The Buckeye Thread

[CanadianBuckeye]

I'd be absolutely thrilled if my hens laid dark brown eggs. (actually at this point I'm still waiting for ANY eggs!

) I don't know, I keep looking at my rooster and seeing Marans in him, he's kind of that shape. But, I can see from website photos the rooster related to mine used for breeding has a large comb too so that may be all it is. My rooster has ridges all the same size so I feel better now! Of course the only way to find out if he's pure is to breed him ;-)
I'm glad you like your buckeyes, I like mine too overall and want lots more. I do have one pullet from that hatch I'm quite pleased with, She's hard to get a photo of, she's always busy foraging.

 

[cvamoca]

If you know what you are seeing has something 'not right' with it, I would say go with your gut feeling. HOWEVER, all these birds need time to really get to a point where they are passed their awkward stage. Just before the full feathered stage is one where the cockerels' heads and necks don't appear to transition to their body well. That is what you are seeing with your cockerel in the photo. He hasn't filled in with his hackles yet and so it all lays funny and awkward. For most males, I would say they are to a finish point at around 8-9 months. This is the reason why I continually tell 4-H kids to get their birds as close to January 1 as they can for the August shows. (in MN the kids have to have their birds hatched after Jan. 1 of the show year). Get them younger and the tails aren't really developed and neither is the hackle, in other words, those finishing male feathers.

Now the eye, they will be more yellow colored as juveniles. By point of lay, the pullets should have their eyes looking reddish bay though, males too about that age, so somewhere around 6-7 months you can really tell what that is going to be.

The white on the pullet, is that just on some tips or is it in the tail or wings? one or two in the back?

Really interesting about the eyes, Minniechickmama.
CanadianBuckeye and I both got our Buckeyes from the same breeder in the Atlantic provinces, although I'll say I'm pretty happy with 4 of my 5 pullets (the other being laced) and I like my cockerel better, as well. Some things aren't right but luckily I have had no white feathers anywhere, god temperaments, and they are laying well..

The eyes though- I was freaking about the eyes because for the longest time I would classify them as green/hazel and certainly not bay, same with my Marans (same place) though I have noticed that now they are darker and more brown than green.

I like my cockerel, must take a picture of him now- I wish his tail was (existant) and higher a bit- it's almost horizontal and lacking sickles at the moment. I have raised Araucanas for years and when I look at him, his head reminds me of the Araucana males that probably had some Cornish infusion in them at one point--the original hen also had some lacing like what's happening in one pullet. But I don't look at the Buckeye females and think either Cornish or Araucana, they have a less hawkish face. They are quite pretty things, and I'm very pleased with their eggs, which are fairly large for such young birds.

Edited to say--They have GOOD temperaments, not god ones.

 

[CanadianBuckeye]

cvamoca, my rooster that's related to yours has a horizontal tail carriage as well. The pullets seem OK though.

 

[cvamoca]

I can't get a good picture to save my soul- this fellow will follow me around all day till I get the camera, then he views me with suspicion.

I think I probably have a full brother and sister to CanadianBuckeye's male. One of the pullets has a messy comb too- I thought she was a male for the longest time. One thing I don't have one any of them is any white- I looked the 5 over closely tonight. The 'laced" girl does have a white random feather, but she also has wry tail, retarded feathering and is not the sharpest knife in the drawer, so no breeding her anyway.


He does carry his tail a bit above horizontal, better shown in the above picture- where you can also see his at this moment pathetic one sickle feather. I'm assuming at some point they will both grow back in and maybe stay in...or I'll have to shift him over to my Araucana pen! (just kidding)
My guy isn't particularly ugly, and all of his parts appear to be correct. And he is a mild and very pleasant rooster, as are his hatchmates- I find them all friendly and great to deal with from the time they were outgoing chicks. I love their beautiful bay colour- I have 2 bay horses so the red and black patterning is something I have always loved- be it in a horse or a chicken. So while they might not be show ring perfect, they are great laying birds and I will always keep this breed. Some breeds I really disliked- like white Leghorns or SS Hamburgs, they just weren't my thing at all, but I find I like this breed quite a bit.

 

[hellbender]

I can't get a good picture to save my soul- this fellow will follow me around all day till I get the camera, then he views me with suspicion.

I think I probably have a full brother and sister to CanadianBuckeye's male. One of the pullets has a messy comb too- I thought she was a male for the longest time. One thing I don't have one any of them is any white- I looked the 5 over closely tonight. The 'laced" girl does have a white random feather, but she also has wry tail, retarded feathering and is not the sharpest knife in the drawer, so no breeding her anyway.


He does carry his tail a bit above horizontal, better shown in the above picture- where you can also see his at this moment pathetic one sickle feather. I'm assuming at some point they will both grow back in and maybe stay in...or I'll have to shift him over to my Araucana pen! (just kidding)
My guy isn't particularly ugly, and all of his parts appear to be correct. And he is a mild and very pleasant rooster, as are his hatchmates- I find them all friendly and great to deal with from the time they were outgoing chicks. I love their beautiful bay colour- I have 2 bay horses so the red and black patterning is something I have always loved- be it in a horse or a chicken. So while they might not be show ring perfect, they are great laying birds and I will always keep this breed. Some breeds I really disliked- like white Leghorns or SS Hamburgs, they just weren't my thing at all, but I find I like this breed quite a bit.

I have 4 Buckeye cockerels that will be slaughtered in about one month and that will likely end any reason for me to have them around in the future. My family still plans to use them in their breeding project so I suppose I'll still have an opinion of them from time to time.

 

[Minniechickmama]

I can't get a good picture to save my soul- this fellow will follow me around all day till I get the camera, then he views me with suspicion.

I think I probably have a full brother and sister to CanadianBuckeye's male. One of the pullets has a messy comb too- I thought she was a male for the longest time. One thing I don't have one any of them is any white- I looked the 5 over closely tonight. The 'laced" girl does have a white random feather, but she also has wry tail, retarded feathering and is not the sharpest knife in the drawer, so no breeding her anyway.


He does carry his tail a bit above horizontal, better shown in the above picture- where you can also see his at this moment pathetic one sickle feather. I'm assuming at some point they will both grow back in and maybe stay in...or I'll have to shift him over to my Araucana pen! (just kidding)
My guy isn't particularly ugly, and all of his parts appear to be correct. And he is a mild and very pleasant rooster, as are his hatchmates- I find them all friendly and great to deal with from the time they were outgoing chicks. I love their beautiful bay colour- I have 2 bay horses so the red and black patterning is something I have always loved- be it in a horse or a chicken. So while they might not be show ring perfect, they are great laying birds and I will always keep this breed. Some breeds I really disliked- like white Leghorns or SS Hamburgs, they just weren't my thing at all, but I find I like this breed quite a bit.

The true question is "do they satisfy your intent for them?" If the do that, then all is good.
How old is this fella? Sometimes those sickles just take a while, like 8-moths or so before they really get in or well enough to see them coming well, at least. He hardly looks rumpless, he has some nice, broad main tail feathers. He does look low in the tail. How do your hens look, are they the same way? Isn't it fun trying to snap pictures? They will pose perfect when doing chores, but pull that camera out and they want to get stupid. Happens almost every time.

 

[hellbender]

Various breeds of chickens feather in at different paces. My Chanteclers have nearly fully feathered with just a couple cockerels coming in a bit slower.

The Buckeyes are much slower (in MY birds) but from my limited experience with the breed, they will eventually bloom and be quite regal in appearance.

I hasten to make a statement to correct what might have been misleading in my last post. I am ridding myself of my Buckeyes but not because of anything being wrong with the birds. I simply have more breeds than I need and something has to go. My daughter may come to their rescue for her project; if so, they may live a long happy life...or not.

 

[Minniechickmama]

I get it Hellbender, not everyone falls in love with Buckeyes the way some of us do. Perhaps you all will find the error of your ways and return to them at a later date

I am curious what other breeds you are keeping around then, besides the Chanteclers? Did you ever track down some good Cornish?

 

[hellbender]

I get it Hellbender, not everyone falls in love with Buckeyes the way some of us do. Perhaps you all will find the error of your ways and return to them at a later date

I am curious what other breeds you are keeping around then, besides the Chanteclers? Did you ever track down some good Cornish?

The Chanteclers win out because of their color...making for a cleaner carcass for the finished capons. I like the Buckeyes just fine...even if my 4 cockerels wind up in the soup pot, the breed will still be well represented in my kids' flock because they love them.

I do have have some rather nice Dark Cornish (very surprisingly nice). Not the extremely short-legged football shaped type but still very meaty, broad backed but NOT extremely long legged type. I guess the legs on these are only about 3/4 of an inch longer than the 'show type' but enough to make breeding a bit easier than the very squat type.

I also have My Turkens and that is the extent of MY birds (that I take care of). Keep in mind, if I decide to use Buckeyes for anything, there will be plenty of theme here to pick through.

I have tentative plans to cross the NNs with both Chantecler and Buckeye cockerels. Just for kicks and giggles, I'm going to cross the Chantecler over DC as well and perhaps Buckeye over Dc as well..

I guess that covers my overall plan...except the 'kids' have jump-started the White Naked Neck SOP project....will be the only single combed birds on the place. I know this post is convoluted but that will keep readers on their toes.

 

[cvamoca]

The true question is "do they satisfy your intent for them?" If the do that, then all is good.
How old is this fella? Sometimes those sickles just take a while, like 8-moths or so before they really get in or well enough to see them coming well, at least. He hardly looks rumpless, he has some nice, broad main tail feathers. He does look low in the tail. How do your hens look, are they the same way? Isn't it fun trying to snap pictures? They will pose perfect when doing chores, but pull that camera out and they want to get stupid. Happens almost every time.

Good phrase, Minniechickmama-- "Do they satisfy my intent for them". Yes, they do. Although my intent has changed. I knew nothing about this breed until I got the chicks--we were actually looking for an alternative to meatking broilers and I thought- "Pea Comb, pretty colour, large egg and a good dressed bird"--that would be great. Then fate made sure I only got 2 cockerels and 5 pullets, so I nixed the broiler/replacement idea right away.

Turns out- of all my breeds I got from the breeder- these are my favorites.
Then I read their history, saw they were threatened, and decided if I'm going to work with certain breeds for the rest of my chicken-keeping life- may as well try to help a threatened breed, eh?

I think my girls are lovely- again, a bit too low in the tail but nice even colour. Maybe the tails will come up to 30 degrees, they aren't horizontal totally. They are all young, just started laying in the past few weeks so they will mature, and I know I saw sickles in the male. The rumpless comment was a joke though- they are definitely not rumpless birds.

I may try to get outside pictures of them today if they don't get too paranoid with me wandering around