# Does anyone have Buckeye chickens?



## Dr. Mom (Jan 13, 2008)

A guy from church called me tonight. He has bought Barred Rock hens from me in the past but now wants to change to Buckeye hens. He was told that they lay good in the winter. He is trying to get me to switch from BR to Buckeyes. Ha! I've raised BR since 2005 and I like them okay but if another breed comes along that might be better, I'm willing to listen.

This guy doesn't have electricity in his coop so he can't put a light on them in the winter, so I'm not sure if the Buckeyes will lay any better for him in the winter than the BR. He has 16 BR hens now and he's getting around 6 eggs a day with no light. 

I tried to talk him into Welsummers because of their dark eggs and cheaper price at our local hatchery! Are the Welsummers good layers? 

A straight run for the Buckeyes is $67.00 for 25. A straight run for the Welsummer is $56.25 for 25. I incubate my BR so I will have to be convinced that Buckeyes are worth $67.00 before I switch. I have separate pens and houses, so keeping the BR separated from the new chicks is no problem if I decide to change breeds.

Anyway, there ya go. Any suggestions? Thanks for listening!!


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## oregon woodsmok (Dec 19, 2010)

The people I know who have Buckeyes are quite happy with them. However, none of them have hatchery quality birds. I have no idea what you'd get from a hatchery.


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## Delinda (Dec 5, 2005)

I have Buckeyes and Welsummers, I can't tell you much about the laying ability of the Buckeyes, mine are not old enough to lay yet. I can tell you that the Welsummers are really not good layers at all. I have raised them for 3 years now, they lay good in the warm summer months but do not lay at all in the winter, out of the 20 or so hens I might get 1 to 2 eggs a day right now. I would not even raise them but I sell chicks and the chicks sell well for me.


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## Riverdale (Jan 20, 2008)

Henderson's chicken breed chart has Buckeyes, Welsummers and Rocks all as 'good layers'

Buckeyes (under comments)
"can be broody 
very cold hardy 
moderately slow maturing"

Welsummers-
"mixed reports on 
setting & brooding 
hardy; cold hardy 
moderately early maturing"

Appears the Buckeyes are more cold hardy, but take longer to mature.

You will find the chart by googling
Henderson's chicken breed chart


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## lilachill (Apr 2, 2006)

I have 7 Buckeye hens and 2 roosters. I like the look of a red hen, like their gentle nature, wanted broodiness for easier hatching of ducklings and chicks, and I wanted a heritage breed. The red sex linked chickens I had years ago were my best layers but I wanted more than eggs. Since our favorite roasting birds are ducks and geese, I do not need large roasting chickens but I do like younger birds for BBQing and frying. 
I had a low light in December and January. I averaged 2 eggs a day. I am getting 3 eggs now. Two of my hens went broody , 1 in December and 1 in January so they were not laying then. 
I am not interested in selling eggs (some locals sell for 1.50 a dozen and since I use organic feed, I cannot compete) and duck eggs supplement our egg basket. 
If you have had your BR since 2005 and and are happy, why switch? BTW, just for the fun of it has been a good enough reason for me to play with other breeds.


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## Dr. Mom (Jan 13, 2008)

Delinda said:


> I have Buckeyes and Welsummers, I can't tell you much about the laying ability of the Buckeyes, mine are not old enough to lay yet. I can tell you that the Welsummers are really not good layers at all. I have raised them for 3 years now, they lay good in the warm summer months but do not lay at all in the winter, out of the 20 or so hens I might get 1 to 2 eggs a day right now. I would not even raise them but I sell chicks and the chicks sell well for me.


Thanks, Delinda! I didn't know that the Welsummers take a break in the winter so much! LOL I do like the color of their eggs and the look of the chickens but didn't know much else about them. 

I did do some checking on line last night and found that a Buckeye hen will lay around 150-200 eggs a year, Welsummer 160-200, and BR 240-260. That's a big difference. 

I think the Buckeyes would make a good meat chicken but not so much in the egg production. 

I don't even try to sell my BR chicks that I hatch out. Everyone wants the cute little yellow chicks, not black ones! :shrug:

I told him at church this morning that I couldn't justify changing breeds. We both sell eggs, so good egg production is important to both of us. (He's on the other side of the county, so no competition there! Ha!)


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## Dr. Mom (Jan 13, 2008)

Riverdale said:


> Henderson's chicken breed chart has Buckeyes, Welsummers and Rocks all as 'good layers'
> 
> Buckeyes (under comments)
> "can be broody
> ...



Thanks, Riverdale! I'll check out that website. I had heard that the Buckeyes were pretty cold hardy, which would be important in the north. We have cold winters here in Missouri, well not this year  , but nothing like in the northern states.


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## Dr. Mom (Jan 13, 2008)

lilachill said:


> I have 7 Buckeye hens and 2 roosters. I like the look of a red hen, like their gentle nature, wanted broodiness for easier hatching of ducklings and chicks, and I wanted a heritage breed. The red sex linked chickens I had years ago were my best layers but I wanted more than eggs. Since our favorite roasting birds are ducks and geese, I do not need large roasting chickens but I do like younger birds for BBQing and frying.
> I had a low light in December and January. I averaged 2 eggs a day. I am getting 3 eggs now. Two of my hens went broody , 1 in December and 1 in January so they were not laying then.
> I am not interested in selling eggs (some locals sell for 1.50 a dozen and since I use organic feed, I cannot compete) and duck eggs supplement our egg basket.
> If you have had your BR since 2005 and and are happy, why switch? BTW, just for the fun of it has been a good enough reason for me to play with other breeds.


Thank you, Lilachill! After I had done some more research last night, I found that the Buckeye hens average around 150-200 eggs per year, where the BR hens lay around 240-260 eggs per year. That's a big difference.

I tried to switch to Dark Cornish a couple of years ago and didn't like them at all. I sold them all before they started laying! They were hyper and crazy! Insisted on roosting in the trees instead of their nice cozy coop. 

I'm always looking for a good all around chicken, but keep going back to my BR. I like to incubate the chicks so they have to be a heritage breed.


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## brownegg (Jan 5, 2006)

I have around 30 Buckeyes at the present time. I've had bucks for 3 years now. They are a very hardy bird. Most breeds of pullets will lay through their first winter if hatched early in the spring. I don't have any rocks to compare them to. I don't think they would lay better than them however. The best part about the bucks is their gentle roo's. I have 5 at the present time and have never been flogged even in the spring. I'll be hatching more to bring my numbers of them up some. Very nice breed to work with.

brownegg


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## Shygal (May 26, 2003)

Dr. Mom said:


> I like to incubate the chicks so they have to be a heritage breed.


Why do they have to be a heritage breed?


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## Dr. Mom (Jan 13, 2008)

Shygal said:


> Why do they have to be a heritage breed?



Hi Shygal! Heritage chickens are the opposite of hybrid chickens. Hybrid chickens usually have different parent breeds to get the specific traits you want to develop in the hybrid. I guess if you had the specific breeds of roosters and hens that you wanted to breed it would work, but they would still be a hybrid. I would just rather have an older heritage breed.

I can't explain it very well. Sorry. Maybe these links will do better than I can.

http://albc-usa.org/heritagechicken/definition.html


http://www.cacklehatchery.com/redsexlink.html


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## Dr. Mom (Jan 13, 2008)

brownegg said:


> I have around 30 Buckeyes at the present time. I've had bucks for 3 years now. They are a very hardy bird. Most breeds of pullets will lay through their first winter if hatched early in the spring. I don't have any rocks to compare them to. I don't think they would lay better than them however. The best part about the bucks is their gentle roo's. I have 5 at the present time and have never been flogged even in the spring. I'll be hatching more to bring my numbers of them up some. Very nice breed to work with.
> 
> brownegg


Brownegg, how many eggs are you getting a day from the 30 Bucks you have now? Do you have a light on them in the winter?


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## pancho (Oct 23, 2006)

The heritage breeds were developed in the same manner as the hybrids. They have just been around longer. Sometime in the future some of the hybrids we have today will be heritage breeds. 

The ALBC has some very good info. You will notice the chickens they have on their critical list are those breeds that are available at many hatcheries. The ALBC gets their info from voluntary contributions from poultry breeders. Not a lot of people will take the time to fill out paperwork for them. They have to compile their info from what they recieve. If they do not recieve much info on a certain breed it is put on their critical list.
In some cases it has nothing to do with the lack of numbers of a breed but more to the lack of people who raise the breed sending in info they need.

They do good work. Of course the numbers of birds on their critical list is not even close to the numbers of hybrids raised each year. They do not produce like the hybrids.
This does not mean we are in danger of loosing the breed.
Even if one breed completely disappears we can make them again from the breeds we have remaining. That is the way they were developed in the beginning. Most breeds disappear because they have little to offer.


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## Dr. Mom (Jan 13, 2008)

Thanks Pancho. You did a good job of explaining it.


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## Shygal (May 26, 2003)

Dr. Mom said:


> Hi Shygal! Heritage chickens are the opposite of hybrid chickens. Hybrid chickens usually have different parent breeds to get the specific traits you want to develop in the hybrid. I guess if you had the specific breeds of roosters and hens that you wanted to breed it would work, but they would still be a hybrid. I would just rather have an older heritage breed.
> 
> I can't explain it very well. Sorry. Maybe these links will do better than I can.
> 
> ...


I have never heard of a heritage chicken or a hybrid chicken. Turkeys yes, chickens no. 

If you are talking about sex links , ok. But any other chicken I know of, is pretty much a regular breed

Never mind, I got it finally lol Just a slow brain day


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## Ohiogal (Mar 15, 2007)

I had Buckeyes. I love the roo's very gentle and great with the hens - and the hens get really large and make great stews. My hens got old and they were in a mixed flock, and then last Fall the roo got taken by a fox. I processed all but one hen, who is with me today. She'd be 4 years old this Spring.
They are not good layers in comparison to a Barred Rock. I got 2-3 a week at best. The eggs are not large - more medium sized. They do lay all Winter though and are good foragers.
They are also not gluttons at the feeding trough.


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## brownegg (Jan 5, 2006)

One also has to keep in mind that there are two types of heritage breeds... First you have the foundation breeds and second you have the composite breeds. The foundation breeds are the most impotant and critical... because when they are gone the genes are lost forever....composite breeds are made up from the foundation breeds.... examples
Foundation American Breeds...Java...
Asiatic... Cochin, langshan...

Composite American Breeds...Plymouth Rock, all the colors...Dominique, Wyandotte, Rhode Island White and Red, Jersy Giant, New Hampshire, Buckeye, Holland, Delaware, Chantecler, for examples.

Composite breeds are made up from different breeds. That breed true.

brownegg


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## pancho (Oct 23, 2006)

brownegg said:


> One also has to keep in mind that there are two types of heritage breeds... First you have the foundation breeds and second you have the composite breeds. The foundation breeds are the most impotant and critical... because when they are gone the genes are lost forever....composite breeds are made up from the foundation breeds.... examples
> Foundation American Breeds...Java...
> Asiatic... Cochin, langshan...
> 
> ...


Genes are not lost. They are still there. Just have to be used the right way.
Even the foundation breeds could be made again in the same way they were made in the first place. At one time they were a mixed breed. Any breed can be duplicated if a person will study genes.


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## brownegg (Jan 5, 2006)

Sorry pancho but thats not true. Foundation breeds aren't made up from any other breeds and can't be re-produced if lost.When their genes are lost....they are gone forever. Composite breeds can be created again...PROVIDING the foundation breeds that were used to make up that particular breed are still around. Study breeding history or contact the APA or the SPPA and simply ask them.

brownegg

brownegg


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## sunflower-n-ks (Aug 7, 2006)

Just to add to the confusion - have you considered the delawares? A very nice breed that lays large light brown eggs.


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## pancho (Oct 23, 2006)

brownegg said:


> Sorry pancho but thats not true. Foundation breeds aren't made up from any other breeds and can't be re-produced if lost.When their genes are lost....they are gone forever. Composite breeds can be created again...PROVIDING the foundation breeds that were used to make up that particular breed are still around. Study breeding history or contact the APA or the SPPA and simply ask them.
> 
> brownegg
> 
> brownegg


All chickens came from junglefowl. Even the foundation breeds.
All it takes is a study og genes. You can make any breed of chcikens.
Well, I am not saying everybody can. A person who studies genes can make a replica of any breed of chicken.


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## Dr. Mom (Jan 13, 2008)

sunflower-n-ks said:


> Just to add to the confusion - have you considered the delawares? A very nice breed that lays large light brown eggs.


Confusion, what confusion??? :huh: :grin:

Yes, I've considered Delawares. I've heard they are good layers. But do they lay as good as BR or about the same?


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## Dr. Mom (Jan 13, 2008)

pancho said:


> All chickens came from junglefowl. Even the foundation breeds.
> All it takes is a study og genes. You can make any breed of chcikens.
> Well, I am not saying everybody can. A person who studies genes can make a replica of any breed of chicken.



Like Jurassic Park? We might end up with Raptors!! :runforhills:


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## BobbyB (Apr 6, 2009)

I posted this on the other thread showing that most all breeds were created by crossing other breeds and yes, every breed here is listed under the ALBC Conservation Priority Heritage Chicken Breeds. You would be hard put to find a Heritage breed that is not made up of several breeds. 

*Golden Laced Wyandottes originated in Wisconsin. They were produced by mating Silver Laced Wyandotte females with a cross-bred Partridge Cochin-Brown Leghorn cockerel.

The origin of the Rhode Island Red dates to a fowl bred in the section of New England that is located between Narragansett Bay and Buzzard's Bay. The name Rhode Island Red was given the breed in honor of the state where it originated from crossing the Red Malay Game, Leghorn and Asiatic native stock.

Rhode Island Whites originated in Rhode Island from which they took their name. They are a result of crosses of Partridge Cochins, White Wyandottes and Rose-Comb White Leghorns.

Buckeyes are an American breed originating in Ohio with the color similar to the richly colored buckeye nut. Their blood lines include the Dark Cornish, Black Breasted Red Game, Buff Cochin and Barred Plymouth Rock.

The Chantecler is the first breed of Canadian creation. It originated in the Province of Quebec. It is the result of efforts to obtain a fowl of vigorous and rustic temperament that could resist the climatic condition of Canada, a "general purpose fowl," a good winter layer, and especially with comb and wattles reduced to a minimum.

In the production of this breed two crosses were made in 1908, a Dark Cornish male mated to a White Leghorn female and a Rhode Island Red male mated to a White Wyandotte female. The following season, the pullets from the first Class, the Dark Cornish male and the White Leghorn female, were mated with a cockerel from the Rhode Island Red and White Wyandotte cross. Selected pullets from this last mating were then mated with a White Plymouth Rock male and the subsequent matings produced the typical fowl sought for as it is today.

The Partridge variety originated in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. In the production of this variety four crosses were made, Partridge Wyandotte, Partridge Cochin, Dark Cornish and Rose Comb Brown Leghorn.

The Jersey Black Giants originated in New Jersey by crossing Black Javas, Dark Brahmas and Black Langshans. In recent years, Cornish blood was introduced in some strains.

Lamonas were originated at the United States Government Experiment Station at Beltsville, Maryland. They are the result of crosses of Silver Gray Dorking, White Plymouth Rocks and Single Comb White Leghorns. A heavy breed fowl.

General purpose fowl for meat and egg production. The skin color is yellow and the egg shells are white.

Hollands are the offspring from previous mating of fowls imported from Holland crossed with White Leghorns, Rhode Island Reds, New Hampshires and Lamonas that were selected for desired characteristics, resulting in the breed known as the White Hollands.

During the same period, selected matings of the progeny from White Leghorns, Barred Plymouth Rocks, Australorps and Brown Leghorns were bred to produce a fowl with the same characteristics with a barred feather pattern, thus the Barred Hollands were originated.

These breeds were admitted as a standard in 1949.

*


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## brownegg (Jan 5, 2006)

Bobby...You only listed composite breeds ( breeds that are made up from other breeds) Ever here of endangered species... When foundation breeds are gone they are extinct. 

American....Java
Asiatic....Cochin, Langshan
English...Dorking
Continental...Hamburg...campine and brackel...lakenvelder....polish
Mediterranean...leghorn
Spanish...Minorca, andalusian
Other Standard breeds... Old English Game, Malay, shamo, Sumatra, Phoenix, Aseel, Naked Necks, Aracauna...

These breeds aren't made up from any other breeds....although they help to make up a variety of the composite breeds you listed....these are the breeds that are more critical if lost.

brownegg


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## pancho (Oct 23, 2006)

brownegg said:


> Bobby...You only listed composite breeds ( breeds that are made up from other breeds) Ever here of endangered species... When foundation breeds are gone they are extinct.
> 
> American....Java
> Asiatic....Cochin, Langshan
> ...


Yes, the breeds you mentioned were made up from other breeds. Some may have been refined from common chickens but all were man made breeds.

Jungle fowl were the parents of modern day chickens. All breeds go back to them. By selective breeding and domestication jungle fowl were slowly changed into breeds. Jungle fowl are a species. The chickens you named are a breed. Lots of difference in a breed and a species.


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## BobbyB (Apr 6, 2009)

Well I guess I am just an ignorant country boy. I have heard of composite materials, but never a composite animal. 

I always thought animals were " hybrids "


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## brownegg (Jan 5, 2006)

Sounds like you learned something new today, eh! Good for you.

brownegg


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## BobbyB (Apr 6, 2009)

actually....no.


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## RonPaulRooster (Aug 1, 2008)

pancho said:


> All chickens came from junglefowl. Even the foundation breeds.
> All it takes is a study og genes. You can make any breed of chcikens.
> Well, I am not saying everybody can. A person who studies genes can make a replica of any breed of chicken.


That's right , at least that's the theory .

So devote yourself to the task , and in 6,000 years , you can recreate the White Rock from a trio of Junglefowl .


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## sunflower-n-ks (Aug 7, 2006)

Dr. Mom said:


> Confusion, what confusion??? :huh: :grin:
> 
> Yes, I've considered Delawares. I've heard they are good layers. But do they lay as good as BR or about the same?


The delaware I had laid very well. An egg almost every day. I have never had BR;s so I have no opinion on them.


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## pancho (Oct 23, 2006)

RonPaulRooster said:


> That's right , at least that's the theory .
> 
> So devote yourself to the task , and in 6,000 years , you can recreate the White Rock from a trio of Junglefowl .


It can happen quite a bit faster when you already have the pattern to work with. Remember when chickens first began to evolve no one even knew there could be a white chicken.
Now we know what set of genes a white rock has turned on what sets are turned off. Just a job of mixing the right genes together. There are already many breeds of white chickens. There are already many breeds that lay brown eggs. There are already many breeds that are the same size with the same body shape. Look how far we are already ahead and it is just an idea. 
Shouldn't take very long to mix the genes together and get a chicken that is a copy of the white rock.
Not long ago scientist hatched chickens with wing spurs and scales instead of feathers. That was done simply by turning on some genes already in all chickens.


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## BobbyB (Apr 6, 2009)

pancho said:


> It can happen quite a bit faster when you already have the pattern to work with. Remember when chickens first began to evolve no one even knew there could be a white chicken.
> Now we know what set of genes a white rock has turned on what sets are turned off. Just a job of mixing the right genes together. There are already many breeds of white chickens. There are already many breeds that lay brown eggs. There are already many breeds that are the same size with the same body shape. Look how far we are already ahead and it is just an idea.
> Shouldn't take very long to mix the genes together and get a chicken that is a copy of the white rock.
> *Not long ago scientist hatched chickens with wing spurs and scales instead of feathers. * That was done simply by turning on some genes already in all chickens.


Now we're getting somewhere. Chickens that eat predators!!!


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