Buckeye

The Buckeye is a dual-purpose fowl from the United States, kept for meat as well as eggs. It takes its name from Ohio, the Buckeye State, where the breed was put together. It carries deep mahogany-red plumage over a slate undercolour, and its pea comb is a real asset for a flock facing raw, damp winters rather than dry cold.

Buckeyes are medium birds with a solid, well-fleshed body. Hens lay brown eggs and will go broody now and again. The breed is one of the very few American chickens with a pea comb, a feature that cuts the risk of frostbite when temperatures dip, though in an Irish garden or smallholding the bigger concern is usually damp rather than deep frost.

Buckeyes forage with real enthusiasm and do well let out on grass, where they work the ground for insects and greenery. They have a settled, easy-going nature and manage confinement or free range without much fuss, though they are happiest with room to roam.

Who it suits

The Buckeye suits keepers who deal with a lot of wet weather and want a bird that can largely look after itself. Its strong foraging instinct makes it a solid pick for anyone with a paddock or a patch of grass to let hens range over, and its calm nature fits family flocks well, children included. Anyone after a heritage dual-purpose breed that gives a decent carcase alongside a steady run of brown eggs will get plenty out of the Buckeye.

Nettie Metcalf of Warren, Ohio, put the Buckeye together in the late 1890s and early 1900s. She wanted a working farm bird able to stand up to hard Ohio winters while still turning out meat and eggs. She remains the only woman credited with developing a standard American chicken breed.

To build it she crossed Barred Plymouth Rocks, Buff Cochins, and some black-breasted red game stock. She was after a hardy, productive bird with deep red colouring and a frame suited to cold conditions and active foraging.

The American Poultry Association admitted the breed to its Standard of Perfection in 1904. Through the early twentieth century, Buckeyes earned their keep on small farms for their dual-purpose qualities and their knack for finding much of their own food.

Numbers dropped once commercial poultry production took hold from the mid-twentieth century on, and the Buckeye slipped towards rarity. Heritage poultry keepers and breed societies have since worked to bring the population back from the brink.

The Buckeye has a broad, deep body, a level back, and a full breast, all in keeping with its meat purpose. The plumage runs a uniform mahogany red across the body, with a slate undercolour and black through the tail and lower feathers. The pea comb sits low and close to the head, which keeps exposure down during cold snaps.

Face, comb, wattles, and earlobes are red. The beak runs from horn to yellow, the eyes are bay, and the legs and skin are yellow. The overall shape is compact and muscular rather than tall or rangy.

Coat and colours

The Buckeye comes in a single recognised colour, a deep mahogany red, a shade darker than the Rhode Island Red. The feathering sits close and firm rather than loose. Part the feathers and the slate undercolour shows through, and the tail carries black with a green sheen. Yellow legs and skin set off the red body well.

Buckeyes have an even, good-natured temperament. They are curious and busy birds, and they spend a good part of the day foraging when given the run of a garden or paddock. Plenty of keepers find the breed docile around people and easy to handle, which suits family flocks and households with children.

Around other birds the Buckeye is generally peaceable, though cocks can turn assertive during the breeding season. The breed has a real name for hunting down insects and small prey, mice included, a trait that sets it apart from calmer dual-purpose breeds. Hens go broody from time to time and make attentive mothers. Buckeyes are not particularly noisy, but they stay alert and will call out at any disturbance.

The Buckeye is a hardy breed that asks little beyond standard poultry care. Its pea comb and tight feathering suit it well to a cool, damp climate, and it copes with a wet Irish winter better than most breeds manage. What it cannot shrug off is damp litter and poor airflow, so ventilation in the coop matters as much as keeping the birds warm. In a warm spell it needs shade and water on tap.

Grooming

• Check feathers and skin for mites and lice while handling the birds
• Keep a dry dust-bathing spot so the flock can groom itself
• Trim toenails or beak only if they overgrow, which is rare on birds with the run of a garden
• Have a look at the vent and legs now and then for signs of parasites

Exercise

• Let the birds out to range or into a decent-sized run every day
• Aim for at least 0.7 to 0.9 sq m (8 to 10 sq ft) of run space per bird where you can manage it
• Move the range around to keep the ground cover in shape and cut down on parasite build-up
• Add perches and a bit of varied ground to keep the birds moving naturally

Environment

Keep the coop dry and draught-free, with good ventilation set well above the birds' heads, since a stuffy coop traps damp air, and that does more harm than the cold ever will. Allow about 0.37 sq m (4 sq ft) of coop floor per bird and one nest box for every three or four hens. Roosts should sit clear of the floor. The breed handles cold well but still needs cover from wind, rain, and the odd bout of snow.

Feed Buckeyes a complete poultry ration matched to their stage of life. Chicks need a starter feed, growing birds a grower feed, and laying hens a layer feed with extra calcium worked in. Because Buckeyes forage so readily, birds out on range will top up their diet with insects, seeds, and greenery, but a balanced feed should still form the backbone of what they eat. Keep clean water available at all times, and offer insoluble grit to birds eating whole grains or foraging for themselves.

Treats and supplements

Keep treats to under about 10 percent of the diet. Greens, cracked corn, and mealworms all go down well. Offer crushed oyster shell free choice as a calcium source for laying hens, and put out grit for birds eating whole grains or foraged food. Do not lean on scratch grains as a main feed, since they run low in protein and can throw the diet out of balance.

The Buckeye is a sturdy breed with no widespread genetic disorders. Its pea comb resists frostbite, and its active habits keep it fit. With decent care a Buckeye will generally live 6 to 10 years. Most health trouble comes from general poultry conditions rather than anything specific to the breed, so parasite control and clean, dry housing count for more than breed-specific treatment, particularly given how much rain an Irish flock has to put up with.

Preventive care

• Keep the coop dry, ventilated, and clean to keep disease down
• Check birds regularly for parasites and foot trouble
• Provide a dust-bathing spot for natural parasite control
• Quarantine new birds before they join the flock
• Keep balanced feed, grit, and clean water available year-round

Buckeyes settle into most types of housing as long as it stays dry and is secure against predators. They suit a confined run or free range equally, but they do best when let forage over open ground. Their tolerance for cold means heating is rarely called for, even through an Irish winter, though shelter from wind and driving rain is essential. In a warm spell the priority shifts to shade and airflow.

Setup checklist

• Dry, draught-free coop with ventilation set above roost height
• Predator-proof walls, floor, and run, with buried or apron mesh included
• Roosts raised clear of the floor
• Nest boxes tucked into a quiet, darker corner of the coop
• Clean water and feeders kept out of the rain
• A shaded dust-bathing spot within the run

Buckeye eggs take about 21 days to hatch, the standard span for chickens. Hatching can happen under a broody hen or in an incubator. Buckeye hens tend to go broody and make careful mothers, so letting nature take its course is often an option. For incubator hatching, hold temperature and humidity steady and turn the eggs regularly right up until the final few days before hatch.

Hatching steps

1. Pick clean, well-shaped eggs and store them pointed end down for no more than 7 to 10 days before setting
2. Warm up the incubator and check that temperature and humidity are steady before adding eggs
3. Set the eggs and start turning, marking each side so you can track the turns
4. Candle the eggs around day 7 to 10 to check on development and take out any clear or non-viable ones
5. Stop turning on day 18 and raise the humidity for the final stretch
6. Let the chicks hatch and dry out fully in the incubator before moving them to a warm brooder