The Buckeye Thread

[slfarms]

Wow!! That IS dark.  That is what I would want in my Buckeyes if I get them!  I have seen other pictures on Google searches that come out kind of orangey looking.  This is a beautiful rooster!  I think I am getting more and more excited every minute I read about them!  So, you breed them too slfarms?  

Thank you. We love him and are quite pleased with his offspring so far. Yes, we are starting out strong and we took a long time looking at different breeders and their stock before deciding on a new male to add in. PM me and we can chat. ;-)

 

[Pathfinders]

As you can see all are a deep mahogany brown as bucks should be.

Not to pick a nit, but it's Mahogany Red, not brown.

Or, in the words of the originator "The RIR are a sorrel, and the Buckeyes are a bay red, comparing them as one would cattle or horses of the same shades."

And she also said "The Buckeye should be as much darker in color than the accepted Rhode Island Red, as the Rhode Island Red is darker than the Buff breeds. Their plumage should be so dark as to male as to look almost black in some lights, garnet red being as near a description as I can give."

Those are the originator's words. The American Poultry Association description for the breed reads as such:

PLUMAGE, General surface color an even shade of rich mahogany bay in all sections, with the exception the unexposed primaries and secondaries and the main tail feathers may contain black. Male sickles and coverts should be shaded bay and black, thus avoiding a sharp contrast between the body and tail.
UNDERCOLOR OF ALL SECTIONS: Red, except for back which should show a bar of slate.

 

[Pathfinders]

I like to think we've gotten that color down too. Two recent show winners, K and P:

 

[slfarms]

...

Not to pick a nit, but it's Mahogany Red, not brown.

Nit pick away. Wrong word choice on my part. And Nettie can slap me from the grave for saying it.

 

[Pathfinders]

Quote: I would imagine she was much too nice a woman to do any such thing. Especially to another woman raising Buckeyes. I would like to think she would embrace ALL those interested in preserving and promoting this wonderful breed.

 

[slfarms]

I would imagine she was much too nice a woman to do any such thing. Especially to another woman raising Buckeyes. I would like to think she would embrace ALL those interested in preserving and promoting this wonderful breed.

I think she had to be a very feisty woman to establish a breed in a "mans" world back then. I don't think she would have thought twice to correct with a quick knuckle smack by ruler.

But neither here nor there. Newbies do your research. Compare birds that are posted and determine what your ideal is and does it match SOP? I prefer my bucks dark. And that little pullet of mine will look good come the spring shows.

 

[slfarms]

Wow!! That IS dark.  That is what I would want in my Buckeyes if I get them!  I have seen other pictures on Google searches that come out kind of orangey looking.  This is a beautiful rooster!  I think I am getting more and more excited every minute I read about them!  So, you breed them too slfarms?  

A recent hatch. The color starts deep I'm finding on mine.

A little early for hatch in season but who am I to argue with my hen? She is a good mom.

 

[Minniechickmama]

I would have to wholeheartedly agree with Sarah. My impression of the kind of person that Nettie was is a strong woman breaking into a man's world. I would venture to guess subtlety was not her strong suit. She picked some very aggressive, masculine birds to put into the Buckeyes. She challenged the men who dominated the poultry world. She must have been bold, and have a very strong personality. But we can speculate all day long about who she was. There are descendants of Nettie Metcalf who could give us some insight on the type of woman she was. I like to think if she didn't like the way someone was breeding Buckeyes, she would call a spade a spade and move on. Just my opinion on that matter.

And while talking color, even looking at the Buckeye nuts, they appear much more brown to me than orange. They are DARK, like the one that Sarah put up.
Also, after getting a critique (not any praise for my weak win at the state show), from Art on the quality and condition of my birds this weekend, his first comment was "They got undercolor!! You can't have a Buckeye without undercolor!" I will have to get some pictures later to show you what that means with these two birds. I admit, the pullet I showed looked light, but she was in the best condition of the pen I had to choose from. As we all know, there are times when your best birds just don't look their best. I just wish I had entered a few more just to give the Buckeyes a few more cages and perhaps catch some attention to the breed.

 

[Apdeb]

I just wanted to add how nicely the trio i have
That are (2) 7 mos (1) 4 mos blended into my existing flock of Barnevelders both very easy to feed/raise!!! And lots of fun showing too!!! I hope to see jason page at boston on sat!!! Mia at little rhody

 

[Minniechickmama]

The other two breeds my husband and I are looking at are the Welsummers and Ameraucanas, maybe in white or black. Do any of you know if there are groups or sites for those breeds that would have good information for us?

Sparky1999, welcome to the wonderful world of Buckeyes!
Aren't you in luck, I breed all three of these: Buckeyes, Welsummers and Ameraucanas. Actually, I had Blue Ameraucanas I was breeding, but lost one hen to a prolapse and a couple to predation this year, so I am down to a pair. I will PM with information and pictures if you wish. You can check my farm out on Facebook too.

I read your comment about dinosaurs, and yes, sometimes they can sound like they just hopped out of Jurassic Park. If memory serves me, I believe that is a comment someone made a while back about the Buckeye roosters.
Buckeyes are my favorites, and I don't think anyone looking for a good, solid breed to raise is going to be disappointed. There is nothing I dislike about them after 5 years of having them on my farm.