Chicken Breed Focus - Buckeye

[Amer]

I have a Buckeye cockerel, who has been just the greatest so far, he is very nice, he is a great protector (I saw him chase a big squirrel away today), and other than hormones he is nice with the girls.
Here are some pics of him from chick to now.View attachment 2337009View attachment 2337007View attachment 2337008View attachment 2337014View attachment 2337013View attachment 2337015View attachment 2337018View attachment 2337019View attachment 2337021View attachment 2337022

Wow! He's very handsome!

Hi! I raise bantam Buckeyes!

· What made you decide to get this breed?
I heard about their hardiness, low maintenance, temperament, and decided it would be the breed for me, since I live in Wisconsin and don't heat the coop. I orginally got large fowl in 2016, but now I only own the bantams. I got a pair from Mike Sullivan in 2017 and bred them from there. He was interested in giving them to new breeders and I thought I would be a good candidate to promote and share the breed in Wisconsin. My young birds now are my second generation.
· Do you own them for fun? Breeding? Some other purpose?
Exhibition and breeding to improve the breed and bringing it closer to the Standard of Perfection. The bantams need more interest so I'm constantly working to recruit new breeders if I have an extra pair or trio.
· What are your favorite characteristics about this breed?
They're easy. I don't have to give them special treatment or anything, those little guys can stand up for themselves. The only problem is bantams can't do much against a fox, so I'll have to cage them from now on until I have a run for them. Before he arrived, however, I had much enjoyment watching them wander the farm. They're also very friendly, with bold and interesting personalities. The history is also very fascinating. There aren't very many pea-combed breeds out there. They're really pretty, and a fun breeding challenge.
· Post some pics of your birds; male/female, chicks, eggs, etc! I will! They're on my phone thought, so I'll have to do that later.

 

[QueenOfMyCoop]

The Buckeye is a breed that originated in the state of Ohio. Created in the late 19th century, Buckeyes are the only American Poultry Association (APA) standard breed of chicken known to have been created by a woman, Mrs. Nettie Metcalf, and the only one in the American Class to have a pea comb. The breed's name most likely derived from Ohio's nickname of "Buckeye state", and their rich mahogany color is said to resemble that of the seeds of the Ohio Buckeye nut. They are a dual-purpose chicken that have a decent laying ability and strong meat production characteristics.

The Buckeye male weighs an average of 9 lb (4.1 kg), and the hen 6.5 lb (2.9 kg). Its primary color is a rich mahogany bay, with a bar of slate color on the feathers close to the body. The Buckeye shows some traits of game fowl in its frame and disposition, being assertive in character and a very good forager. They are known for their friendliness and are wonderful with children. Despite its game heritage, it tolerates confinement well, although it will be much happier and produce better if allowed to range on grass. A good meat producer and layer of between 150 to 200 eggs per year, the Buckeye is a dual purpose chicken well–suited to small farmyard and backyard flocks. The Buckeye breed has also been gaining popularity in the exhibition world and gained possibly it's first ever Grand Master Exhibitor (Joe Shumaker of Shumaker Farm) in 2014.

Details:
Breed purpose: Dual purpose
Comb: Pea
Broodiness: Average
Climate Tolerance: Cold
Egg Productivity: Medium
Egg Size: Medium
Temperament: Friendly
Breed Size: Large Fowl as well as Bantam



Chick by Shumaker Farm


Hen by @goodb


Pullet by Shumaker Farm


Rooster by Shumaker Farm

Breed Review: https://www.backyardchickens.com/products/buckeye

Breed Discussion Thread: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/803253/the-buckeye-thread/0_30


Do you own Buckeyes? Are you a Buckeye breeder? If so, please reply to this thread with the your thoughts and experiences, including:

· What made you decide to get this breed?
· Do you own them for fun? Breeding? Some other purpose?
· What are your favorite characteristics about this breed?
· Post some pics of your birds; male/female, chicks, eggs, etc!

We have a bunch of other awesome breed-focus threads for you to enjoy. You can see all of them here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/chicken-breed-focus-project.975504/

I have 3 Buckeyes! They are so curious and sweet!

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Wow! He's very handsome!

Hi! I raise bantam Buckeyes!

· What made you decide to get this breed?
I heard about their hardiness, low maintenance, temperament, and decided it would be the breed for me, since I live in Wisconsin and don't heat the coop. I orginally got large fowl in 2016, but now I only own the bantams. I got a pair from Mike Sullivan in 2017 and bred them from there. He was interested in giving them to new breeders and I thought I would be a good candidate to promote and share the breed in Wisconsin. My young birds now are my second generation.
· Do you own them for fun? Breeding? Some other purpose?
Exhibition and breeding to improve the breed and bringing it closer to the Standard of Perfection. The bantams need more interest so I'm constantly working to recruit new breeders if I have an extra pair or trio.
· What are your favorite characteristics about this breed?
They're easy. I don't have to give them special treatment or anything, those little guys can stand up for themselves. The only problem is bantams can't do much against a fox, so I'll have to cage them from now on until I have a run for them. Before he arrived, however, I had much enjoyment watching them wander the farm. They're also very friendly, with bold and interesting personalities. The history is also very fascinating. There aren't very many pea-combed breeds out there. They're really pretty, and a fun breeding challenge.
· Post some pics of your birds; male/female, chicks, eggs, etc! I will! They're on my phone thought, so I'll have to do that later.

Do you find that even the bantam are large enough for a 1-2 person meal like Cornish bantams, or are they just like other bantam and not super worth butchering?

 

[Amer]

Do you find that even the bantam are large enough for a 1-2 person meal like Cornish bantams, or are they just like other bantam and not super worth butchering?

I have yet to butcher one but I will tell you when I do.
Michael Sullivan and Christopher McCary have butchered theirs, and they say that they do make a good meal.

Aaron Baker has also tried it, I believe.

They’re very persistent layers of medium sized eggs (mine layed through their molts.)
The people who worked on them before I got them really must have worked on body capacity, back width, heart girth, fleshing, and pubic width. Some of the hens I own have a pubic width of three of my (not very substantial) fingers.
The only problem is they’re almost all oversized.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

I have yet to butcher one but I will tell you when I do.
Michael Sullivan and Christopher McCary have butchered theirs, and they say that they do make a good meal.View attachment 2338248
Aaron Baker has also tried it, I believe.

They’re very persistent layers of medium sized eggs (mine layedthrough their molts.)
The people who worked on them before I got them really must have worked on body capacity, back width, heart girth, fleshing, and pubic width. Some of the hens I own have a pubic width of three of my (not very substantial) fingers.
The only problem is they’re almost all oversized.

Ehh, I wouldn't mind them being oversized since I wouldn't be showing. Maybe I'll get those though instead of large ones. Less meat for same work, but it's so much easier to handle bantams

 

[Amer]

Some of my older photos aren’t loading. I’ll have to figure out what to do about that later. So all you’ll see are this year’s progeny.

 

[ChicoryBlue]

I love my Buckeyes! If I could only keep one breed it would be Buckeyes. Fearless yet friendly, excellent foragers, energetic and intelligent. Did I mention fearless? I love their large size, beautiful shiny deep red color and excellent disposition.

Mine are almost 11 weeks old now. I have never raised chickens before so I don't have a point of reference in my experience, but this seems true, and I hope this doesn't offend anyone, but they are a lot like my experience with cats is - curious, bold, smart & trainable, yet very friendly. And so far they exhibit proper caution too. It's not like they go about willy-nilly, they are extremely aware of their surroundings.

What @BuckeyeAmy69 said about chicks coming right up to you has been true for me. When they were tiny I did have to set up a safety catch below the edge of my table-height brooder, because when I removed the screen to do anything, they were right up there on the edge of it to get close to me. Sometimes they were fly-jumping up to it and barely nailing it, and once one fell out, luckily to no harm. They readily used all the perches and high things inside the brooder as they were able, but I soon set up a 2" flat perch next to the edge just so they would have something to land on or perch to watch when I was doing things and they wanted to be close. They were very curious as to what was outside the brooder (30" x 48", 4 chicks) even just two weeks old! And then they would use that edge perch to launch themselves up to my shoulders, or land on my back if I had bent over! I had no idea they were going to be this engaging, and it is a treat for me!

 

[ChicoryBlue]

I think I screwed up the quote and attribution in my earlier post, sorry. Here's my post:
Mine are almost 11 weeks old now. I have never raised chickens before so I don't have a point of reference in my experience, but this seems true, and I hope this doesn't offend anyone, but they are a lot like my experience with cats is - curious, bold, smart & trainable, yet very friendly. And so far they exhibit proper caution too. It's not like they go about willy-nilly, they are extremely aware of their surroundings.

What @BuckeyeAmy69 said about chicks coming right up to you has been true for me. When they were tiny I did have to set up a safety catch below the edge of my table-height brooder, because when I removed the screen to do anything, they were right up there on the edge of it to get close to me. Sometimes they were fly-jumping up to it and barely nailing it, and once one fell out, luckily to no harm. They readily used all the perches and high things inside the brooder as they were able, but I soon set up a 2" flat perch next to the edge just so they would have something to land on or perch to watch when I was doing things and they wanted to be close. They were very curious as to what was outside the brooder (30" x 48", 4 chicks) even just two weeks old! And then they would use that edge perch to launch themselves up to my shoulders, or land on my back if I had bent over! I had no idea they were going to be this engaging, and it is a treat for me!

 

[micstrachan]

I love love love my two buckeyes! It was actually the lady at the feed store that talked me into getting my first one. Sadly, that first one has health issues. Every time her laying hormones come on she gets really bloated and it seems compartmentalized. I think it’s cystic right oviduct. Anyway, I just keep her on hormones and she does OK. The younger one has the most amazing, shimmery feathers ever! For a while I thought she might be a cockerel when she was growing up. Both of them are super curious, super talkative, and they both out rank and boss around the dog! LOL. It’s just those two who do it. They are also both very muscular in the thighs, and are fierce squatters. Well, the one on hormones no longer squats, but you get the idea.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Anyone know hatcheries that sell the bantams? I only saw the standards when I looked before