The Buckeye Thread

[stryker]

Get good side shots to show us. He may have gotten his tail peck so doesn't look as flashy? Maybe not. They are still very young to start making many calls about them. I have some that are about 14-weeks and some have long (too long) tails and others are just getting their sickles starting to come and the main tail is even still just in the early stage. I believe you have one more molt, maybe two for yours before you will see their permanent (for this year) feathers. Once the girls are getting to Point of Lay, you will know what the colors are. However, here is the curve, after they molt the first time as adult, you will see what they really have for color, some may surprise you.

I agree with after the first adult molt...!!!!!!!... All my hatchery birds dont look like they did before the first molt and they were looking good. Out of 20 birds, I will keep 4 after this winter and I am not showing nor do I care much about standard. What I do care about is at least being the color pattern that they suppose to be. For an example, buckeye color instead of buff color spots. Just not cool lol...

 

[hellbender]

I agree with after the first adult molt...!!!!!!!... All my hatchery birds dont look like they did before the first molt and they were looking good. Out of 20 birds, I will keep 4 after this winter and I am not showing nor do I care much about standard. What I do care about is at least being the color pattern that they suppose to be. For an example, buckeye color instead of buff color spots. Just not cool lol...

If I were going to show birds, I'd never get birds from a hatchery. The one exception might ber the White Chanteclers I bought (25) from Cackle Hatchery early this spring. The hatchery started with some pretty good birds and it shows in s few of my youngsters. The hatchery hasn't had too much time to really screw them up. Everything else is fit for what I bought them for...to cross with pretty good hens and make capons with the off spring...still maintaining the 'pur-ish' strains of Buckeyes.

 

[stryker]

nicely written, I found an excellent breeder that I ended up with some really nice buckeyes that are still young. I use to believe that being stingy on price (buy hatchery) is the best until I realized that it costs the same to raise a mutt vs a purebred heritage bird. Other than the price of the bird that is. I got my birds from privitt hatchery last year so they had plenty of time to mess with them. They are the ones that provide enough eggs to get better quality birds.

 

[CanadianBuckeye]

If possible, I would have liked to have started with some mature Buckeyes that were excellent, and gone from there. It didn't work out for me so I had to go the egg route. From that experience, I've found that it will take me years (if ever) and rearing/feeding/selecting from many, many chicks to get where I could have started from in the beginning. I started off thinking I wasn't going to worry too much about the standard, but I have changed my mind, because if you don't consistently pick out the best as breeders, I think in time you end up with ones that don't look anything like Buckeyes any more. I am hoping I can get both production up to snuff and to the standard. I don't want a barn full of show chickens that have forgotten how to lay eggs, but I want them to still look like nice Buckeyes- I hope I can do it.

Do other peoples' Buckeye roosters have nice shiny green tails?

 

[CanadianBuckeye]

Stryker, I think those mottles will disappear over time- the first time I saw a picture of a young buckeye full of mottles, I thought it was a cross! Mine were very blotchy too when they were young but as each new feather comes out, those are pure red.

 

[goodb]

If possible, I would have liked to have started with some mature Buckeyes that were excellent, and gone from there. It didn't work out for me so I had to go the egg route. From that experience, I've found that it will take me years (if ever) and rearing/feeding/selecting from many, many chicks to get where I could have started from in the beginning. I started off thinking I wasn't going to worry too much about the standard, but I have changed my mind, because if you don't consistently pick out the best as breeders, I think in time you end up with ones that don't look anything like Buckeyes any more. I am hoping I can get both production up to snuff and to the standard. I don't want a barn full of show chickens that have forgotten how to lay eggs, but I want them to still look like nice Buckeyes- I hope I can do it.

Do other peoples' Buckeye roosters have nice shiny green tails?

It's a green sheen on black color. It's more pronounced in the direct sunlight. My two roosters have it at nearly 18 months of age.

 

[CanadianBuckeye]

goodb, that's it! Black with a shiny green. My crosses have such nice tails but my Buckeye rooster..... kinda disappointing! His new feathers are coming in nice and shiny, but not the tail ones. Maybe he's still too young.

 

[CanadianBuckeye]

I just noticed there's a Buckeye contest on this site. It's been ongoing since February, waiting for ten entries...... and there have only been a few entries so far. Enter your Buckeyes!! It will be fun. The Buckeye contest is in the online Show section.


https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/953349/buckeye-contest-ends-after-ten-entries

 

[cvamoca]

Ok- I have several questions.
I bought buckeye chicks from a breeder here in Canada- and one pullet is double laced, and shouldn't be. I'm thinking there's Cornish in these birds...? The other females are nice and look correct- both the males though have black in their hackles as well as the tails. Is this acceptable? These ones are coming up on 4 months old.
I really enjoy them.

 

[CanadianBuckeye]

I have black in the hackles of some of my chicks too, the feathers on the younger chicks did have some black in them here and there but none were double laced. As they grow older, the feathers are getting more even in colour (dark red) and there's less and less black (except for tail and wings). I think black in the tail is normal but from what I understand you don't want any in the hackle. I have dark cornish chicks as well, they are a completely different colour, they have black heads, dark brown mixed with light brown feathers, ( no real lacing yet, they are supposed to end up double laced) and different conformation/ tighter feathers so if it's a cornish you can tell the difference quite easily. My chicks are 8 weeks old.
I think that cornish might have used at one time way back in an East coast bloodline, but I haven't been able to confirm that.
Your chicks look nice!