Buckeye Breed Thread

[Pathfinders]

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The big hatcheries have neither the time, space, nor inclination to cull properly. They just mass produce chicks. Some of them have indeed gotten excellent birds from breeders, but if you don't cull, just set every egg, the quality will slip regardless of what you start with.

I appreciate your desire to get hatcheries to provide good examples of a given breed, but really, that's not their mission. That's what breeders do. If you want a good bird, you get it from a breeder who takes the time, spends the money, and does the work to breed to the SOP.

And fwiw, I made $3,694 selling birds last year (including hatching eggs), and spent $4,810 on the various categories related to breeding and marketing my birds (including feed, equipment, and shows.) I don't know any good breeders who actually make a profit, I know my goal is just to offset my expenses as much as possible.

So if a breeder asks for $4-6 per chick, it's not because they're getting rich, I assure you.

I also think it's a perception among some folks that raising poultry for your own source of meat and eggs is cheaper, but it certainly is not! Even my grandfather use to joke about "the $4 egg" he got from his chickens. But if you want meat and eggs from birds that are raised humanely, with no antibiotics or hormones, and who eat high quality feed and have a good quality of life, keeping your own chickens is the way to go. It's not cheaper, but it's better.

Just a couple of responses all wrapped up in one...

 

[BuckeyeDave]

I don't think anyone at our level is in it for the profit. It would be nice to have all of the bills incurred paid for though.

 

[Yellowgate]

Laura, an update on the rooster we picked up at the gas station on that rainy Saturday. He's taken over the farm, well, at least the barnyard. And while I haven't had a Buckeye to decide to nest yet, we have a Dominique/Leghorn cross who decided it was time. But since I didn't want Buck-Legger-Necker chicks (could be interesting though) I saved some Buck eggs and swapped with her. She didn't care one way or the other, and now there are 7 little Buckeyes running around behind an ashy-white momma hen. Thanks to Harold, and you, Laura, we have a good start on our Buckeye flock.

Greg

 

[Pathfinders]

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Hi Greg,

Glad to hear he's doing so well! I was pleased to send him home with you, he's a nice boy, didn't want to eat him, but had plenty of other good looking boys I was using.

Enjoy!

 

[rodandstafffarm]

On the newbie side/perspectiveof the hatchery/breeder issue , it would be nice to able to supplement straight run shipments if you end up needing more females, etc. My original hope was to have a good size flock of hens and 2-3 roosters.... however when you order straight run and have a situation like I did (losing 9) it's harder to go with just straight run situations if a hatchery will let you order some hens. I don't mind culling extra roosters or even selling them to people who want to breed, 4Hrs etc...(I know they have to go somewhere!) . Just one perspective.

 

[buffalogal]

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I thought the OP was asking about small hatcheries, where there isn't going to be as much of a push for quantity over quality; by their nature, the smaller hatcheries aren't trying to be all things to everyone. Fewer breeds to start with means more time can be spent with what they have. When I think of small hatcheries, I think of Urch or Sandhill. It's the difference between Ideal and say, Country Hatchery.

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You know from experience that I don't complain about the cost of a bird or a chick or an egg from a breeder, because I expect to pay more for quality stock and that's exactly what I receive. (BTW, "Calamity Jane" is doing well, but for now she's decided she would rather hatch eggs than lay them...

)

But I'm talking about what the general public, new to chickens, expects when they hear the word Buckeyes or Dominiques or other rare breed. True, a couple of cockerels wouldn't make a difference at McMurray or Mount Healthy, but at a smaller hatchery, they could do some good. Of course, the hatchery stock wouldn't be competitive at a show against a dedicated breeder's birds, *but* they would come more near representing the actual breed, and that would give the public a chance to get to know and appreciate these great breeds. (as opposed to the "kinda looks like a blank" mentality we have now)

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I agree 100% with the "not cheaper, but better" part.

 

[Pathfinders]

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The price we pay for broodiness!

 

[PortageGirl]

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Yeah, I get that Dave and I was never trying to say you were. I was trying to back out of the subject but I started to feel like I'd been really misunderstood. I'm not talking about Laura (Pathfinders), Dave, and all you other serious Buckeye Breeders making profits like McMurray, or Ideal, I said I hoped that what you make from your sales mitigates some of the cost of developing your flocks so you can both keep your standards high and show and breed your birds while you help spread some good birds out to other interested chicken fanciers. I don't call that actual profit, just cost balancing which I hope you are all able to do.

I also wasn't talking about companies like McMurray, or Ideal wanting to improve their birds, I agree they're solely after quantity, but I was thinking about maybe someone like Meyer being interested in it, but the comment Laura made about the need to cull birds explains best why they'd have a hard time getting better birds out to their customers even on the scale that Meyers are at. They're not super small, but smaller than a lot. All these places are extremely seasonal and need to get their chicks out in the spring and early summer, after the cold, before the heat. Culling birds when they are overrun with orders in the spring and no one is willing to wait for an order of exceptional chicks just wouldn't make sense, they want every chick in the shipping box no matter what I'm sure.

I was a little offended by the Wal-mart egg vs home grown eggs, I'm well aware of the difference, I'm over 50 and had my first flock when I was 12.

I also totally agree that you get what you pay for which is why I've got my order in with Dave for some quality chicks instead of ordering from a hatchery. I was just wishing and wondering if there was a way for some improvement in even hatchery birds especially with breeds like Buckeyes and other heritage birds.

Thanks everyone.

 

[Tailfeathers]

For some reason my posts stopped coming to my email again and I've lost track of much of the discussion but I have been following the posts lately about hatchery vs. breeders per se.

I wrote something quite some time ago that really lays it all out but it's much too long and most of it has already been covered. I think Laura nailed most of the major points. The idea or thought of having hatcheries produce good quality birds is a nice idea and noble thought but it just isn't going to work. The reason is because the two entities operate on totally different existing goals. A hatchery is a business and it must make money. Most of us breeders lose money with our birds which is why it's called a "hobby".

I can feel myself already wanting to lay out a bunch of comparison but I'm going to refrain. So I'll just say that one has to keep in mind that the two entities are just flat imcompatible.

God Bless,

 

[Chickielady]

Who was it here who had web site "space" for rent cheap/free ?
I have a friend who wants one, his BYC is ChickenRustler..............please PM him about the web site space.
Bye all!!
Oh and my Bucks are doing fantastic!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!