Buckeye Chicken Breeders

[JoshU]

Congrats to Shumaker Farm on another big win in the american class at the SOPA show in Lucasville this weekend.

 

[Minniechickmama]

^ I second that motion!!! Great Job knocking them dead with your Lovely, DARK Red birds!!!
Netties legacy truly lives on in Ohio!

 

[BuckeyeNut]

Congrats to Shumaker Farm on another big win in the american class at the SOPA show in Lucasville this weekend.

to Shumaker Farm. Excellent job. And thanks for noticing, Josh.

 

[amit]

Wanting some buckeyes where is a good place go get them wanting a quality bird

 

[JoshU]

Breeder Directory:
http://americanbuckeyeclub.blogspot.com/p/breeders-directory.html

Understanding the Buckeye S.O.P.:
http://americanbuckeyeclub.blogspot.com/p/buckeye-sop.html

edited by staff

Wanting some buckeyes where is a good place go get them wanting a quality bird

Where are you located?

 

[atitagain30yrs]

I have a question. I just got 4 Buckeye hens and 1 Buckeye rooster and they are nine months old. The hens have not started laying yet. I read that they are a slow maturing breed and could start laying as early as 7 and a half months. Shouldn't they start laying soon?

 

[JoshU]

If you are in Ohio or somewhere cold, they may wait until spring but they could start anytime.

 

[atitagain30yrs]

No Josh they are in Oregon and 30 is the lowest I think it has gotten since they were brought to me from Eastern Oregon. They have a temporary structure that may not make them feel safe enough. The coop they had over there was partially open to help with the heat in the summer time, so they may not have liked it there either. It was colder in 'The Dalles' where they came from and had gotten down to five degrees, then they had a long car drive to come here. I thought I was going to get a brand new walk in coop by now but my friend hasn't had time etc.. to build it yet.They are in a 36 square foot area (4 buckeye hens) and I thought I would have them out of it by now. I have been moving it about the grass with a hand truck so they could eat the grass, but maybe moving it has them unstable.

The Tractor that the other six 2 year old hybrid hens are in I don't think is big enough for all ten hens, but the chicken yard is more like thirty-five feet by almost fifty feet. So if I can get four people to help me put it over the fence I am thinking of putting the structure they are in into the chicken yard and give them a choice to either squeeze into the tractor at night, or go into the structure they are in now. I will put several different options out for them to lay in also and hope one is something they would be happy in. There are three nests in the Tractor, and I would make two others (one in a wooden box and one in a large dog crate) to see if that helped.

So far everyone that has talked about their mousing abilities have only said that the roosters catch the mice. Has anyone had experience with a hen catching a mouse?

Because I don't have the coop yet, the rooster has had to reside in the garage at night and some days also. I am not supposed to have roosters here but one neighbor has had a rooster for almost fifteen years. They just don't let him out until 8 AM. I can have as many hens as I want but really it was the rooster that I particularly wanted. If they will start laying soon, I can let him out during the day to fertilize the eggs and then put the eggs into an incubator. Hopefully then one would be a rooster and I would have many months to get the sound proof coop I want before it started crowing. If the coop doesn't happen really soon I am going to have to re-home him. I hope I can catch him to put him in at night also if I do have them start laying soon. I have all this great building material I have been given, and only need a little roofing material now. I could make a roof with what I have, but would like the coop to be perfect with storage for food & supplies at one end. Timing is my problem and getting the Buckeye's to start laying so I could have his progeny would be about perfect. I think I have found five acres for him also to free range on. So the sooner the better for all of them and me, since I have mobility issues.

Can you think of anything else that might help them to start laying - more protein or ???

 

[JoshU]

It will happen in due time. That's the thing about any chicken. They have their own time frame. You should be seeing eggs any time. The housing shouldn't matter as long as they are comfortable. They are pretty simple creatures. Mine usually lay within 6 months ish. The winter hitting may have pushed theirs back along with transport and new home. If what you are doing is ok for you for now, just leave it as it is until the coop is finished.

 

[Minniechickmama]

atitagain, the amount of light they are getting is more important than the temperature. You should start seeing eggs soon. What feed to they get? That is important also. I am actually boosting my protein this week because I had to change feeds a few weeks ago and am feeding only a 16% mix right now. I have always fed 18% or higher, so I am thinking it is making the girls slower to get rolling them out for me this year.
Changes always have effect on the birds and if they are going to produce, any stressors too. I have White Silkies who have had a heat lamp on them for almost a month aren't laying, but I have some outside in a small coop who spend most of their days outside that are laying a little bit, so you never really can be sure when they will start or start up again. Time will tell.