Buckeye Breed Thread

[retiredwithchicks]

I let my Buckeyes out of the A-frame coop this week to free range for the first time. In the coop they were very skidish always, when out into the big run they follow me everywhere. Funny though, they don't go out of the big run much. I am sure they will but now they are still sticking close to the old home. I have been very protective because this is my second time trying to raise buckeyes and don't want a predator getting these. If I could just change a couple of those roosters to pullets. lol

 

[Pathfinders]

Need some help from the experts with my first buckeye. I don't have any others for comparison. The chick is about 8 weeks old, and up until recently, seemed very pullet-ish. But then she grew this comb, and I'm not great at sexing pea combs. Are those 3 ridges, or one ridge with bumps on the side? Do I have a roo?

 

[Pathfinders]

I do want to encourage those of you who are seeking more info on how to cull your birds to either:

• Find and buy a copy of the current Standard of Perfection, which is THE best way to make sure your birds meet the Standard for the breed or
• Check out the Yahoo Group for the ABPC, which has permission from the APA to post a copy of the current Standard for the Buckeye there.

I am not permitted to post the URL for the group here, but if you Google "american buckeye poultry club yahoo" you'll get a link to it.

We asked for, and were given permission by the APA to post the current copy of the Standard there. Of course, you can find old Standards elsewhere on the Internet, but those do not match the current criteria, to which serious breeders should adhere.

And I'll also note, that while photos can be very useful in some respects, there's a reason the APA and ABA don't use them in their Standards. There is NO ideal bird out there to take a photo of. Which is why the APA and ABA use illustrations, so that all aspects of a proper bird can be seen. It's possible for a photo to show one good aspect, but inadvertently show a bad aspect as well. So while photos are obviously very helpful, they're not the best way, IMO, to learn to cull.

 

[Pathfinders]

And while I'm posting this morning, I thought I'd include a link to the new ABPC Etsy store, where you can purchase various Buckeye themed items, with more coming!

All proceeds from the sale of the items (net profit) go to support the ABPC's work to promote the breed. Stop by and check it out!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/BuckeyeClub

 

[cgmccary]

A group of Buckeyes go out to meet my new Dexter calf (born May 27):

 

[cgmccary]

These chicks are about five weeks old, raised completely free range (never been penned), already weaned by their mother hen -- looking good for their age. They were hatched under the front porch and still go into a box there to sleep:

:

 

[cgmccary]

This group is a part of a free range Buckeye clutch, here about 10 weeks old; they are practically feral. They range each day on all parts of my property including the woods. (under the front porch you see is where the younger group sleep). When I see them running in the woods, it makes me think of Jurassic Park:

 

[Arielle]

I do want to encourage those of you who are seeking more info on how to cull your birds to either:

• Find and buy a copy of the current Standard of Perfection, which is THE best way to make sure your birds meet the Standard for the breed or
• Check out the Yahoo Group for the ABPC, which has permission from the APA to post a copy of the current Standard for the Buckeye there.

I am not permitted to post the URL for the group here, but if you Google "american buckeye poultry club yahoo" you'll get a link to it.

We asked for, and were given permission by the APA to post the current copy of the Standard there. Of course, you can find old Standards elsewhere on the Internet, but those do not match the current criteria, to which serious breeders should adhere.

And I'll also note, that while photos can be very useful in some respects, there's a reason the APA and ABA don't use them in their Standards. There is NO ideal bird out there to take a photo of. Which is why the APA and ABA use illustrations, so that all aspects of a proper bird can be seen. It's possible for a photo to show one good aspect, but inadvertently show a bad aspect as well. So while photos are obviously very helpful, they're not the best way, IMO, to learn to cull.

Laura, I''m more than a little surprised that the SOP has been updated. I thought they have remained the same for eons. Do you know why the change was made? And which changes specifically were made?

 

[cgmccary]

Quote:
Actually, the description has changed very little for the Buckeye. The description for color is a little more refined ("rich mahogany bay" now but "mahogany bay" in 1910 for instance. There is now an angle given for tails (40 degrees for males and 30 degrees for females vs. 1910 SOP tail "carried moderately upright") --so not really a change just some refinement in the description, that's all.

Wing color has never changed. Wing color (which seems to stupefy folks) has really ALWAYS BEEN THE SAME -- can be all rich mahogany bay and if any black, it MAY be in the UNEXPOSED (unexposed just means the part you cannot see) primary & secondary feathers. In 1910 SOP, it said black MAY be in the unexposed "flight feathers" -- so REALLY the same -- flight feathers are primaries and secondaries, huh?

Buckeyes are easy, unchanged, just a little better description in newer SOPs -- more refined description -- but the breed is where it should be.

 

[cgmccary]

Quote:
Also, these "changes" (updates) were already in my 1974 SOP. The Buckeye is omitted from my 1938 & 1942 SOPs (NO DESCRIPTION, NIL). The last one I I have it in before my 1974 SOP is my 1923 SOP, though I think it disappeared in the 1929 or shortly thereafter (perhaps someone knows). The description must have reappeared sometime after 1942. The better description for tail angle was already present in my 1923 SOP but "mahogany bay" had not be given the adjective "rich" yet ( "rich" was a descriptive term in the 1923 SOP but had not been put to the Buckeye "mahogany bay" yet). "Flight feathers" meant PRIMARY feathers so the only change was black MAY also be in the secondary wing feathers -- in 1923, it was still black MAY be in the "flight feathers" (or primaries). "MAY" is the operative word here.