regularly, in the (possibly vain) hope that someday she will mellow out a bit and tolerate being held without a fuss. We named her Princess because she is a delicate little thing next to our brahma girls, and because she has very dainty manners. She likes to talk (I can hear her announcing her morning egg now), usually with a low throaty bawwwwwk, sometimes with gentler low clucks, and occasionally with little growls or low trills. She sometimes does this incredibly adorable quiet "cluck-squeeeeeeeeeee" - melts my heart every time. She also has a particular call for large potential prey items (Jerusalem crickets, mice, rats, towhees): a sharp, low, BOK BOK BOK BOK. So far, she has only actually grabbed the Jerusalem crickets - the last time she saw a mouse she was a youngish pullet and it was a little out of her weight class, as is the rat now. The girls once tried to gang up on an unsuspecting towhee in the yard, but when it noticed them, it hopped in their direction once, which sent them all running to the back of the house in a squawking panic.

Princess is a nicely regular layer so far, of mostly medium and occasionally large eggs. She lays about 4/week right now. She loves to free-range in our little yard, but also tolerates being in the run, which offers about 10x10 per bird. Based on my gal, I highly recommend the breed!

 

[cgmccary]

naturegrrl:I have one buckeye hen who originated from Ideal (so just a hatchery quality bird)

Your Buckeye hen (i.e. "Princess") looks great! She generally has nice body shape (type), correct tail angle (that looks like about 30 degrees), nice yellow legs, good pea comb (it is not crinkled like some I see). She is more square shaped than rectangular. I would have to handle her and see her in person to tell more. All in all, she looks like she should. What is her age in the pictures?

Note: Buckeyes have always been "strictly cockerel bred, the originator having always selected males that measured up to her requirements and then got the females as good as they would come." {quote from Platt, 1921}. This is something I try to keep in mind & my thinking and selecting never picks pullets based strictly on their color. Most of our Buckeye hens/ pullets are lighter in color than we'd like. That is why Laura's Champion pullet was so rare & remarkable, and JamesA has a pullet that has excellent color (better color than any of the pullets that I have) -- I've seen JamesA 's Buckeyes in person and handled them & his cockerels and 1 or 2 of his pullets are SQ. (He'd want to put his #2 pullet in the show as well just to contrast it with the #1 pullet.) For those of you who haven't seen Laura's pullet, she is in the BYP issue and I think posted here at the start of this thread-- look at her "square shape" and her uniform dark mahogany bay color all over-- OK, now, that is 1 in 1000 so I don't have any that approach that.

We all have also noticed that after the hen's first big molt (at approx 18 months old) & subsequent molts, the hen will usually then be lighter in color (with some having a bit of lacing or specks in their feathers)-- the Buckeye Pullet always looking better than once molted hens! My oldest hen is 4 years old.

Now, I've noticed, true to history, that the Buckeye males out there are very comparable & you have to handle them to discern their differences. I believe that the differences we sometimes see may relate more to their rearing and environment (feed, supplements, space, sunshine, quality of life)-- this is strictly my opinion.

I've been told by one well known Buckeye Breeder that you get your color from the males and your body type from your females.

I am unsure of the source of the Ideal Buckeyes but my suspicion is they relate back to the Urch strain (and seems like someone told me that). It is the Buckeyes from Meyers that the origin is unknown.

Chris McCary​

 

[naturegrrl]

Your Buckeye hen (i.e. "Princess") looks great! She generally has nice body shape (type), correct tail angle (that looks like about 30 degrees), nice yellow legs, good pea comb (it is not crinkled like some I see). She is more square shaped than rectangular. I would have to handle her and see her in person to tell more. All in all, she looks like she should. What is her age in the pictures?

I'll have to let her know she's a pretty "typey" gal... she'll be ridiculously flattered and proud, as befits her princess self!

She was about 24 (?) weeks old when those photos were taken; she's definitely still in her first definitive plumage, so I'm guessing that, as others have noted, she'll lighten up next year. It's interesting, actually - her outer two primaries on each wing grew in very light, almost cream-colored. Is that common for buckeye hens?​

 

[cgmccary]

naturegrrl:. . .her outer two primaries on each wing grew in very light, almost cream-colored. Is that common for buckeye hens?

No, not really common, but I wouldn't say unusual but very few Buckeye pullets are without some feathering that is not what the Standard dictates. Ideally, the primary wing feather should be red on its outer surface and may contain black on the unexposed (inner) part of the feather. The lighter feathering and occasional cream feather, IMO, harkens back to their game ancestry, the "wheaten" game hen common to oriental/ Asian Gamefowl.

So 6 months old, she is indeed young in the pictures. Yeah, looks nice for her age, esp. deep breast looks like it should. Nice pullet.

Chris​

 

[Pathfinders]

Quote:
My personal, unbackedupbyfact opinion is that the vast majority of Buckeyes in the midwest are all of Urch origin, one way or another...

 

[mrandmrschicken]

Someone who has them. please let me know if you have BANTAM BUCKEYE eggs or starts for sale or would even consider late '09 hatches! Am looking for a pair or a trio.
Anyone... somewhere... have searched and searched and come up with dead ends and antiquated email addresses or websites. To those who have such emails or website... please remove or update or make us all aware of your current addresses! It serves no purpose to those who try and reach you.

Thanks for your understanding.
Eric

 

[Pathfinders]

Quote:
Eric,

Did you email Duane Urch as I had suggested? The email I sent you was the most current, and I have gotten responses from it. The Urches have very nice bantam Buckeyes, I got a trio from Duane at the OH National.

Laura