The Buckeye Thread

[goodb]

Darn, I was afraid of that. It's very difficult to get chickens of any sort across the border. Some states are still under a zero chicken policy because of the flu........

Sorry about that.

 

[hellbender]

I'll do you one better than pictures. Videos often work better for me so here we go. Separate videos for each bird:

#1 -

AND

#2 -

In the meantime, I wish you all the best for the upcoming year!
Bryan

They are very handsome birds. One thing else I noticed...I think I'd trim those 'eye-pokers' on the gate before they cause serious damage...Just thought I'd mention it.

 

[hellbender]

Darn, I was afraid of that. It's very difficult to get chickens of any sort across the border. Some states are still under a zero chicken policy because of the flu........

Be patient...

 

[CanadianBuckeye]

Hellbender LOL yes I actually am being patient........... you would be amazed at my plans for 2016!

Goodb it will be a tough choice. Handsome fellas! It's great to have such nice cockerels to choose from.

 

[goodb]

Both are light in color and narrow in the back as they lead back to the tail. If you have to have one, the bird on the right (smaller comb) is a better speciman IMO, he is tighter feathered and appears wider in the front....with that being said, 5 months is too young for selection. They are no where near done developing. If they are Theri's they should have a decent build up front too them. The Urch stuff was good for that. What does the undercolor look like in the hens and the males you like?

I understand that 5 months is to soon to decide but I can't keep them through the winter so the butcher calls. Regarding the undercolor, they have the bar of slate and I appreciate MCM's efforts in helping me understand the necessity. I learned about the balance of slate versus black as we both encountered a lot of black this year.

 

[stryker]

I have as much experience with birds as a 2 year old trying to eat veggies so please do as you want as they are your birds but when two highly reguarded people who breed quality stock mention to keep them for a little longer I would take their advise.

The good part that you have going on for you is that winter is only 2 more month or if you live in the south 5 more months. Good luck with your choice as I know it would be a hard one for me.

 

[Blueface]

I wouldn't be here offering help if I didn't care. Despite what people think of me, I've proven that I know how to pick, breed and raise buckeyes.
My main focus for the next few years is keeping the proper color on the hen side. This means staggering my breeding program out a couple years at a time and keeping an abundance of hens to select the ones that maintain their color better after the molt..while culling the hens that have issues ..keeping several extra males that are brothers to the females and breeding them accordingly. Many Buckeye hens have issues with splotchy colored feathers after they molt, they molt into a poor color. In some lines the white tipped feathers start appearing and thats real bad. There are many different opinions on how this breed should be. The breed has yet to be really refined like other more recognized breeds. I could give praise like hellbender but I'd rather offer you a realistic opinion. After looking at the videos....cull the bird on the left....his gills and comb are too large for as young as he is and they will only get larger, he has too much fluff in his thighs and his color is not good at all as compared to the other, you can see the lighter buff/red-like color in his back with lighter colored thighs...that is not good at all in a male. He also doesn't carry his tail right. One thing that stands out is the lack of reddish horn color in the legs, that doesn't mean it's not there...it simply means I don't see it.
As for birds going to Canada, I have several dozen eggs going to Canada and I'm helping a very nice lady with her existing flock. She plans on showing them.

 

[Minniechickmama]

goodb - I have to agree with Blueface that the darker bird on the right (#2 in the videos) is the better overall bird. Compare the two from the side and you can see the darker cockerel has a much better body on him with a fullness to his breast the other is lacking in breast development. He is a more balanced bird throughout.

 

[Blueface]

When breeding buckeyes, people really need to be patient. This breed is not a good breed for people that seek instant gratification. They take their time maturing out not only from 6 to 12 months but continue maturing out into well into their second year. Keeping the correct color is the most difficult aspect to maintaining the breed IMO. That bar of slate is a key breed requirement that was specifically mentioned and desired by the breed creator. The pic posted is a pic of a young cockerel at 5 or so months old that I took this year. He exhibits a thick bar; at the time the pic was taken he was still growing in the majority of his feathers and hadn't completely finished out the bottom section establishing the bar.

 

[Blueface]

I started implementing my female improvement plan this past year. My young stock are already seeing an improvement not only in surface color but also in undercolor. Below is a pic of a couple month old pullet. Major issues that need improving on the hen side are body fluff in the thighs and back, color and tail carriage. The pic of the hen that I posted a few comments back is a 2 year old. She weighs 6 lbs 6 ounces at the time I selected her...has very nice type, no body fluff, excellent tail carriage, good length in back and had molted in a nice even Buckeye nut colored red. Her slate bar in present as well.