"Hype" and "ploy" are derogatory in their meaning. Hype also denotes that what is being said about something is inflated or not true. What about Buckeyes that has been said is not true?
Of course, there are lots of deserving breeds,and I wish I could have them all. I wish I could be a Sandhill of sorts. This is not possible. The Buckeye breed is just as old as the RIR and older than the NH. A lot of other breeds have enjoyed decades and decades of popularity and IMHO, over those decades, the lowly Buckeye deserved more and did not have it then. It is great that a breed, like the Buckeye, has come out of virtual obscurity to become popular and viable -- what is wrong with that? I wish all the breeds could do this.
Actually,the Buckeye is the perfect breed to discuss in this thread. It is a hardy, friendly, dual purpose fowl that forages well and does well on a farm. It thrives in both extreme cold and high heat. They are easy to keep which is what the majority of homesteaders want. They do well confined or free ranged. The hens make great broodies. I have a Buckeye sitting on La Fleche eggs right now. Buckeyes breed consistently, and the characteristics seem to hold true for the breed no matter where you get your start.
For someone looking to have meat on the table from their first generation of a breed, this is the one of the breeds to strongly consider. There are a number breeders, including myself, who have achieved consistency of meat and egg production in a short amount of time. The breed works for me. I have remarkable consistency with what is going on the table.
When I got my first Buckeyes, I had never seen another one so I was not picking it for any other reason than I believed it would make a great farm / homestead fowl. It was a couple of years before I saw a Buckeye other than my own. Unknown to me at that time was the ALBC had the same idea at around the same time (which turned out to be great for me). Don Schrider tried some of the other breeds in the American class but he was most impressed with the active and friendly nature of the Buckeye. In addition, he had success at breeding a good fowl for the table.
If you have read Harvey Ussery's book, The Small Scale Poultry Flock, AND you are a breeder of Buckeye, then you know that the book seems to have been written for the Buckeye. In other words, the Buckeye fulfills the role described in the book for a homestead fowl. There are other breeds i am sure that fill the role just as well. If your purpose is showing, then correct, the Buckeye is not your breed as it is not a show bird first; it is still a farm / homestead fowl first. A lot of the breeds have become show fowl first and their original purpose is simply secondary -- look at what is now called an "ornamental fowl" is some of the popular books.
My special project breed is the La Fleche and I have to say they lay lots of very large eggs -- seems they have been bred to lay lots of eggs. However, as a carcass, what I am feeling, well, they are scrawny by Buckeye standards and again, and I do want meat in the next years as I try to improve the La Fleche size. I am expecting it to be a different sort of meat and texture too giving me the best of both worlds -- the Buckeye has a lot of rich, dark meat and the breast is ample and very white but dark meat predominates. The taste of the Buckeye dark meat is very good -- & the Buckeye provides it amply. Also, there is no comparison, of course, between the flighty La Fleche and the Buckeyes. My Buckeyes run to me and follow me around like a bunch of puppies. The La Fleche body slam themselves against the pen when I near it -- that flightiness may be better for them against predators but I suspect not much different if a Goshawk wants it bad enough. One thing I have witnessed is my 9+ lb Buckeye Cock running toward and chasing away a diving hawk. Would the hawk have won? Probably, but my guess is that a very large rooster is just a little much when there are easier prey. The hawk turned.
Again, I see "Farm and Homesteading Heritage Poultry" as the topic, the Buckeye fits in the thread as good as it gets. No "hype" or "ploy" is needed.
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