Summer is just around the corner....

As we draw closer to June 21st and the official start of summer many Buckeye breeders are wrapping up their 2012 breeding season!  Hard to believe it's coming to a rapid close, many of you have already put the incubators away for the year but a few of us die-hards are still hatching chicks.  Even when the last broody hen leaves the nest you can still count on that marvel of technology, the incubator!  Today's incubators have come a long way and there are models available today that are "almost" idiot proof.  If you are considering a new 'bator for next season now is the time to conduct a little research and start saving or ask the spouse to spend a little more for Christmas!

We turn out attentions toward raising those young Buckeye babies thru June, July & August.  This can be a rough time for the young fowl especially if you live in a hot humid environment....or in Ohio where it's 90F one day and 45F and raining the next!  Make sure your young birds have plenty of fresh water and every other week add some electrolytes and vitamins to the mixture.  Some folks like to add Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) to their plastic water founts to keep their fowl healthy.  Personally, I can't say it helps a great deal but it certainly can't hurt!  Keeping the waterers clean and feed dry (avoiding mold) are equally important.

When temps change suddenly and chicks get wet illness can take hold quickly so make sure they have a dry place to go when it is raining.  Healthy fowl are less likely to get sick under these weather condition changes but if they do develop a cough or runny nose there are natural ways to help control the spread.  For me personally, I have found GSE (Grapefruit Seed Extract) in liquid form to be an ideal medication for treating my Buckeyes when the "sniffles" start.  Just add a few drops in their drinking water for 5-7 days and it often works miracles!  You can find GSE at many health food or drug stores for about $19 for the 4oz bottle but it will last a long time and treat hundreds of birds.

Summer is also a time to step up your predator control.  If you don't have any "live traps" yet, now is the time to go purchase a few!  Set them close to you chicken pens or coops because the raccoons, possums and skunks are probably already visiting at night.  Coyotes and Foxes are a little more difficult to catch in a "live trap" but some do so with success.  For me, I prefer a good light and the old 12 gauge shotgun when it comes to Coyotes and Foxes at my place!  Plan to spend a night or two in the barn or near the chicken coop....I've actually sat on the tailgate of my pick-up next top the barn and had foxes walk right by in search of a chicken dinner.

Finally, plan to attend a few poultry shows this coming fall and now is the time to prepare if you have a desire to show your Buckeyes.  There are poultry shows at county and state fairs as well as independent exhibitions all over the USA.  Find one close to home and just go visit, county fairs are a GREAT place to go and see what is happening within the local poultry community.  You may be surprised NOT to see any Buckeyes at many of these county shows and if you are a breeder of Buckeyes you need to change that in the future!  Talk to parents and kids involved in 4H and offer to help them next season with their very own Buckeye project.  Help "Preserve the Buckeye Breed" anyway you can this summer!!!

Memorial Day Weekend....a few thoughts and reminders

It's quickly approaching folks....the American Buckeye Club's FIRST annual meet at the Buckeye Fancy Feather Poultry Show in Canfield, Ohio! Entry Forms need to be sent in before June 2nd so we just want to remind everyone to send those along this week if you haven't already. We are expecting a GREAT turnout, lots of folks have responded and it looks like there will be a HUGE number of Buckeyes exhibiting, too!  If you need an Entry Form please email me jefflay@woh.rr.com and I'll send it to you right away.

This Memorial Day weekend is upon us and the Lucasville Show and Swap is this weekend as well so good luck to everyone showing their Buckeyes!  Looking forward to getting some results from those who participate so please keep us informed.  Poultry shows are a GREAT place to see other Buckeyes and compare what you are breeding with others even if you don't show birds yourself.  If you have NEVER been to a show we encourage everyone to find one locally and take a few minutes to walk the aisles!  It can be very educational and you might just meet some interesting people as well.

Happy Memorial Day to ALL of you and remember those who paid the ultimate sacrifice for this country.  God Bless the troops and the USA!!! 

Letter from Dennis Pearce's son about his fathers Buckeyes

Recently, Jenn Andersen forwarded an email to me that came from Jeffrey Dennis Pearce, the son of now passed Buckeye Breeder Dennis Pearce.  She asked that we share this letter with our ABC members so here is what was sent on May 7, 2012;

Helllo, Ms. Andersen.

I just ran across your blog today and was please to see that the club has been reconstituted, and that you have mentioned my father, Dennis Pearce. Thank you very kindly. You list his death date as 2010. He actually succumbed to esophageal cancer on October 22, 2008. Here is a blog we kept for family and friends: http://dennisleghorn.ebloggy.com/ Dad was also a Single Comb Light Brown Leghorn breeder, hence the blog URL.

Some history that might or might not be of interest to you and your club members:

We have our birds on our old family farm that my great-grandparents bought in 1909. Dennis's parents had an egg business here, and so my father grew up surrounded by 10,000 white leghorn layers. There was never any money in eggs, even when my grandparents sold them to my grandmother's brother, who owned some grocery stores.

My father and my brother, Tim, began raising poultry in 1994. When Dad died, we decided to leave all of his writings that he had put on the white boards outside each pen, so there is some interesting history. I can verify that there is one pen marked as a Buckeye pen and the date is 1996, so this may be the year they started raising Buckeyes. I remember the earliest Buckeyes they had. The hens were so fearless that when you opened the pen door they hopped up on the door frame base and you could touch them. They always approached you when you opened the doors. I remember thinking of them as the friendly chickens. I do not see this trait in females anymore. It must have been bred out, which is unfortunate. They are much more reticent now, but will still tame well. Roosters have always been rather jumpy. Two years ago I got into a pen to treat two brother Buckeyes for bugs. The one jumped up and broke his own neck. I was horrified. Of course, compared to Single Comb Light Brown Leghorns, Buckeye roosters are calm.

I have nursed several Buckeye roosters who developed an ear imbalance and lost the ability to walk because they were out of whack. They tame up very nicely with regular handling. I have to say Buckeyes are probably my favorite chicken variety. I love their look and their character.

We had a lot of Buckeyes here, of course, when Dad and my brother were helping Don Schrider with the ALBC. For a time, we even had Bantam Buckeyes. Now we just have four roosters and one hen. We tried to hatch last year and got about 6 chicks, but all succumbed to Merrick's disease at different stages prior to adulthood. The last male chick died when he was almost fully grown. We obviously need some new blood, but have struggled after losing Dad to keep the hobby going along. We sort of lost our heart for it, too, though we still have about 75 birds of various varieties, and 30 pigeons and a white call duck hen. We have some good local Buckeye contacts so will get a some females at some point

On a personal note, if any of your breeders knew my father, they can vouch that he was a fine Christian man of upstanding character, and he loved poultry, but his true reason, we are convinced, that he enjoyed the hobby so much was that he loved the fine people he met in the poultry world, and enjoyed so much communicating with them in person, by letter, by phone, and by e-mail.

Best regards for your endeavors, ma'am, and thanks for keeping the line Dad worked so hard on going strong.

Jeffrey Dennis Pearce

Stanwood, WA

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A few comments I wish to add regarding Mr. Dennis Pearce and his Buckeyes.  In 2004, I first had contact with Mr. Pearce about his Buckeyes and he was very pleasant to deal with both over the phone and by a hand written letter (wish I still had that letter).  I recieved some Buckeyes from Mr. Pearce and to this day still keep a seperate pen of "pure" Pearce Buckeyes from those original birds!  He told me most of his Buckeyes came from D. Urch about 10 years prior to my contacting him and this would be in line with what his son Jeffrey states in the above email.  I got the impression his true love or passion was for the Leghorn but something about the Buckeye caught his eye and he was keeping them true to the APA Standard.

Regarding the above comments about breeding out the characteristics or friendliness of the Buckeye I suspect keeping Buckeyes in close proximity to Leghorns might have more to do with the change in personality than actually "breeding out"!  I've raised Buckeye chicks with other more "flighty" chicks and noticed some change in their personalities as well.  It seems a breed like the Leghorn makes the Buckeye more "nervous" and this could be the case regarding Jeffrey's comments.  The line of Pearce Buckeyes that I maintain act like any other Buckeye line I currently own. The biggest difference I have seen in the Pearce line has been better color (darker) and a bit larger size than the older Urch line.  Obviously the Pearce line and the old Urch line make a good cross since they are essentially from the same family.  It would be nice to know if Mr. Pearce used other Buckeye blood to improve his Buckeyes or if he simply used good selection techniques.  This we may never know?!?!

I hope ABC members find this email as interesting as I did and I want to thank Jenn Andersen and Jeffrey Dennis Pearce for sharing it with us!

Regards,

Jeffrey Lay
Co-Founder
The American Buckeye Club

Open Show Entry Form for Canfield, Ohio ABC Event

Below is the entry form for the Canfield Show.  If you like, "cut and paste" this to a word document or send me an email and I can forward it to you in word document or pdf format.  jefflay@woh.rr.com

Buckeye Fancy Feather Club – Open Show

                                                                                                                                                                                                      _______ Entry Number

Entry Form                                                                                                                                                                      

______Birds Entered X $3.00             $_______                                               Name   ___________________________________________

______ Double Coops X $6.00        $________                                                   

______ Sale Coops X $3.00             $_________                                             Street Address ____________________________________

______ Geese X $3.00                       $________                                               City, State, Zip____________________________________

                                                                                                                                     Phone ________________________

                                                                                                            Entries close June 2, 2012

TOTAL Entry Fee                                     $__________

               

Bantam, Large Fowl, or Water Fowl (B, LF, WF)	Name of Variety and Breed	Number of EACH Bird
		C	H	K	P	Total

                                                                                                                                                                                Total Birds       _________

Electric Hookup for overnight camping:  $15.00                                                                          Total Enclosed: __________

        

Entries Close June 2, 2012.  Any entries post marked after June 2, 2012 will be subject to a $10 late fee. 

Mail entries & checks payable to Buckeye Fancy Feather Club to:            

Rhonda Simmons, 5220 Adams Rd., East Palestine, OH  44413    (330)426-6870    rjos2256@gmail.com