Buckeye Breed Thread

[mrandmrschicken]

I love the new mugs! Nice and big to wake up with!

My Father used to say, when my Mother was going for coffee somewhere, with friends, that she was at some "hen party"
Well it was true! Look what I caught on hidden camera this AM!

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt78/mrandmrschicken/naughtysbaby1001.jpg

They even banished the old man from their little clatch......

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt78/mrandmrschicken/naughtysbaby1002.jpg


http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt78/mrandmrschicken/naughtysbaby1003.jpg


Thought some of you might appreciate these pics too! Those Buckeyes are always up to something! Tried to tell me they were dyeing Easter eggs! HA! I'm smarter than that!

Got to ask this also of you good people... anyone know where a P/T tester can get smaller doses of antigen? 1000 dose bottle would go to waste for the price!

Thanks,
Eric

 

[HallFamilyFarm]

Quote:
I actually use my LED pocket size flashlight to candle eggs with. Has 9 tiny bulbs in a circle. VERY BRIGHT! On smaller eggs I wrap electrical tape around the flashlight to make the beam smaller. Works great!

Works even on Pharoah quail eggs!

 

[j.luetkemeyer]

I am currently establishing a few different bloodlines of buckeyes so I can begin breeding them and selling them in my local area. I am curious if anyone has tried to establish fresh bloodlines by crossing the original breeds.

 

[mrandmrschicken]

j.luetkemeyer :

I am currently establishing a few different bloodlines of buckeyes so I can begin breeding them and selling them in my local area. I am curious if anyone has tried to establish fresh bloodlines by crossing the original breeds.

Thats a great question! Chris and Laura would be most likley be able to answer this.​

 

[mrandmrschicken]

Quote:
I actually use my LED pocket size flashlight to candle eggs with. Has 9 tiny bulbs in a circle. VERY BRIGHT! On smaller eggs I wrap electrical tape around the flashlight to make the beam smaller. Works great!

Works even on Pharoah quail eggs!

Thats what I use too Jim. They do work great and you can usually pick them up for $2.50.

 

[Pathfinders]

j.luetkemeyer :

I am currently establishing a few different bloodlines of buckeyes so I can begin breeding them and selling them in my local area. I am curious if anyone has tried to establish fresh bloodlines by crossing the original breeds.

Well, I imagine you could try, but since we don't know for sure what breeds Nettie Metcalf used to create them, it might be shooting in the dark.

Personally, I feel that there are enough discrete lines out there now that you could set up a number of breeding pens and keep your flock diverse and healthy for many, many years. The Godfather of Buckeyes, Duane Urch, has had a closed flock for at least FORTY YEARS, which to me is amazing. It's only in the past year that he has opened his flock up to new blood (I was honored to be able to trade him to pullets for a bantam trio this past fall), which he did because he was having some small trouble with the chicks coming out of the shell.

Chris has, earlier in this thread, gone over the various strains out there, I won't reinvent the wheel on that (although I should grab it and ask Dave to put it on the ABPC website for permanent reference!)

If I were starting over again, I'd get some birds from:

Matt John of Indiana
Dave Puthoff of OH
The ALBC and
John Brown of OH

My birds are Matt John (John Brown) stock crossed with ALBC stock. I am eagerly awaiting my order of LF and bantam chicks from Mr. Urch, as I think they'll be wonderful to cross into what I have.​

 

[Sagibaro]

Okay, color me slow but not entirely stupid. It turns out that my Buckeye assassin was a fellow chicken, a Golden Laced Wyandotte named Hannah. She had started in on my Welsummer hen before I finally figured it all out

. The rest of the family was all in favor of renaming her Lemon Herb Chicken but since I'm chief, cook, bottle washer, and axe wielder at Camp Freezer I voted for segregation and carried the day. Almost everybody is happy with the new arrangements -- Hannah isn't, the rooster is bewildered, and there are still slight grumblings from the roast chicken crowd, but the rest of the hens are a very happy bunch. I did lengthen her name to Hannah Belle -- my husband is reconsidering this whole marriage thing

. (But a gander named Vin Geesal was all right? I'll never figure this man out.)

Right now there are 15 Buckeye eggs resting comfortably in the incubator and I'm chewing my fingernails up to my elbow. I'll be candling in a few days to see if anyone is home

. One of these days I'm going to get a fancy incubator that checks temperature, humidity, turns eggs, and holds the hand of nervous egg-watchers.

 

[heritagebirds]

Quote:
I think I'm going to need one of those, too.

 

[j.luetkemeyer]

Quote:
Well, I imagine you could try, but since we don't know for sure what breeds Nettie Metcalf used to create them, it might be shooting in the dark.

Personally, I feel that there are enough discrete lines out there now that you could set up a number of breeding pens and keep your flock diverse and healthy for many, many years. The Godfather of Buckeyes, Duane Urch, has had a closed flock for at least FORTY YEARS, which to me is amazing. It's only in the past year that he has opened his flock up to new blood (I was honored to be able to trade him to pullets for a bantam trio this past fall), which he did because he was having some small trouble with the chicks coming out of the shell.

Chris has, earlier in this thread, gone over the various strains out there, I won't reinvent the wheel on that (although I should grab it and ask Dave to put it on the ABPC website for permanent reference!)

If I were starting over again, I'd get some birds from:

Matt John of Indiana
Dave Puthoff of OH
The ALBC and
John Brown of OH

My birds are Matt John (John Brown) stock crossed with ALBC stock. I am eagerly awaiting my order of LF and bantam chicks from Mr. Urch, as I think they'll be wonderful to cross into what I have.

I agree there is no real need. More of a curiosity question than anything. I have read about a family who through generations used the spiral breeding technique and maintained a diverse flock of rhode island reds for over 90 years. That is done with only 3 bloodlines.

 

[kathyinmo]

I have 5 new Buckeye chicks this morning, and I see 2 more pips!

These are from JamesA, and I will add them to the 9 I hatched earlier, and have my starter flock!