The Buckeye Thread

[bunnibird55]

Her legs have always been a bit lighter - more pinkish - but her size, color, carriage and comb are really quite nice. I might breed her with my cockeral Rockey this winter and see if it will get rid of the light legs. He is my pride and joy - even nicer than his daddy Brutus!

 

[Marengoite]

I wish I could've gone to ON this weekend, but other duties called. I just want a backyard flock and I'm leaning towards buckeyes. Pathfinder's glowing words in another thread has convinced me.

I currently don't have chickens or even a coop yet. I'm easing slowly into it, but my husband is on board!

I'm just not sure where to get my birds. Are hatcheries bad places? If I buy from there, am
I helping to conserve the breed by my interest? As much as I want a self sustaining flock, I doubt I will have one, as my husband doesn't want a rooster. So, I'd be getting eggs and meat and maybe buying chicks every year.

Thanks in advance.

Natalie

Natalie,

Where in central OH are you? If you are close to Springfield, there is a Buckeye breeder there. Also there are a number of breeders in Ohio, so it isn't tough to find them.

Hatcheries are not bad places for hatchery birds for backyard flocks. If you want to show, don't expect them to do well, but if you just want chickens for eggs, then hatcheries are the best place to go for some breeds. However, not all hatcheries do well in the same breeds. I've heard good things about Ideal for Buckeyes, and only so-so on Meyers for them. However, if I were looking for just meat birds, I wouldn't hesitated to buy from Meyer.

 

[MyPetNugget]

Not that loud, and not that often. Nothing compared to my Rocks, at least not yet He's not an alpha, so he's quite mellow.

My female buckeye had an eye injury and is in seclusion. I thought she had her eye pecked out, but it looks like she caught it on something and tore the muscle around it. It's all black and blue and puffy with a scratch on the outer lid. Poor thing.

We named her Woneyeda.

Thank you for replying so fast! I think we may be able to keep him them. Right now, we have a lead hen and her name is Nugget (my favorite chicken). I am so sorry about your hen and I hope she gets better soon

 

[campbellorchard]

Great news! My buckeye pics were used in the jan/feb 2014 edition of the magazine; Chickens: from Hobby Farms. It was a 4 page article about Bringing back the Buckeye! They even used buckeye nuts that were off the farm.

Joe, I just wanted to thank you for allowing us to see and handle the birds that were featured in this article. It was a great learning experience being able to tour the farm with you and Sydney. She is an amazing young woman. Your wife for allowing us to invade. Lol, and feed us as well! Perfect ending to our vacation. We look forward to building a great friendship while building our buckeye flock. Thanks for all your help. You as I already knew are a funny guy! Thanks so much for being open to teaching,guiding and sharing so much with us. Yes, quite the HERO in my book! Have a great day.

 

[Krischick]

Here is my beautiful Buckeye..Luke he is 9 months old an the sole rooster in my flock..

 

[bunnibird55]

Very handsome young fella!!!

 

[Krischick]

Thank you

 

[MnMPoultry]

Hi Matthew.

What other breeds are you interested in?

I really love the old type Rocks (All varieties, specifically Barred) and Rhode Island Reds . They're on my list, if I can find good started birds nearby. My ol' lady is into Silkies, Polish, etc. She actually just got some Mille and Porcelin d'Uccles, as well.

Hello, Mathew...I'm just north of you in southwest Indy.

It's nice to know someone is close by with the same interests! Maybe we can talk shop soon!

 

[Blueface]

What a beautiful, proud fellow! I like his eyes and his stance! On a reply to an earlier message, I wasn't trying to be sarcastic when I said true breeders - just meant people who are breeding birds, not hatcheries. We are all dealing with crap in our lives and for me, my chickens provide my incentive to live since I am married to partially disabled Viet Nam vet who is battling PTSD and denial. My chickens are my only bright spot in my life right now and without them, I would give up on living. So, no hard feelings, ok?

That's good because I don't feel that there are "true" breeders! We are all in this together for the breed. Life can be very entertaining that is for sure. I appreciate what your husband for all that he has done for our country....especially on today signifying Veterans Day and hope everything works out for him and you. There are absolutely no hard feelings; there wasn't any to begin with. I hope my response helped you. There is nothing better in my mind that a strong, healthy, and proud bird no matter what the breed or cross. Poultry is a wonderful thing and has been by my side for a VERY long time. It's always very pleasant to watch a mother hen, chasing biddies, or a young cockerel learning how to crow. One of my favorite things to do is pull up a five gallon bucket during feeding time, watch the young I raised each year feed together in the lot and watching them interact with each other. It really slows down the world and makes you appreciate what you have!

 

[Blueface]

Her legs have always been a bit lighter - more pinkish - but her size, color, carriage and comb are really quite nice. I might breed her with my cockeral Rockey this winter and see if it will get rid of the light legs. He is my pride and joy - even nicer than his daddy Brutus!

Absolutely!, Breed what you think works and be confident in your decisions. Good luck with!