The Buckeye Thread

[CanadianBuckeye]

They are indeed... Ohio born and bred!

These are @Blueface 's birds. He was unable to post pics here for awhile, with this mobile upload issue we've got. They look great, don't they?

Yes they certainly do. Glad to see them posted, thanks for crossposting.
@Turk Raphael here you go- Buckeyes worthy of not cross breeding!

Hey all you other Buckeye breeders, there are other perfect lovely Buckeyes out there- let's see them! Mine are all orange LOL (well not really, but some are a few shades too light).

 

[holm25]

Cockerel #1 "Cato"



Cockerel #2 "Finnick"








Pullet #1 "Anne"







Pullet #2 "Alma"



Pullet #1 and #2 together




I didn't get any pics of the other pullets due to no cooperation lol. But I think they all look really good!? They still have another month to go before their first show so I think we should be fine.

 

[CanadianBuckeye]

Cockerel #1 "Cato"



Cockerel #2 "Finnick"








Pullet #1 "Anne"







Pullet #2 "Alma"



Pullet #1 and #2 together




I didn't get any pics of the other pullets due to no cooperation lol. But I think they all look really good!? They still have another month to go before their first show so I think we should be fine.

They are coming along beautifully! It's amazing how much they will still grow in another month, they will be perfect for showing. Are you showing all of them? They look very happy!

 

[Hebandgene]

First post here on this board and know nothing about buckeyes. We incubated some because we were told they were good all-around birds, but now we have more than we have room for. Hoping you experts can give me some guidance on selling them. We have 3 extra roos and were thinking of selling them in pairs with hens. All are 6 months old and from these lines - "CM – pure Chris McCary of Alabama and DS – (CM male to Don Schreider female) this male is bred to Livestock Breed Conservancy females which were originally Don Schreider and Jeanette Beranger stock" - though I don't know which bird is from which line because we hadn't intended on selling them so weren't concerned with keeping them separate. Can someone suggest how much I should ask per pair? Or should I not sell in pairs? I'll advertise to a small, regional livestock group. Don't know that anyone there is interested in birds of this quality but figure it is worth a try. Thank you!

 

[CanadianBuckeye]

First post here on this board and know nothing about buckeyes. We incubated some because we were told they were good all-around birds, but now we have more than we have room for. Hoping you experts can give me some guidance on selling them. We have 3 extra roos and were thinking of selling them in pairs with hens. All are 6 months old and from these lines - "CM – pure Chris McCary of Alabama and DS – (CM male to Don Schreider female) this male is bred to Livestock Breed Conservancy females which were originally Don Schreider and Jeanette Beranger stock" - though I don't know which bird is from which line because we hadn't intended on selling them so weren't concerned with keeping them separate. Can someone suggest how much I should ask per pair? Or should I not sell in pairs? I'll advertise to a small, regional livestock group. Don't know that anyone there is interested in birds of this quality but figure it is worth a try. Thank you!

I've never actually sold a chicken, but I have bought chickens, and all I can tell you (only my opinion and I'm no expert) is that me, personally, I'd be most interested in the quality of the actual birds and would pay more for excellent representatives of the breed. The breeding background is nice to know as well, and if they are very good, I'm sure selling in matched pairs would work out.
I've learned the hard way that hatching eggs are the most expensive way to acquire good stock. A trio or pair of exceptional birds is well worth whatever the breeder is asking, IMO. But ultimately it depends on your market and who's buying.
Depending on the time of year, and the quality and/or variety of the birds sometimes even decent purebred roosters can't be even given away around here if the breed is not a popular one- If the breed is in fashion you can get more even for poor representatives.
Pullets ready to lay of any quality seem to be worth more, just for their egg laying.
But I still think the way to do it is sell in pairs, as you were thinking of doing.

 

[Minniechickmama]

It depends on quality as to how much you should charge. I sell pullets from $20 for a point of lay for backyard laying, non-breeding type, to $50 per pullet if she is good enough quality. Just because they come from a known breeder doesn't guarantee that all those birds are going to be of the same quality. These days people toss around the term "show quality" for anything that has a name stuck to it. Even exhibition type flocks produce about 10% of breedable offspring from their top quality stock.
If you know what to look for and you can judge them of good quality, then you can ask more.
I always try to be as honest as I can and if I know that a bird isn't going to meet standard, I will tell the buyer and show them why. I would rather point out the faults of my birds and be straight than to have folks come back complaining that I sold them substandard birds. It has worked well for me and I get repeat customers that way.

 

[Turk Raphael]

The first time I bought Buckeyes they came from a pretty good hatchery but I don't have to be hit over the head twice.

When I buy Buckeyes again they will come from a breeder of quality birds..

 

[Hebandgene]

Thank you all for that good info. That really is helpful. Because I don't know how to judge the quality I can't say anything about these birds other than what the breeder says their pedigree is. Pictures will have to speak for themselves I guess. Regardless of quality, I think CanadianBuckeye is right that it depends on the market. Among the group I'm involved with it's hard to give away a rooster no matter what kind, but I have seen people have better luck with pairs. It seems I'll have to set a price based on what it appears people are willing to pay for breed pairs, not considering quality since I have no knowledge of that.

 

[Minniechickmama]

I find that I sell about 10 pullets to one cockerel, most people just want hens for laying. If they are looking specifically for breeding a flock, whether it is for exhibition or for sustaining a flock, that ratio doesn't change much.
The market in your area is a huge factor. Many people want something for nothing. I stick to my price though and if they really want what I have, they will pay for them. I don't believe I ask too high for most people, in fact, I may even undersell if anything. I am just so happy to share this wonderful breed with people that the money doesn't matter as much sometimes, especially kids who are interested in them and want to breed, like @holm25

 

[CanadianBuckeye]

Does anyone know if 17.5% protein feed with meat meal (pork) is enough for 8 week old Buckeye chicks? I'm getting feather picking. I dropped them down from 22% at week 6.