Buckeye Breed Thread

[Quirky]

I am no whiz at this, but try to re-size your avatar.

 

[Chickielady]

Hi guys!
I have been busy in the garden & now canning & freezing food as fast as I can.
All birds are doing excellent & wanted to let ya know my Bucks are doing fantastic.
I just told PunkyRooster how amazing it is that 8 Buckeye on pasture (with a feed bucket too) are eating maybe 2-3 cups of feed a week, if that.
Fantastic foragers!!
friendly curious, they have to run to the gate when they see me....here is a pic from 2 weeks ago~

three weeks ago~

This is where they love to be~

Love these birds!!
Bye!

 

[Chickielady]

Whoops, before I go, have a Q for the more experienced Buck breeders here..
I have 4 cockerals, from an obvious alpha type to the meekest, so I have to re-home 2, I am figuring to keep #2 and #3 and loose the most aggressive alpha and the least, the meekest, what would you do ?
They are ALL gorgeous boys.

 

[Pathfinders]

Quote:
Honestly, I cull on type, as long as the aggressive one isn't actually rushing you and flogging (which is rare in Buckeyes.) Alpha is not a reason to cull unless it also includes meanness to hens/pullets, or human-directed aggression.

Cull first on type, then on color, then on behavior (with the exceptions above.) That's my motto.

 

[Chickielady]

Thanks, on culling on type, then I will have to grow them out further.
Slow to fully develope, that means another 5-6 months before I make a final decision.
The Alpha is not rushing nor seems mean to pullets.
he is just very stern with the other 3 cockerals.
Making his Alpha placement very apparent on a hourly basis.
And the others do challenge his authority.
Thanks again.

 

[vmdanielsen]

Quote:
yes, but how?

 

[cgmccary]

ChickieLady: Thanks, on culling on type, then I will have to grow them out further.
Slow to fully develope, that means another 5-6 months before I make a final decision.
The Alpha is not rushing nor seems mean to pullets.
he is just very stern with the other 3 cockerals.
Making his Alpha placement very apparent on a hourly basis.
And the others do challenge his authority.
Thanks again.

Hey ChcikieLady. One more point I'd like to make is that sometimes the meekest one may be the best type (or another one lower on the totem pole). That meek one may not get to eat as much as he would normally (and won't develop to his potential as he is always running from the dominant bird or two). Sometimes, if I have the room, I will separate a promising Buckeye cockrel or two that may not be so high on the pecking order. This is not always possible & also, many times, the big boned male will be the highest on the pecking order . . . but not always. A lot of this depends on the room/space they have . . . if yours are foraging during the day, then may not be a factor.

I have some young ones who have been out free ranging ALL DAY, every day since they were about 5-6 weeks old, and they all look great (and I have not seen any obvious pecking order -- they hang as a pack (their clutch). The difference in the free ranging chicks, and the ones that have stayed penned is remarkable.​

 

[Chickielady]

Hey Chris!
These are your babies!
Yes they have been free ranging and have free feed as well, since they were about 3 weeks old.
They are all well built, it is just the one is a big more aggressive.
But most always, he just delivers a peck once in a while, and is not challenged.
They used to do the jousting challenge, neck hackle all spread out, when they were younger.
All in all, they are doing very well.
I am really surprised at how little feed they consume.
I check feed buckets every day, and pass theirs by as they are not consuming much at all.
Started on chick/max grow 20%, and then went to a 50-50 with Flock Raiser and then I have added about 10% scratch for their dining pleasure.
They love the grasses & bugs better!
The white rocks hatched 3 days before the bucks, are 2X the size...the buck taking their time & filling out very nicely.
oh, BTW~ the rocks EAT more than 1 gallon of feed a week...this is 2 birds

The bucks are a flock of 8, and maybe eat 2-3 cups of feed a week...both are on pasture in nice tall grass.

 

[te dave]

hey guys,
been lurking here for a while, and am looking for a good sustainable heritage dual purpose chicken, and the buckeyes are in top 3 consideration. anyway, saw dave puthoff's name mentoined earlier in this thread, are his good type? what about sandhill preservations?
thanks
dave

 

[bigredfeather]

I have Buckeyes again! Well......one roo. Buckeye Dave brought some cull birds over to my house this past weekened to butcher, and one of his young roos "accidentally" got away. I am letting him free range with some of my other birds. It's nice to see a Buckeye out running around again.