Buckeye Chicken Breeders

[Pathfinders]

Sorry I missed this! (Sometimes my "subscriptions" get dropped and I don't get email alerts on threads I am subscribed to.)

Jim Adkins was just in HI doing a seminar on poultry, and I know he ships Buckeyes there without a problem. You can contact him at [email protected]

 

[JoshU]

Congrats to all of the participants in the

Southern Ohio Poultry Association Spring Show 2013

Jr Buckeye Large Fowl
Best of Breed – Sydney Shumaker (Cock)
Reserve – Evan Edingfield (Hen)

Jr Buckeye Bantam
Best of Breed & Reserve – Brandi Powell (Cockerel & Pullet)

Open Buckeye Large Fowl
Best of Breed & Reserve – Shumaker Farm (Cock & Hen)

Open Buckeye Bantam
Best of Breed & Reserve – Sharon Fields (Cockerel & Pullet)

Nettie’s Vision Trophy – Sydney Shumaker (Cock)

 

[DarkRedBird]

It has been a good year for buckeyes. Keep up the good work and keep them up to par on the WHOLE sop.

 

[DarkRedBird]

Amazing story of buckeyes coming home. Old pics and maps of the Metcalf homestead too.

http://americanbuckeyeclub.blogspot.com/

 

[Arielle]

Thank you for posting. LOve the big chest area of that bird. Wow.

THAT is what I am looking for.

 

[alana124]

Hi everyone...I'm sure the forum has the answer to my question seeing that it's jam-packed with great info, so forgive me if I'm being redundant.

I love Buckeye chickens, and recently obtained a small flock (2 roosters, 10 hens) that are coming onto 9 weeks of age. Yeah, I got them at a hatchery, but a reputable one, not flaky; good reputation, and so far my adorable little birds seem true to breed. The dude who owns the hatchery is really committed to offering the best possible birds. Anyway, my aim with these birds is to breed them and become a breeder of Buckeyes per the APA standard with special emphasis on its dual purpose.

I'd like to get a book to help me "do it right" and have been eye-balling the book called Mating and Breeding of Poultry by Harry Miles Lamon, Rob Roy Slocum, and reading another source on-line written by Jull---My intention is to separate the males (I already see one roo whose got great potential) and a couple or 3 of females to a separate pen, mate them, and then hatch their eggs. Is this the correct way of going about breeding? Do I need to introduce different birds, or how do you do it? One 1910 source I read said that a poultryman had inbreeding of his flock for 13 years, never introduced new blood, and his chickens were healthy robust and true to breed.

How do people become breeders, say of the Urch or Pearce status (or any of the other excellent breeders)? I'd like to one day have buckeyes with my name; a new line, and am so excited about that prospect. I don't have thousands of dollars to pay someone, so if I could get some good book recommendations, that would be great! P.S. I've been raising chickens for several years, but never breeding.

Any help would be so appreciated.
thanks

 

[Marengoite]

Hi everyone...I'm sure the forum has the answer to my question seeing that it's jam-packed with great info, so forgive me if I'm being redundant.

I love Buckeye chickens, and recently obtained a small flock (2 roosters, 10 hens) that are coming onto 9 weeks of age. Yeah, I got them at a hatchery, but a reputable one, not flaky; good reputation, and so far my adorable little birds seem true to breed. The dude who owns the hatchery is really committed to offering the best possible birds. Anyway, my aim with these birds is to breed them and become a breeder of Buckeyes per the APA standard with special emphasis on its dual purpose.

I'd like to get a book to help me "do it right" and have been eye-balling the book called Mating and Breeding of Poultry by Harry Miles Lamon, Rob Roy Slocum, and reading another source on-line written by Jull---My intention is to separate the males (I already see one roo whose got great potential) and a couple or 3 of females to a separate pen, mate them, and then hatch their eggs. Is this the correct way of going about breeding? Do I need to introduce different birds, or how do you do it? One 1910 source I read said that a poultryman had inbreeding of his flock for 13 years, never introduced new blood, and his chickens were healthy robust and true to breed.

How do people become breeders, say of the Urch or Pearce status (or any of the other excellent breeders)? I'd like to one day have buckeyes with my name; a new line, and am so excited about that prospect. I don't have thousands of dollars to pay someone, so if I could get some good book recommendations, that would be great! P.S. I've been raising chickens for several years, but never breeding.

Any help would be so appreciated.
thanks

Alana,

You have come to the right place. First of all, you're starting with the right books. I would also recommend The Call of the Hen by Walter Hogan if you are going to breed laying chickens or select for good laying.

I appreciate your desire to have your own line. That's very ambitious and signals a commitment to the breed of at least 20 years or so. Let me ask, what goals are you striving for? There are already some good Buckeye lines out there. How would you like to distinguish your line from the others? I have a breeding trio from Jeff Lay's line and would like to continue with that one because I like their look and their reliable egg production. What sort of line would you like to establish?

rick

 

[Arielle]

Hi everyone...I'm sure the forum has the answer to my question seeing that it's jam-packed with great info, so forgive me if I'm being redundant.

I love Buckeye chickens, and recently obtained a small flock (2 roosters, 10 hens) that are coming onto 9 weeks of age. Yeah, I got them at a hatchery, but a reputable one, not flaky; good reputation, and so far my adorable little birds seem true to breed. The dude who owns the hatchery is really committed to offering the best possible birds. Anyway, my aim with these birds is to breed them and become a breeder of Buckeyes per the APA standard with special emphasis on its dual purpose.

I'd like to get a book to help me "do it right" and have been eye-balling the book called Mating and Breeding of Poultry by Harry Miles Lamon, Rob Roy Slocum, and reading another source on-line written by Jull---My intention is to separate the males (I already see one roo whose got great potential) and a couple or 3 of females to a separate pen, mate them, and then hatch their eggs. Is this the correct way of going about breeding? Do I need to introduce different birds, or how do you do it? One 1910 source I read said that a poultryman had inbreeding of his flock for 13 years, never introduced new blood, and his chickens were healthy robust and true to breed.

How do people become breeders, say of the Urch or Pearce status (or any of the other excellent breeders)? I'd like to one day have buckeyes with my name; a new line, and am so excited about that prospect. I don't have thousands of dollars to pay someone, so if I could get some good book recommendations, that would be great! P.S. I've been raising chickens for several years, but never breeding.

Any help would be so appreciated.
thanks

Don Schrider worked to create the ALBC line, and his info is available via that site and in some great detail. All lines will become your own by virtue of your own selection of the breeding stock year over year. You can strive for the SOP and still make your own line. My understanding of this breed is that it is primarily a meat breed, and some eggs on the side. THere are not enough meat breeds of chickens that are worth a hoot from all the reading I"ve been doing.

THere is a reason Don Schrider raised both buckeyes and brown leghorns. Just took me a few years to figure it out.

 

[alana124]

Thank you Rick and Arielle, I really appreciate your replies.

Rick: your comment exactly reflects my dilemma--do I start a new line, or stick with tried and true? Why reinvent the wheel esp. when excellent lineage already exists? My main goal really is to maintain or continue the breed per the SOP--meat and daily egg production.

Arielle: I met Don Schrider who was part of a seminar I attended last year. (Actually, it was he that put the you-can-even-create-your-own-line bug in my ear). Although Don quickly brushed on the topic of breeding, I really wished the WHOLE seminar revolved around that.

So, if I go by what Mr. Schrider recommends; start with what you have; go with 3 families; select the best from them; mate; select, and so on...would I need a chicken house

...?
Perhaps I should just get a new flock from an existing lineage

 

[Pathfinders]

Here's what I suggest (and you can take or leave my advise as it pleases you,

):

Start with what you have. You say you got your existing birds from a hatchery, have to ask, which one? Regardless, unless they are not true to type for the breed, then you should certainly keep them and work with them. I would suggest you get a copy of the Standard of Perfection so as to make sure you're breeding them to the Standard, which you will want to do whether you show them later or not.

Most people don't worry too much about establishing their own line/strain at first, the thing (IMO) you should work on for the first goodly number of years is getting your birds to match the Standard and to reproduce themselves well.

Depending on the source of your birds you may need to bring a new cock bird/cockerel in from another source, but there are lots of folks out there with Buckeyes, and you should be able to find one that will "nic" well with your existing line.

And yes, you will need a chicken house (coop, pens, etc.) in order to safely house your birds and protect them from predators. Hardware cloth is your friend, do not rely on chicken wire to keep predators out, it's only good for keeping chickens in.

Also, see the new Buckeye thread here for more info on these great birds: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/803253/the-new-buckeye-thread

Best,

Laura