The Buckeye Thread

[CanadianBuckeye]

Minniechickmama those sound exactly like the size I'm aiming for- 60-65 gram eggs. I agree if they are too big the quality suffers. More than 75 grams is a bit too big!

 

[goodb]

Change of pace. I have a cockerel I'm considering keeping and would like your thoughts on him.
Bryan







Thanks for your inputs.

 

[Minniechickmama]

Change of pace. I have a cockerel I'm considering keeping and would like your thoughts on him.
Bryan







Thanks for your inputs.

The brightness of the sun at that time kind of washed out his legs, but I am going to hope they are a good yellow? Good even color, but as far as the shade of it, again, is getting washed out by the sun. It is tough getting good pictures this time of year though.
You can tell from his tail he still needs about another month of growing to get more filled out with feathers and in the breast, but I like him. Is this the last one you sent me photos of a little while ago? I gotta say, I love the heads and comb/wattle size on my line, and he is an excellent example of it! You are doing a good job with them, Bryan!
That is a nice head on the pullet too. She has a good back and tail that blend very nicely too, no pinching and not too fluffy, and a nice wide stance showing good depth.

 

[CanadianBuckeye]

I'm very new to all this, all I can say is, n-i-c-e! I'd be very pleased if I had those Buckeyes.

 

[goodb]

I had an offline discussion with Minnichickmama about him. He's a great bird other than he has no slate. Which is why I believe he is light in color. I've already selected my 3rd boy for this winter so unfortunately, he'll have to go. As for the legs, they have washed out a bit as they were deep yellow earlier in the season. I like these birds and am excited to have a nice base to choose from for breeding season next year.

 

[CanadianBuckeye]

About that bar of slate.......... I understand completely that the slate bar on the back feathers is a requirement for the Buckeye breed. But, I do believe that Nettie Metcalf was mistaken when she assumed that a slate bar was necessary for deep colour. Rhode Island reds, even those ones that are almost black, do not have a slate bar. The RIR standard calls for rich, intense red undercolour. . My cross bred rooster that was mostly yellow orange, like a New Hampshire, had very dark grey slate bars on all his feathers, not just the back. Now I'm no chicken geneticists, and certainly no Buckeye expert, these are just some of my observations and opinions, but I'd be willing to guess that the slate bar and the dark colour are inherited independently of each other. My Buckeye rooster has pretty good colour, but the slate in his feathers only shows up as a few blotches here and there in the down. :-( so no slate bar in my rooster either.

 

[Minniechickmama]

About that bar of slate.......... I understand completely that the slate bar on the back feathers is a requirement for the Buckeye breed. But, I do believe that Nettie Metcalf was mistaken when she assumed that a slate bar was necessary for deep colour. Rhode Island reds, even those ones that are almost black, do not have a slate bar. The RIR standard calls for rich, intense red undercolour. . My cross bred rooster that was mostly yellow orange, like a New Hampshire, had very dark grey slate bars on all his feathers, not just the back. Now I'm no chicken geneticists, and certainly no Buckeye expert, these are just some of my observations and opinions, but I'd be willing to guess that the slate bar and the dark colour are inherited independently of each other. My Buckeye rooster has pretty good colour, but the slate in his feathers only shows up as a few blotches here and there in the down. :-( so no slate bar in my rooster either.

You are right that you don't have to have one to have the other, BUT...
It occurs more often that Buckeyes that have good, darker mahogany bay also have better slate. I have had nice colored males with no under color. I rarely have lighter colored birds that have good slate, but it does happen.
The thing is, there is a good chance that not all Buckeyes are just pure Buckeye. There are lines that throw single combs. The only way this could happen is if a single comb breed was introduced somewhere in that line. I have heard of some breeders outcrossing to RIRs to get a darker color. This not only adds the single comb to that line, but it also works against the slate under color since RIRs have no other color than red through out, except for their tail. By crossing in RIR, you also change the body type. In other words, outcrossing to another breed is asking for years of bad traits to pop up.

 

[CanadianBuckeye]

You are right that you don't have to have one to have the other, BUT...
It occurs more often that Buckeyes that have good, darker mahogany bay also have better slate. I have had nice colored males with no under color. I rarely have lighter colored birds that have good slate, but it does happen.
The thing is, there is a good chance that not all Buckeyes are just pure Buckeye. There are lines that throw single combs. The only way this could happen is if a single comb breed was introduced somewhere in that line. I have heard of some breeders outcrossing to RIRs to get a darker color. This not only adds the single comb to that line, but it also works against the slate under color since RIRs have no other color than red through out, except for their tail. By crossing in RIR, you also change the body type. In other words, outcrossing to another breed is asking for years of bad traits to pop up.

Minnniechickmama that makes perfect sense, breeding to RIR's at some point could be why that bar would be weak or disappear entirely. I had three roosters,one was likely crossed with something else and he had great slate bars, my guess was Welsummer based on some sister hens. My second rooster was all Buckeye and had poor colour but a great slate bar, but my third rooster, with good, even, dark colour has very poor slate undercolour :-/

 

[Minniechickmama]

If you don't have it in the males, your next generation is going to suffer from it. If you have females with a LOT of slate, it can be worked out, but then you are looking at probably have black showing on the surface in places you don't want it with those females. It is always a balancing act. Like any breed or variety of poultry, your flock is only going to be as good as the worst traits you are willing to allow to remain with them. After a few years of breeding, you start figuring out what you can all to stick around and what really has to go. It is just the learning curve you have to work through.

 

[CanadianBuckeye]

So I assume that the slate bar acts "dominant" ? By that I mean, You can't cross a hen and a rooster with poor slate bars and expect the possibility of a good slate bar in one of the chicks? Once you lose it it's gone forever?
Say you have a choice of a rooster with good slate bars but poor colour (two-toned and too light), or a rooster with poor slate but very good colour (an even, deep dark red), all other things being equal, which would you choose? Let's add another scenario: your hens have the same problem. As a beginner I'd cross the better coloured rooster with poor slate to the hen with poor colour and good slate- would that be the correct way to try to "fix" the problem in the chicks? Or what's the best way, if those are your only Buckeyes?