The Buckeye Thread

[knittychickadee]

Yup pullet

 

[knittychickadee]

MyPetNugget check out this great post from Pathfinders on determining gender https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/803253/the-buckeye-thread#post_11612990

 

[buffalogal]

MyPetNugget check out this great post from Pathfinders on determining gender https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/803253/the-buckeye-thread#post_11612990

Excellent resource. I love that you can easily tell the difference when they are so young.

 

[cgmccary]

nevermind

 

[slfarms]

In the past few years I've viewed buckeyes both on actual farms and in photographs. There seems to be variations in head width. Why is that?

 

[Minniechickmama]

Nice post. I don't have any barred birds on the property to try any of this with. I have seen the buck x barred rock and love the look of the red bleeding through the hackles of the hens.

I too like that color, similar to BBR females. I have some bantam Wyandottes with that coloration from PartridgeXChocolate/Khaki. VERY pretty!

 

[Minniechickmama]

In the past few years I've viewed buckeyes both on actual farms and in photographs. There seems to be variations in head width. Why is that?

You will see variation in head width in most breeds. The real question is what is the desirable width and how does that relate to the rest of the bird. In my experience, if you want a good breadth overall in your bird, then go for the wider head for this carries through the bird. Narrow heads translate to narrower body, which in the Buckeye is not desirable. Going back to what I posted earlier quoting Nettie Metcalf's overall vision of the breed is a "modified Cornish appearance". Looking at a Cornish (I don't mean those skinny and narrow hatchery birds either), you can clearly see, they are a wide bird. Therefore, the Buckeye should follow suit in have good width throughout. However, unlike the Cornish that narrows quickly at the tail and has a very short and narrow tail (comparatively), the Buckeye's tail should have a smooth transition from back to tail so as to not appear too fluffy at the base, nor too pinched.

 

[homeworkin]

I do have one hatchery Delaware very young hen I can work with and one adult Buckeye roo. I can move her into the Buckeye coop and see what I get. Pretty sure she is laying but not sure how often. So, is a Delaware considered barred even though she is mostly white? Eventually I'll have some Dels that are better stock. They just hatched last week. Looks like 3 boys 4 girls.

 

[slfarms]

I do have one hatchery Delaware very young hen I can work with and one adult Buckeye roo. I can move her into the Buckeye coop and see what I get. Pretty sure she is laying but not sure how often. So, is a Delaware considered barred even though she is mostly white? Eventually I'll have some Dels that are better stock. They just hatched last week. Looks like 3 boys 4 girls.

Delewares wouldn't be considered barred. Barred would be your doms, barred rocks etc.
Breeds that exhibit actual color pattern in a line(bar). I believe the white would mask the sex link.

 

[AinaWGSD]

You're right. Sorry, it's been a while since I reviewed the genetics behind sex-links and since none of the barred breeds ever really piqued my interest I am not the most knowlegeable about which is barred and which is not. To me, delawares look like barred columbian. However, a buckeye rooster over a delaware hen should still produce sex-link chicks. They would be red sex links though, not black sex links.

There is a very thorough thread regarding the genetics behind sex-links in the sticky section of Breeds, Genetics, & Showing.