Buckeye Breed Thread

[punky rooster]

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I'm sorry, Janet. I would think an axe or rifle would take care of it............

 

[HallFamilyFarm]

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Have heard you can place the bird in a ziplock bag and place the sealed bag in a freezer. May not be the best way, but you do not see it. Afterwards just throw the bag away.

I usually just carry the bird to the burn barrel. Holding the body with one hand, I pull its head with the other and jsut drop it in the burn barrel. Quick and easy. Not emotionally easy, but neither is allowing an injured or ill bird to suffer longer than it needs to. Just pray for strength and do what is right.

 

[buffalogal]

If a chick is suffering, I use sharp pruning shears to snip off it's head. Anything older is dispatched with a .22.

Potentially related topic, though I am trying to hope for the best. I'm expecting day old chicks (hatched & mailed Monday) that are no where to be found. Breeder didn't call or email a tracking number, and doesn't answer the phone until late evening. I have this horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach that tomorrow I'll get a call to drive to town and claim a box of 25 rather expensive dead chicks, and an additional dozen ice cold, addled eggs. (wonders if there is a little yellow face for "fret"?)

 

[knittychickadee]

Janet, Out of the incubator, I've been using the same knife I use to butcher big birds. It's a Irwin utility knife with the disposable blades, super sharp. I hold the chick in my left hand, my first two fingers on each side of the neck right behind the head, my thumb and last two fingers cupping the chick. This pretty much just leaves the neck exposed, and I pull the blade through the neck, away from my hand. I make sure all fingers are out of the way before the cut, and I do it over a paper bag so I can just drop everything in there. Not pleasant, but the head is not easily seen this way. Over in a second. Juveniles are tough because of their size. I'm not an axe user, I prefer killing cones for butchering my freezer birds, so I pretty much use a shrunk down version of that for youngsters. Any kind of little plastic bottle the I can fasten to the fence that they fit very snugly into, an empty feed bag opened below it . I bleed them out with a cut to the jugular just like the older birds. I have found they thrash a lot less this way rather than removing the entire head. For both methods, I just take a deep breath and do it quickly and firmly. -Marci

 

[vmdanielsen]

I am not looking forward to my first culling. Good luck Janet. May it be quick.

 

[SlowMoneyFarm]

9 straight run Buckeyes arrived this morning - short hatch but at least they arrived!

Sorry to read Janet's loss :-(

 

[Quirky]

Janet- I'm sorry that has to be done. I said a little prayer for you. Hope it goes just fine.

 

[Janet Hatch]

Thanks everyone for your suggestions, thoughts and prayers.

I know it's the best thing.

Janet Hatch
J Squared Farms
NW MO

 

[wyoDreamer]

I am trying to get our HOA covenants changed so I can get some chickens, and it looks like I may be successful.

So now I am looking at what breeds I want to get and I am leaning toward dual purpose birds. I have been thinking about getting some buckeye's.

Questions:
Are Buckeyes cold hardy? We do get below 0 during the winter, the lowest I have seen since moving here is -17 degrees.

I know that I can get a well ventilated, but not drafty coop built for them, but probably not heated.

Do they do OK if locked in the run most of the time, with occational free-ranging? What would you recommend for run size - for instance would 20 sq.ft. per bird be enough if they don't get to free range? (that would be a 10 foot by 10 foot run for 5 birds)

Can anyone post a picture of buckeye eggs for me? I am trying to get an idea of the size of the egg and the color. The only egg information that I have found simply says medium sized & tan.

Thank you!

 

[punky rooster]

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