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BuckeyeChickens.com home to the Buckeyes you have read about!
I recently received this email from a friend who purchased buckeyes in the spring of 2009.
“Thank you for the wonderful birds. They continue to amuse and entertain us.
You may be interested in browsing through the first pages of the latest Hobby Farms magazine if you get the chance. There is a highlighted special delivery report in the letters to the editor.
The letter is about the chicks you hatched that are now living in Alaska with me. I first learned of Buckeyes from that magazine and responded when my chicks were growing fast. Everything in the letter continues to be true but I could add so much more these days.
I thought you might be interested in knowing my letter was published and that the mentioned buckeyes came from you. Thank you for all of your help.
Brenda Marsteller
Palmer, Alaska”
“Bucking Chicken Tradition” Hobby Farms Magazine, Page 6 - September/October 2009
In response to “Scratching The Surface” (March/April 2009) I was intrigued by Sue Weaver’s description of the Buckeye chicken. Within a few days, I learned all that I could about this forgotten chicken, and my intrigue turned into an obsession. Having lived in Ohio, I wanted to give this heritage breed a chance. Made for bitter winters, the breeder (ME WOOOT!!) assured me that he thought the Buckeyes would thrive in my new home of Alaska.
Finally, the day arrived that I could retrieve them from the post office. From the moment I opened the box, the little chicks created quite a crowd-pleasing stir. Lively and curious, the little creatures were popping out of their container. The exuberant life-force controls them now, even at 2 months of age. They are the first to pile out of the coop in the morning and the last to be rousted in at night. In the intervening hours, they are busy playing games of chase, flight lessons and scratching, usually in some follow-the-leader fashion.
One extremely endearing quality is the way they gather at my feet or any person’s feet. They are not aggressive but quite calm in our presence. It is adorable to turn around and see a trail of them following behind me as I do chores.
Some local chicken people were skeptical when they learned I added a heritage breed. They’d heard that heritage breeds are “flighty” or “aggressive,” et cetera. I explained that I heard nothing of the sort regarding Buckeyes, and it has not been our experience yet.
We are looking forward to both the eggs and the meat from these birds once grown. Thanks, Hobby Farms, for introducing us to a breed of chicken we have come to adore.
Brenda Marsteller ~ Palmer, Alaska
Brenda, thanks for the email bringing this to my attention and the note to Hobby Farms Magazine, and promoting the Buckeye which is a truly outstanding bird.
Choose Heritage Breeds for Your Flock By Harvey Ussery
“I strongly recommend that you not add the latest “superhybrids” to your backyard flock simply because that is what is available at the local farm cooperative. Choose one of the fascinating older breeds, many of which will exhibit better foraging skills and greater immunity to disease. This also will help with the task of preservation of traditional and historic breeds. Some are in danger of being lost forever…..”
Mother Earth News Jan. 2009
From The The American Livestock Breeds Conservancy Website
“The Buckeye is a dual-purpose breed of chicken with a deep, lustrous red color of plumage. They have yellow legs and skin, and, thanks to their pea comb, are very cold-weather hardy. …..Buckeyes also have a personality all their own. They are a very active fowl and are noted for being especially vigilant in the pursuit of mice, some breeders comparing them to cats in regard to this ability. They tend to have very little fear of humans and are possibly too friendly. In fact, some males may show a little aggression during breeding season. They also seem to lack the tendency to feather-pick each other (this is a trait worthy of further exploration). The males emit a full range of sounds beyond those typical of many other chicken breeds, including a dinosaur-like roar!”
