The Buckeye Thread

[slfarms]

Wyandottes and Chanteclers

Will do karenbrat1! As a matter of fact I have a flavor of Wyandotte I am contemplating . The blue laced. I think they would be a good complimenting breed to the dark mahogany red bucks

 

[buckeyechicken]

Not putting light on any this winter and I provide no heat either... ya gotta be tough to live on my place. The two breeds I have are in a communal winter "coop" (a bunch of draggable hoop coops butted up to a shed), so probably late January I'll take the roos out and a month later (to make sure there is no chance of crossbred chicks from hen-stored semen) I'll make another pen and put roosters back with their own-breed hens. I'll begin collecting eggs to hatch after we stop having frozen weather -- and therefore frozen eggs -- during the day (probably late March), so I doubt I'll have anything actually hatch before sometime in April.

I have 72 eggs in the incubator now Just wanting to get some egg layers and freezer camp chickens , Shut the lights off the first of the month and Going to put by best rooster with 3 of my best hens And then start collecting eggs after the first of the year for Hatching Buckeyes.

 

[buckeyechicken]

Do any of you worm your chickens during the winter months while egg production is slow. I use Wazine to worm mine.

 

[chickensnew2me]

This will be my first year hatching my own buckeyes, but I plan to start incubating sometime in January. How long after I put lights on them should they ramp up on egg laying?

 

[Amy Sue]

Hello everyone!!
I am new to this site, but not so new to raising laying hens, just new enough to not know everything!! I wanted to share a story, and had a few questions:
Last fall I had an attack on my coop- killing my year old Rhode island red rooster (meant to be a hen), Mr. Burns, leaving me with just my Barred rock hen, Miss Evel (Kinevel). I picked the barred rock because of the personality and easy temperament, beauty. etc.
I realize this is a Buckeye thread- im getting there!!
I loved my barred rock- she was friendly, would come to me when i talked to her, let me pick her up and pet her- laid the BEST speckled brown eggs very regularly, etc etc.. Anyway- after my hen was left alone, a friend of mine had his flock attacked as well- the only survivor was a BEAUTIFUL buckeye pullet.. I was completely unfamiliar with her breed, and it actually took me a minute to find out what she was- I'm not sure if she is crossed with another breed, because she has the buckeye feathers, and the comb- the temperament, the mousing ability- I JUST watched her kill a mouse the other day and it was amazing!!!- but her rear end is COVERED with grey fluff-down.. this is how she acquired her name : Miss Fluff Butt. I haven't seen another Buckeye with this characteristic, and i was wondering if it is, in fact, just her winter fluff?? or is she a cross breed??
Anyhow- She would follow Miss Evel everywhere, including up into the trees to roost at night, since Eve was still traumatized from the coop break in, and Fluff Butt became the lower end of the pecking order. Sadly, when Miss Evel met her demise by tree roosting so far up i couldn't get her down one night, she disappeared- I'm sure becoming a quick meal to some vermin.. And now All i have is Miss Fluffy- she has since become her own hen- she is friendlier, and much more curious and personable. Just the other day she sat down and let a complete stranger - an 8 yr old boy- pet her for about 20 minutes! On the nights when it is particularly blustery or raining, she has developed the habit of jumping up onto our concrete window ledges outside the living room windows, and pecking the glass until I come out and CARRY her back to the coop- I have fallen in LOVE with this breed- and now I want more!! Miss Fluff Butt gets a bit broody in the spring, and I would love to grow my flock with more Buckeyes. I can't seem to find fertilized eggs, or a rooster (since I'm open to both options) around my area (Illinois Iowa Quad Cities) and online, im striking out with fertilized eggs- they are all sold out, or i have to order 15 at a time- i realize not all eggs will hatch, but i only want 8 TOPS, to grow my flock by 2-3 hens , given the natural selection, sexing, etc.. SO.. i just need a few lines to some good strong Buckeye breeders- any ideas?
Thank you! and I hope to have many more stories about the adventures of Miss Fluff butt, my beautiful Buckeye.

 

[Minniechickmama]

Don't dwell on what went wrong. Instead, focus on what to do next. Spend your energies on moving forward toward finding the answer. Denis Waitley
So with that in mind when is everyone going to fire up the incubators?

Starting in December so kids have have birds hatched in early January for showing at the fairs. I start selling about February when the laying picks up and orders start coming in. I have a Sportsman Cabinet 1502 holds 298, and a Leahy Favorite 624 that holds about 600. I then use a Sportsman cabinet hatcher, but planning to build one of wood that will be easier to use and clean. Since I knew that question is coming from somewhere

 

[Apdeb]

Trisha dusil in iowa.

 

[Minniechickmama]

Will do karenbrat1! As a matter of fact I have a flavor of Wyandotte I am contemplating . The blue laced. I think they would be a good complimenting breed to the dark mahogany red bucks

They are and they do!

 

[Minniechickmama]

This will be my first year hatching my own buckeyes, but I plan to start incubating sometime in January. How long after I put lights on them should they ramp up on egg laying?

You want to do it slowly and increase the light a little bit every couple of days. I like to add on in the morning more than night, then slowly adjust back when the sun rises earlier again in the spring. You won't see them all of the sudden start laying at once, but you will slowly see eggs coming as you get it to the 'day length' that they need. Good luck!

 

[Amy Sue]

i found her on facebook- thank you!