The Buckeye Thread

[Blueface]

American Livestock Breeds Conservancy...................now known as the Livestock Conservancy. They did a good job promoting the buckeye but the rest......not so much!

 

[Marengoite]

Anyone here close to NC sell chicks of their Buckeyes? I was considering ordering from Cackle in the Spring and including them in my order, will be getting about 25 chicks of varying breeds. Any suggestions of breeders?

The American Buckeye Club used to have a member in NC but he recently passed away. A genuine loss since he was an advocate for more than just chickens.

Most breeders will ship chicks or hatching eggs. I would recommend going to the breed club blog and viewing the Breeder's Directory. The difference between hatchery bred and breeder bred Buckeyes (or any chicken for that matter) is that hatcheries tend to use flock mating - lots of cocks and hens all mingled together with no record of who mates whom. This is great for producing in volume, but quality isn't always consistent. Breeders, on the other hand, are much more selective in their breeding, generally knowing which cock they want to use for breeding which hens.

What does this mean to those of us who purchase chickens? For Buckeyes it means that we will see more consistent color instead of dark heads and orange bodies. We will see a straight back instead of one that has a puffy hump near the tail. We'll see consistent egg production instead of two to three eggs a week for mature fowl. And it will mean what Joe said about temperament - sweet, easy-going fowl that don't flog their owners or flee in terror.

 

[JoshU]

"Breeder" is a term thrown around. A lot of so called breeders still use flock matings and advertise it. It all goes back to what your reason for raising buckeyes is and doing your research on where your stock is coming from.

 

[susandonb]

Thanks for the in depth answer. Can you tell me who you were referring to that passed on in NC? There are quite a few breeders listed in NC

 

[bunnibird55]

Thanks to all the wonderful people who have been so helpful and encouraging to us - we love everything about our Buckeyes and want to work on Nettie's visions into what makes a perfect chicken! The little guys we got from the EOPA show are fitting in very well and have decided they are big enough to jump up on the lower roosts in the Buckeye coop. They are taming down nicely and look forward to treats! Our Buckeyes are such wonderful chickens for freeranging - I look forward to learning more at each new show we attend.....my granddaughter and her best friend find shows everywhere and don't realize nana can't get them to EVERY show! Looking forward to Ohio Nationals so we can ask more questions. It makes it much clearer when we have hands on advice!

 

[Blueface]

There will surely be a bunch of buckeyes at the ON! Just be mindful and challenge everything...there will be exhibitors there showing buckeyes that really know nothing about the breed.

 

[Minniechickmama]

Thanks for the in depth answer. Can you tell me who you were referring to that passed on in NC? There are quite a few breeders listed in NC

Be aware, the state of NC requires birds being imported or hatching eggs, to have a certification that they are Pollorum and Typhoid Salmonella clean as well as Avian Flu clean. Most states are good with just the P-T testing, but NC is one of the few that also requires AI.
Lucky for you, there are good breeders not too far from you that you could acquire either birds or eggs from.
You will love the breed. I haven't found anyone yet that has gotten them from me that didn't like them, except one person who didn't want to keep her Buckeye cockerel this year because she thought he would be too laid back to protect his hens from predators.

 

[Blueface]

Raising poultry is really great for children! It teaches them responsibility and that hard work does pay off. Sydney and I have a great relationship because of it!! There is no better feeling than watching a child begin to understand to prepare birds on their own. This is Sydney and her champion AOCCL buckeye bantam.

 

[poltroon]

The best way I've found to learn more is to talk to everyone, listen closely, compare and contrast ideas, and then make your own conclusions about how to proceed. Just as with pretty much any other breed, you'll find a range of opinions, ideas, pet peeves, and the like. And what makes me happy isn't always what makes the person I'm talking to happy.

My daughter mostly raises Wyandottes and Buckeyes, and some have told her that she needs to stick with White Wyandottes or better yet, switch to Rocks. What I realized is that that was because those people had the goal of winning grand champion at every show. That is a perfectly wonderful goal and thoughtful advice to reaching it, but it is not my daughter's goal. She likes looking at and interacting with these birds, we like to have them out in the sun and on grass, and we like to show to know how we can make these particular birds better. But 90% of the time the birds are at home, and we need to be happy with the birds at home, and keeping them in the dark so they don't turn brassy isn't our idea of a good time. For her to win the best of her breed and get good comments is still plenty satisfying... though the times when she has won Champion American or Champion Large Fowl are, of course, way better! Your goals, and thus your mileage, will vary.

This is just one small example in a multitude of examples. Even though we won't be following the exact advice, we still learned from it, think about it, and have incorporated it into our thinking, our strategies, and goals. It was valuable.

Lessons and pointers we've learned about other breeds have made it easier to interpret the standard for Buckeyes, and Wyandottes, and to understand how to better evaluate birds.

So, bunnibird, I'm jealous that you get to go to Ohio National! There will be lots of birds to see and lots of people to talk to. I suggest you talk to everyone you can, including people who are tending other breeds, because often they'll have that insight or piece of wisdom you didn't know you were looking for. Take at least a cameraphone to take reference pictures (also great for grabbing phone numbers). Have a fantastic time!

 

[JoshU]

All I know is from personal experience. Joe, Jeff, an many others in my club were welcoming and direct without being nasty. Others were all PC until I questioned something. I was almost ready to forget about this breed when things got nasty. Then I found a great group of buckeye breeders on Facebook. Thank God for that. So my advice would be to follow your gut, ask lots of questions, and then take it all in an use what works for you. At the end of the day, they are your birds. You feed them and therefore if you like what you see in your back yard, that's all that matters. I for one will never have a super fluffy basketball sized pumpkin lookalike in my backyard. I tend to follow the guidelines Netti put forth over 100 years ago. To the tee. An my interpretation is a dark red fowl.