The Buckeye Thread

[Regin]

Hey y'all that poultry netting looks like a good idea to me. Where do you get it from? Does it come with a controller, or do you attach it to a fence charger?

 

[Pathfinders]

Hey y'all that poultry netting looks like a good idea to me. Where do you get it from? Does it come with a controller, or do you attach it to a fence charger?

I get mine from Premier, and when I hook it up, I use a solar battery fence charger. You can find out more about it here: http://www.premier1supplies.com/fencing.php?species_id=6

 

[Regin]

Thanks pathfinders

 

[Timbuck]

I guess I should have been more specific. I have a secure coop for the chicks to be in at night and a 8' x 25' secure hoop run for during the day. I have 10 Buckeyes and 11 Buff Orpingtons that are 8 weeks old. About 1/3 readily come when called, thinking I may have treats for them. Only about 1/2 go in the coop by themselves at dusk, But they have only been in run and coop for 1 week, so they are learning.

I would like to let them out to "free-range" for a few hours in the evenings and guess I want to be sure they know to come home. Electronic fencing really is not an option. Thanks.

 

[Metella]

I had a set up similar to yours Timbuck (it was against my barn that burned down) and I had no issues ... once ANY bird was there for a week ... If I knew it was safe for them to free range (meaning I would be around or the neighbor was busy mowing and making lots of noise) I would just open the door and prop it open ... they all come back at dusk.... they want to sleep in the same place. Note I say prop that door open - if it blows or is pushed closed by a scratching hen ... then they will roost wherever and may be lost to night predators.

I usually fed them at dusk - so they had double motivation .... just a little tiny treat.

However, once a fox knew they were there .... she actually came around at odd times to see if the door to dinner was open. So now I am using nets unless I am actually totally free to keep an eye and ear open.... usually meaning I sit out in the swing and read until dark.

 

[Pathfinders]

I guess I should have been more specific. I have a secure coop for the chicks to be in at night and a 8' x 25' secure hoop run for during the day. I have 10 Buckeyes and 11 Buff Orpingtons that are 8 weeks old. About 1/3 readily come when called, thinking I may have treats for them. Only about 1/2 go in the coop by themselves at dusk, But they have only been in run and coop for 1 week, so they are learning.

I would like to let them out to "free-range" for a few hours in the evenings and guess I want to be sure they know to come home. Electronic fencing really is not an option. Thanks.

Generally I find it can take as much as two weeks or so for the young birds to learn to go back into the coop at night. We have weeds that grow up along one side of the fence if we don't stay on top of them, and before we put younger birds into it, we whack down all the weeds so there's nowhere for them to hide.

Two long branches, one in each hand, extend your reach a great deal and are helpful to shoo the birds into the coop at night. Give them a little time, they'll figure it out soon enough.

 

[cgmccary]

I guess I should have been more specific. I have a secure coop for the chicks to be in at night and a 8' x 25' secure hoop run for during the day. I have 10 Buckeyes and 11 Buff Orpingtons that are 8 weeks old. About 1/3 readily come when called, thinking I may have treats for them. Only about 1/2 go in the coop by themselves at dusk, But they have only been in run and coop for 1 week, so they are learning.

I would like to let them out to "free-range" for a few hours in the evenings and guess I want to be sure they know to come home. Electronic fencing really is not an option. Thanks.

The best option if it is available to you is to have hens hatch and raise chicks. The best hens to hatch and raise chicks are game hens. I can let the game hens hatch, and they will keep the chicks in the coop for the first week or so (or until they are strong enough to travel) and then venture out with them staying close at first but keeping them out of harms way. As they grow, they take them farther and farther out. If the game hens hatches them out in the blackberry patch (or under some bush, under the front porch, in the tractor pit, etc.), then they wait til they can walk & keep them close to the coops and will take them somewhere safe at night. They pretty much take care of themselves. My game hens have not lost a chick outside to date. Some birds of mine have roamed free from day one with the mother game hen (freezing temps in the morning and all) --- this is the best way to raise birds if your set-up permits it.

Buckeye hens are good at hatching too, but they are different at raising the chicks than game hens. I do not trust them to free range with their chicks. Other hens may pick on the Buckeye mother, and she is not as aggressive as the game hen. Buckeye hens can sit and hatch a greater number of eggs in a clutch due to their size. I just keep the Buckeye hen and chicks penned. When they are about 6 weeks old, I remove the hen and move the chicks to a transition (temporary pen) in whatever coop I want to train them to. I keep them in there about a week or two. I then let the young birds out in the coop with the grown birds. The coops are opened so all birds can free range. The young birds are hesitant at first to go outside the coop. My coops are large & can each hold 30-40 birds easily. They start venturing out & then going father and farther. When the cockerels get unbearable, I pen them. When 16-20 weeks old, then I butcher all but the best (the keepers). Buckeye hen in a pen with chicks:



When I incubator hatch & brood chicks indoors, depending upon the temperatures outside, I will move them to a pen in one of the barns when they are from 3-6 weeks old. If it is still cold outside, I can put a couple of lights in the pen (using 75-100 W bulbs). I let them grow and then move them to the coop like I would the Buckeye hen raised birds. The process is the same thereafter. People will do it differently & it will depend on each person's individual set-up as to what will work for them. You have to find what works for you. One thing I have discovered over the years is that chicks 4 weeks and older, in my neck of the woods, are not as fragile as I once thought. They are quite precocious & can do for themselves quite well. Here is one of the pens in the barns with incubator-hatched chicks. I think they would be just fine without the lights but I like the extra light as the barn is shaded & can be kind of dark.:



I once had a couple of Buckeye chicks who were late (incubator) hatchers after I had hatched some & shipped. I was left with two chicks. I only kept them indoors for a couple of weeks as I did not want to raise just two chicks. The temps were warm outside that particular year so I put them out in a little plastic (dog gate) pen. They took care of themselves and became adults outside completely free (never penned except for the first three weeks). I could not do it this way if I did not have my dogs and donkey (with the pastures surrounding my barns). Predators do not venture on my place even though behind me is a National Forest with plenty of animals that eat chicken.

This is one of my 4 dogs who stay outside most of the time (I let them rotate to indoors). This dog is half hound (probably beagle), and I believe half yellow pit. He was a stray I took in. He is good at keeping predators and strange dogs away:

 

[Timbuck]

Thanks Pathfinder and Cgmccary. This is very helpful to me and useful to others as well. Pathfinder, I just wait till the ones that did not go in coop to bed down. They are easily picked up and put to bed.

 

[AletaG]

I am looking for buckeye chicks or hatching eggs. Im in WA state. I do not want hatchery quality stock. I want large birds that can be used for true dual purpose. Thank you

Hi there. I was performing a hunt for Delawares, but ran across a lead to WA buckeyes, PM me and I'll look up who it was... they're on here from time to time...

 

[chickendriver]

CGMC this post was quite helpful to me, as it provides a look into the mystical, or at least that's what it seems like for me right now.

I have Three young pullets (14wks) living in the bed of my pickup until I can get to building their coop (waiting on some dirtwork). As a first timer, I have little other than speculation as to what is ok, safe, dangerous, normal, etc. for older birds and existing flocks and integrating. This nailed down what life is like with a flock that already exists as an entity.

Thank you!