Buckeyes or Chanteclers?

Ahab

Songster
9 Years
Jun 28, 2010
139
7
101
Maine
Like many, I'm looking for the perfect small-farm bird for our climate (Maine) and our situation. Our first priority is self-sufficiency--i.e., broodiness, foraging ability, general- and winter-hardiness; second is meat production (enough to feed a pair of scrawny old people who remember how chicken actually tastes); third, and by far least important, is egg-laying ability: we don't eat that many eggs (a dozen or so a week), though we're picky about quality.

Years ago we raised various New Hampshires, Barred Rocks, and broiler-factory straight runs (along with ducks), but my research tends me toward Buckeyes or Chanteclers (buff or partridge; the whites are a bit of an eyesore and predator magnet for our property), and I'm wondering if anyone having direct experience with both can comment on their relative merits. Again, meat and broodiness/self-perpetuation are key.

Thanks
 
Either would fit your needs, if you get good stock. If you buy from a hatchery who knows what you get. It may be easier to locate Buckeyes than Chantecler.
Myself I'm looking for Chanteclers, but I want white.
 
Thanks. I'm inclined toward Breeder birds, versus hatchery. As I intend these to be self-sustaining, to an extent, it's important to start with good stock, and hatchery stock I found, back in my poultry-raising years, quite variable. From what I've read on BYC, things haven't changed in 35 years.
 
Ahab, I think you may be more pleased with the Buckeye stock available out there. Seems like nobody has anything much bad to say about those birds, these days. Ideally the Chantecler should be the perfect dual-purpose, cold climate farm bird, but I don't know how readily available good stock is.

JimsFarmStand raises both Buff Chanteclers and Buckeyes. He may be the best person to pose this question to.

I have a Buff Chantecler cockerel from Sandhill and like him a lot, but he is filling out much slower than ALBC strains of Buckeyes. I don't know if breeder stock of Chanteclers might be better.
 
It would depend on the chantecler. Buckeye roosters can be used to make red sexlinks, but you would need a silver based hen to do it. Buff or partridge chanteclers are not silver based and hens could not be used to create red sexlinks. I don't know if white chanteclers are silver based or not, but white birds are usually a poor choice for sex links because white can hide other colors so it is usually difficult or even impossible to tell if they are silver based.
 
Thanks, I thought white birds were often used for sexlinks.
Oh well enough hijacking. Back to square one for me, back to topic for the thread
 

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