Buckeye Breed Thread

[bfrancis]

I like your log on name...Buckeyefever, it describes well what a lot of us have. BTW,

 

[buckeyefever]

I got it bad!

 

[Pathfinders]

Quote:
I'm writing off the top of my head here, so don't quote me.

But it's my feeling that 99.9% of all Buckeyes trace back to Urch birds at some point or another. I jokingly refer to Mr. Urch as The Godfather of Buckeyes.

The Brown and ALBC lines are about ten and five years old, respectively (as I recall.) Mr. Brown told Chris and me that he started with Buckeyes in 2000, and the ALBC got their start with birds from Urch, Brown, and Rhodes (I think.)

I have been working with Brown x ALBC lines, and got some LF and bantams from Mr. Urch this spring that I will be braiding into my line. I think that at this point Buckeyes from any reputable breeder who breeds to the Standard will be fine (I tend to avoid hatchery birds if I can help it.)

Bear in mind that these are dual purpose birds, not production egg or meat birds, and seek out a breeder who seeks balance with their birds in these areas.

Always ask for pictures of the parent stock, especially closeups of combs and leg color, as well as those that show the type of the birds. Combs are one of my pet peeves, and so easy to cull for! Having good combs is important to me, and when I see folks breeding birds that have crappy combs I always wonder why. But that's just me...

 

[Pathfinders]

And one more caveat while I'm at it.

Everyone who gets into Buckeyes should remember that this breed was started by crossing a number of different breeds together. As such, there are still some issues the breed struggles with (as do other breeds of course) that folks should be aware of ahead of time:

The first is the single comb issue. Buckeyes will occasionally throw chicks with single combs, due to their genetic backgrounds and the way dominant and recessive genes work (see this thread here for a great explanation of the pea comb versus single comb issue: https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=3356169)

So don't be surprised if you hatch out some chicks that have single combs from time to time. Just sell them as layers, or eat them for meat, or cull some other way. But don't breed them back into your flock. You can identify these combs at birth if you look closely.

The other issue is the occasional bird that shows up with black blotches. This is also a part of the breed, and according to Mr. Brown who discussed this with me at the OH National last year, males with this issue should be culled, but females should be kept and treasured, as they will throw offspring with the best color! Obviously, you can't show them, but they are important for breeding, so don't cull those pullets who show blotchyness or mottling.

Just to let you all know in advance.

 

[bigredfeather]

Welcome Buckeyefever! I just went thru Sunbury last weekend. I was on my way to Galion to pick up a Oberhasli buckling.

 

[buckeyefever]

Laura ~ thank you for your words of wisdom!

Agreed I will not be seeking my Buckeyes from hatcheries, simply because I do not know what I will be getting. Egg production is not my intent, I have 8 others that will help me in that area. Will definitely use any culls for meat, preferred over selling and not knowing if the bad traits will find their way into the breed.

My question to you is how are you setup? Do you have one rooster in with several hens in specific runs/coops? I know you have multiple roosters so how do you know who is responsible for what? Do you use trap nesting?

Other question is...what are you seeking to get out of the Brown strain by crossing it with ALBC? Is there something specific? Same question with the new Urch.
If my questions sound naive, please excuse my inexperience but it is your knowledge (and maybe Buckeyes) that I seek!

BigRedFeather ~ I like your avatar. The Gadsen is my Facebook avatar!

 

[bfrancis]

Laura,
First I wanted to tell you that I've followed your advice, and put more ventilation in the coop, to include a fan...pics will be up by this weekend.

I also was wondering if you would please tell a little bit about the American Buckeye Poultry Club. I've checked out the web site...as much as it would let non-member, but would like to know more....

Thanks for your time

Bill

 

[Pathfinders]

Quote:
At this point I am set up with one major pen, a large coop in which the birds are locked at night; we had chickens stolen from it several years ago, it's pretty darned secure now with some extra secret weapons I don't talk about in public.

This is surrounded by about half an acre of electric poultry netting in which the birds day range. They love to hide in the trees and bushes, and seek out bugs, snakes, mice, anything that isn't nailed down they eat.

I also have several smaller pens with younger birds in them, and have two friends locally who also have my bloodlines in the event we are hit by thieves again, so we won't be completely out of birds. But my main breeders are all in the one big pen. Three cock birds with about 24 hens. About 60 youngsters who will, after the first cull, go into "The Big Coop" as we call it.

So as to your cock bird question, I don't (at this time) know which male is responsible for which chicks. I wish I had the wherewithal to create separate breeding pens, but we're actually cutting back these days a bit (selling out of all but Buckeyes) as our older daughter is going off to college this fall, and we'll be shy one chore hand and a lot of $$ to pay for tuition.

IRT what my purpose in crossing Brown to ALBC, well, when I started I got my Brown birds from Matt John, and wanted more! Matt got badly hit in a flood in '07, and lost about 70% of all his birds, several hundred were just washed away. So I contacted Don Schrider at the ALBC who sent me hatching eggs, and from there I was off!

And while I've only had Buckeyes since 2006, I've had poultry since 2000, and my family has had poultry since before the early 1900s. That's part of what drew me to the Buckeyes in the first place, I am originally from OH, and my grandfather loved to carry a Buckeye nut in his pockets, there is a large Buckeye tree in the front yard of his house on the farm (which I now own part of with other relatives.) You can see some pics of the farm from the 30s and 40s here: http://www.pathfindersfarm.com/BKF.html

Hope that answers some of your questions.

 

[Pathfinders]

Quote:
Hi Bill,

The ABPC was started in the fall of 2007 by my daughter and me after we attended the OH National and realized there was no breed club for the birds. I started a Yahoo Group in March of 2008 to see if there was interest in starting one, and was pleasantly surprised by the interest shown! So last year I went ahead and filed as a non-profit, with associate memberships in the American Poultry Association, the American Bantam Association, and the ALBC.

Members receive a quarterly newsletter packed with info (with which I will freely admit I am behind!), access to the Yahoo Group with its files, and the ability to obtain "points" if they show their Buckeyes at sanctioned shows. But we're not just for those who show, but anyone who is interested in learning more about and supporting the breed.

Right now the website is actually down, as the server host had a major hardware meltdown recently from which they are still recovering. But once it's back up and running you can access the site at http://www.americanbuckeyepoultryclub.com

Let me know if there's any other questions you have about the club, happy to help as I can!

 

[buckeyefever]

Thanks Laura. I asked about your setup because starting this week I will be putting up the new coop (8'x8' expandable, double walled, plastic shed) and finish figuring out my fencing (probably electronet due to its mobility). Until I get my Buckeyes, separation won't be an issue but will separate the breeders, in the run, when I get them. Is it ok to have different breeds in the same coop at night, if I can differentiate the eggs in the nest boxes?

Asked about the strains to see if there was a specific trait that was stronger in one strain than the other, that you were trying to improve upon.

I read the story about your grandfather and the buckeyes in his pockets on a previous post. What a wonderful story! What beautiful pictures of the farm!
Once again, thanks Laura.