The Buckeye Thread

[JoshU]

Don't make it complicated, weight is weight. Put it on a scale and weigh it. And that's the weight,

Thanks for your insight! But I do believe that a bird that is undersized but with 8 oz of fat is very different than a right sized bird with very little fat. Don't you think?

 

[Ivagrove]

That's true, but we don't need to act like putting a bird on a scale is a novel, foolish, and frivolous thing. All sorts of folks in the ag industry weigh things, corn, cows, etc. It is done all the time. No need to dispute it.

 

[slfarms]

Don't make it complicated, weight is weight.  Put it on a scale and weigh it.  And that's the weight,

Actually that is incorrect. True weight is measured by muscle mass, fat mass and water being carried.

Personally I would prefer a bird with all muscle than one that has 2 lbs of fat making up its total weight. So feel it, check for fat and if you can buy a scale from Walmart that breaks down muscle to fat to water mass.
Then you know what your bird consists of and can adjust what you're feeding.

 

[Ivagrove]

Really, now.

 

[Arielle]

Quote: I don't put stock in those scales-- it's based onthe human BMI scale which is badly flawed. Think Arnold Schwartzanaegger vs pudggy me. lol An experienced hand is helpful here. We use a scoring system in livestock classes, but never heard of one applied to chickens. I butchered a 6 month cornish X and the amt of internal fat was a good 2 cups of fat. All the organs were obliterated in fat. The only thing I felt on this bird was all the very heavy muscling. Some knowledge needs to be applied to the weights to make them truley valuable.

 

[Blueface]

Really, now.

Playing devils advocate; when you go to the market and buy 2. Lbs of chicken; do you want 1/2 lb of that to be fat or all 2 lbs to be muscle? If what you say is true, then the two are equivalent; which is not the case.

 

[fowlman01]

There is a scoring system for poultry and that is in the first 40 pages of the Standard. Those pages are designed to help novices understand the Standard. I find it helpful to track weight in my flock. Weight in the wrong places is obvious. I don't believe the SOP calls for flat heads in Buckeyes

 

[slfarms]

Sop states head medium in size carried well up. The description I gave came from page 28 of the sop were a description of medium head is given.

 

[Blueface]

There is a scoring system for poultry and that is in the first 40 pages of the Standard. Those pages are designed to help novices understand the Standard. I find it helpful to track weight in my flock. Weight in the wrong places is obvious. I don't believe the SOP calls for flat heads in Buckeyes

I believe the first 40 pages have been exhaustedly revisited on this thread; the fact of the matter is that they tend to do as much confusing the novice as helping them. It is what it is; this is we're a little practical experience would help newer people. Do judges actually break birds down using the point system in today's exhibitions or do they simply compare the birds based on their interpretations of the standard? I've yet to see a judge whip out a score sheet.

 

[JoshU]

Weight in the wrong places is obvious.

Check out this post on byc....... Yes sometimes it is obvious.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/400344/heritage-large-fowl-thread/16850#post_12354783
This is the poofy saddle I was talking about. And look what it correlates to in the carcass.
The thing is, in a good breeding program, it isn't as obvious unless you know your birds and the breed well.