The Buckeye Thread

[A Nonny Moose]

Most of us are novices. THe experienced folks haven't been visiting much or at all any more . . . .

I understand and agree. The task before you now is to be able to separate the information from those that have "X" number of years of experience from those that have 1 year of experience "X" number of times. It will be a daunting task.

 

[Minniechickmama]

It's a blustery 9 degrees this morning and a negative windchill accompanied by 25 mph winds. It is snowing like crazy and there is snow drifts up to 20 inches. I look out my kitchen window and the buckeyes are out scratching in the snow?!?! All of my other birds are hunkered down in the barn. The next few days should be interesting......temps as low as -19 with wind chills as low as -35 to -40. Who ever said raising chickens is easy?!?!

I DID! I am tired of having to pull out the snow blower just to get out to the coops to do chores! I will say though, the Bucks are the only ones who go in to their outdoor run every day.

 

[Blueface]

I DID!  I am tired of having to pull out the snow blower just to get out to the coops to do chores!  I will say though, the Bucks are the only ones who go in to their outdoor run every day.

My bucks are really the only birds laying eggs right now. They seem to be the breed that is definitely less effected.

 

[Marengoite]

I'm actually scheduled to give a talk on this very subject in April for our local 4-H communities as well as neighboring counties. I have a 4-H club of approximately 30 children/ 6 families that are really enjoying and exploring this concept along with both meat and fancy projects. Last year my club won top honors in every age group in skillathon included both overall best exhibitor for both meat and fancy poultry. It's important to teach children that meat doesn't magically appear in a grocery store.

Joe,

First of all, I applaud your mission and wish you well. You are the best of what makes 4-H so important - educating the next generation to value agriculture. My kids not only know where their meat comes from, but have seen it processed or done it themselves. And that's as it should be.

As for a Dual class, I wrote to a member of our Poultry Committee for the Morrow Co. fair and she really likes the idea of a Dual class. She said they can't do anything about for 2014, but that I should put it on the agenda for the committee meeting after the fair. So that will be sometime after Labor Day before i can propose. A couple years ago we added a colored broiler class, but she said her kids are the only ones who show in that class and it's really tough to get anything to fair weight in the timeframe allowed, plus they wait until after the CX are all sold before they let them sell on Sale Day. I mentioned a bit about Buckeye history and its importance to both Ohio history and our Agricultural Heritage, so there may be a way to promote it as part of the Fancy Poultry exhibit, even if they don't have a Dual class.

I would be really interested in seeing what you do for Clinton Co. with regard to convincing them to add a Dual class. What other breeds would you recommend the kids use in addition to Buckeyes to get a true dual-purpose breed class. Granted the meaties and the egg classes seem to favor one or two breeds, and it would make sense that the Dual class would be dominated by Buckeyes, but I was wondering what else might fall under that category. Production style Barred Rocks have knife-thin breasts in the cockerels and I would never use one for a dual bird. Don't know about NH or Wyandottes. Any guesses?

 

[Sparky1999]

WOW! Has it been that long since I was on here? It is hard to imagine starting chicks in the weather we are having lately, but when is the best time to start chicks? When would they start laying?

You all are busy on this thread. There is so much to learn and everyone has such good things to share. Thanks!

 

[JoshU]

I don't start hatching until its averaging above 30. I don't get home until around 6 most days and the eggs are frozen. I'm hoping late February. I then keep them in the basement until around 4-6 weeks old when I put them outside in grow out pens. So hopefully by the middle of April its in the 60s which is the average temp of my basement.

 

[Blueface]

First of all, I applaud your mission and wish you well. You are the best of what makes 4-H so important - educating the next generation to value agriculture. My kids not only know where their meat comes from, but have seen it processed or done it themselves. And that's as it should be.

Thanks for your kind words Rick. Working with kids that are eager and willing to learn is a real joy and very rewarding. We have a very large poultry program in my county and it is thriving.

As for a Dual class, I wrote to a member of our Poultry Committee for the Morrow Co. fair and she really likes the idea of a Dual class. She said they can't do anything about for 2014, but that I should put it on the agenda for the committee meeting after the fair. So that will be sometime after Labor Day before i can propose. A couple years ago we added a colored broiler class, but she said her kids are the only ones who show in that class and it's really tough to get anything to fair weight in the timeframe allowed, plus they wait until after the CX are all sold before they let them sell on Sale Day. I mentioned a bit about Buckeye history and its importance to both Ohio history and our Agricultural Heritage, so there may be a way to promote it as part of the Fancy Poultry exhibit, even if they don't have a Dual class.

If you need me to drive up to your county to talk with the committee about the idea or anything else; I'd be more than happy too. I'm currently the head of my counties poultry committee. It's a great idea and something that should be able to prosper if conveyed the right way. One idea to gain the initial interests is to have a mandatory QC/QA seminar and include the concept of dual purpose; proper poultry husbandry and the need for pullorum/typhoid testing. We would have make everything entertaining to a point because we could lose a child's attention quickly.

What other breeds would you recommend the kids use in addition to Buckeyes to get a true dual-purpose breed class. Granted the meaties and the egg classes seem to favor one or two breeds, and it would make sense that the Dual class would be dominated by Buckeyes, but I was wondering what else might fall under that category. Production style Barred Rocks have knife-thin breasts in the cockerels and I would never use one for a dual bird. Don't know about NH or Wyandottes. Any guesses?

I don't think the class would necessarily be dominated by buckeyes; I'm sure they'll hold their own but i believe all of the breeds in the American class could be considered dual purpose. It all boils down to proper breeding; feeding and husbandry to ensure they develop properly. That is why those discussions during the proposed session are important.

 

[Blueface]

WOW!  Has it been that long since I was on here?  It is hard to imagine starting chicks in the weather we are having lately, but when is the best time to start chicks?  When would they start laying?  

 
You all are busy on this thread.  There is so much to learn and everyone has such good things to share.  Thanks!

It all depends on how you are set up to raise poultry. This time of year is always difficult when hatching biddies but it is possible. I usually have at least 150 out of the shell by now but I decided to wait a bit this year and I'm glad I did. But there are about 10 dz eggs in the incubator now.....so my show is on the road. I have brood pens in the barn under lights and a few outside. I'm getting eggs from both. My buckeye hens lay year around so I'm not having much difficult getting eggs.

Hope to see you around more often

 

[Minniechickmama]

It all depends on how you are set up to raise poultry. This time of year is always difficult when hatching biddies but it is possible. I usually have at least 150 out of the shell by now but I decided to wait a bit this year and I'm glad I did. But there are about 10 dz eggs in the incubator now.....so my show is on the road. I have brood pens in the barn under lights and a few outside. I'm getting eggs from both. My buckeye hens lay year around so I'm not having much difficult getting eggs.

Hope to see you around more often

Lucky you if you can accomodate them to keep laying all year. I wish mine would get off their duffs and start giving up the eggs. Looking at the forecast, we might get out of the negatives for daytime highs starting Wednesday. I sure as heck hope so too! We joke about Winter starting early and ending late here, but this has been the worst winter I can remember having here since we moved to this place 15 years ago.

 

[Blueface]

Lucky you if you can accomodate them to keep laying all year.  I wish mine would get off their duffs and start giving up the eggs.  Looking at the forecast, we might get out of the negatives for daytime highs starting Wednesday.  I sure as heck hope so too!  We joke about Winter starting early and ending late here, but this has been the worst winter I can remember having here since we moved to this place 15 years ago.  

Most lay well; the younger ones lay the best of course. I went out this morning and collect a half dozen from 12 hens and I'm sure more will be out there when I go to feed.

I agree; this winter has been very rough. We get a mild day today right around freezing then it's going to get COLD again.....highs around 0F and lows around -15 with obnoxious wind chills. Hopefully by the end of next week; we'll get a break?!?!? I've had to replace sections of my mom's water lines on two different occasions; I haven't had to do that for at least the last 15 years!