Ah, still can't get over the Buckeyes

This to me is amazing, nothing short. Upon recollection of a question I asked a long time ago, about the nature of the rooster, the leader of the pack. My query was, why does the big cock bird, the clear leader, always go to the house after all is in, even after his subordinate, a big red dude? The answer was: and this comes from a very old-time dude. The best rooster is the one that is the last to go to bed. He is the keeper of everything, even to ensure that no one is left alone.

I have a coop that has encompassed my buckeye flock, two barred rock ol' gals and a whole whack of youngsters, whom are about 8 weeks old. Until a couple of days ago, those youngsters in that very house have had a total segragation by wire. A different exit from their home to the great outdoors, a different part to run in, but all combined together, except for the wire that separates.

The day before yesterday the big day came, the entire clan was put together, the wire walls came down, one big and open coop. The run is the same. Open, open to all to hang together. Of course, the usual, the normal pick pecking of the hens. The cockerels (they are only 11 months old), were the most calm, they greeted their newly made nestmates with open arms, and loved them all. One particular cockerel (remember 11 months old) thought that some of the fat and buffy looking buff orpingtons should be bred. Not..far too young and the pullets let him know. Forget it. That bird put that dude straight.

This evening, thought I would open up the yard and let the buckeyes and the two barred rock hens have a chance to get outside for a couple of hours, before the daylight wained. They made good use of it.

Some of the babies, still not very smart, decided to go outside to check out that new wild blue yonder, and that they did. They are young yet, still haven't quite figured out that close to sundown, they should hit the sack. They were out meandering about. The cockerel, he being clearly to me the alpha male (although he loves his brother so much, never thought a rooster could love another rooster, but he does), was hanging around the outside of the pen. I thought that very odd, every other older bird was inside, knowing the safety of their home. I watched and I listened. No sound, nothing that would keep him from going inside. But.....hey.....looking about 10 feet beyond the pen was a little baby gold laced wyandotte, a pullet, she didn't figure out clearly how to get back into her yard home, still a little juvenile to really "figure it out". I walked over, the cockerel hot on my tracks, and between him and me, we coaxed the little girl to go into the gate that lead her to her home, her place to be secure, her place with all her little buddies. The cockerel then entered the home too. Took his place on the roost with the other dude and the gals, and the evening sleep began.

I am proud of this dude. And yes. He is the keeper of the clan. I know know who will always be the one that I look up to, and know full well that he is the man. He is the one that I will always trust.

Did I mention my love of the buckeye breed? The roosters that never shut up, I don't mean crowing, I mean that they talk continuously, and believe it or not, I understand mostly every word they say. They are very special, and I still can't get over that the pullets, since the day they began to lay, have not missed a stroke, still going strong, and oh yes, did I mention the personality of the birds. Coming up to be my favourite of all the ones that I know, I am limited with my knowledge of breeds, but between my buff orpingtons, gold laced wyandottes and cochins, clearly, these are putting the meter the highest. Beautiful days, with beautiful nights, with friends, love and health. CynthiaM.

Probably a duplicate post, but listen, I have things to say, things to see, this life is beautiful, as I sit here outside on the deck, and revel in the scent of the evening scented plant, that blooms as dusk arrives -- the night scented stock -- aka matthiola bicornis. Ever smelled the evening scent of this plant? The flowers are tiny, lavender in colour, close during the day, but are awakened by the lack of the light of day, evening and all through the night -- look out -- these pretty little night flowers will make a scent that pervases (spelling please) every scent on earth. One of a kind, once you smell this scent, you will know what I mean. Night scented stock. Think of the scent of stocks, you know that scent. Well, think of this scent, although slightly different, that persists all night long, until the early hours of dawn itself pervail, then the scent is gone. It is beautiful for the moths -- and the night creatures -- let your imagination go wild -- night time, a time of distance, a time that most do not even attempt to be out in. The night flowers, the night creatures, the night insects -- which do no include the mosquito. A few toads help out so much. yes, soon to see those toads that were just a teeny tiny thing, now we hear them as we walk....toads, night creatures and flowers -- have I taken you there, in your mind's eye?

Cynthia, your suppose to be writing for us in the morning. One might think you like your Buckeyes. It is good to hear from you even if it is the wrong part of the day.

Ah, Rosewood, yes, I am generally a morning gal, but, sometimes, I am compelled to write at night. This night I am so in love with life, so in love with the scent of the night flowers, that I had to come on to the internet, and let the world know -- revel in life, revel in the moments that we can share with only a push of a button -- that button is to send. life is good, C.

I wondered too one night why our roo was hanging out by the door after dark and not going in. He was kind of growling/talking. Did a head count and that's when I clued in that he knew all were not home. She had roosted on the wrong side of the fence. He's a good boy that Dale.
Sad part is they also seem to know when the girls are not coming home as we are missing two, found one dead.

Shocking. 14 views, only one reply, smiling that big smile, CynthiaM.

Where are you all? Smiling again, that big smile.

One of my barred rock gals decided that she wanted to go home to her place of 8 momths ago, the buckeye cockerel was so sad, he waited until I picked her up and put her home, sure he would have stayed there all night, clearly he loved her, very deeply, those beautiful days and beautiful nights. CynthiaM.

I have always been intrigued by the buckeyes and am even more so now. I think I love the roosters more than the hens, majestic beasties they are, but when they are perfect protecting gentlemen, I love them even more.

I have noticed the Euskal Oiloa Roosters, young and old, always hang out by the door at the top of the fold down runway into the pop door, like a little sentinel, until it is closed at night. We noticed it especially last year when they were as young as 8-10 weeks old in a coop of assorted pure breeds, EO, dorkings, BLRWS, barnevelders, Wheaten marans and some Ameraucanas. The most handsome EO roo that did that was the one I bred with the hens last winter. His daddy is the same and both are talkers and they pace up and down the near side of their run when they see me, and it's the only time they ignore the hens! It is easy to recognize the greetings, the low grade warnings, the high grade warnings, the "hey girls here's food" and general contented chatter from these boys.

This past Saturday, I saw something pretty sweet. Speckled Jim, our 3 year old EO roo, has been in with his daughters for breeding this past few weeks. I had finally found my "10-day-missing" pet Sumatra, #6 a week before. I figured she had gone broody on her unfertilized eggs when the thermometer topped 30*C. I thought she was gone for good as raccoons will take care of any ground-nester overnight here, that's how we think we lost #4.

So the previous Saturday morning, I was taking left over pancakes to the birds still down in the barn and #6 sumatra came flying and buck bucking out of nowhere. I know baked goods is about all this hen would have come out for. I fed her pancakes from my hand, as she likes, and grabbed the now fluffed up swearing chicken as I knew I couldn't let her go as those eggs weren't fertile. I had to think quickly and I decided to put her in with the EOs in that tractor so she couldn't disappear and I knew she loved Jim and had been hanging around the tractor before she disappeared. Within minutes she was physically fine in there, if not a little furious. She's a different temperament to the EOs but every bit as confident.

Anyway, a week later I take them out some waffles, sumatras love waffles. I am not sure why, but she was hanging back at the far side of the coop, they can be sulky, and the EOs are certainly voracious when it comes to treats. They make the sumatras look slow which takes some doing! Specky was, as usual, chatting me up through the fence and telling the girls there's food, one was up in the coop, laying an egg inside and she stomped down the ladder to get these fresh waffle chunks, with #6 sumatra looking on. Speckled Jim had been picking up and dropping the pieces and telling the girls about these treats, like he usually did. Then he stepped back from the front of the run, to the back, to let the girls at them, then he looked at the sumatra beside him, came back to the thick of the waffles, grabbed a big piece in his beak and dropped it in right front of the sumatra, who immediately ate it, her first piece!

I have always known he is a sweet attentive roo, the best we've had here, but I thought that was lovely

What lovely caring instincts they can have! The Buckeyes sound very intelligent too, which makes a breed more interesting and entertaining I think!

Wonderful stories of wonderful chicken behavior everyone! A proper rooster can be such a blessing. The wrong rooster an equally horible curse.

I am loving that Jayme's forum is becoming a place to share such stories in addition to information, advice, and of course a place of commerce.

How does the rest of the population not blessed with chickens find meaning in their day?

WCPS is such a great place. I really enjoy reading everyone’s chicken stories.

^And good question PG. I can’t imagine not having chickens in my life. They bring so much joy and are one of the best stress relievers around. If I’m having a bad day, usually all it takes to make me feel better is sitting down with a cup of tea and watching my flock going about their day.

Ameraucana’s are my Buckeyes. Mostly nice temperaments and so very friendly. Love, love them.

That's a great story about your Buckeye there Cindi. Right now I have a bunch of the girls who are so, so close to laying moved over to the hen house. They are very friendly except to a little blue silkie rooster I put in. They certainly chased him around for a day but it's all calmed down now. My younger Buckeyes are still in the grower house, it's so funny when I open the door to go in they'll sometimes squeeze past my legs and get out but I just open the door up more and go in and they follow me back in. I'll have to be seeing to getting some pictures of the newest members of my Buckeye flock for you one of these days Cindi.

I am very curious about these Buckeyes. If only I had another coop, I'd be tempted to start a flock myself. Anyone have some pictures of these birds they'd be willing to share?

Ethan, I would love to see some pictures of your new stock, I am particularly interested to hear how the ones from Meyers are coming, especially, if there is that even mahogany throughout the body. I have 8 youngsters, still unsure of the gender, but I know one is a cockerel for sure. last night he was trying to show one of the other young pullets something on the ground to eat, a surefired keeper of the gals, even at this young age. There is one that stands out above the 8. I am sure that that one is going to have the beautiful colour that I strive for in my flock. He is so much darker, all over, than everyone else, I am saying "he", hoping that he will be a male, smiling.

My buckeyes are beautiful. The roosters are ever much so, but they need a little work on getting a more dark colour in the hackles and mane, just a tad bit lighter than the colour should be. But the body type is wonderful, as is the comb (well, I think they are pretty good type anyways, smiling).

The buckeyes are such an uncommon breed in Canada, it sure would be nice if more people took a hankering to them and helped to bring it to be a more well known and popular breed.

I still think that this breed will rank pretty close to the Australorpe for huge amounts of egg laying. As I said, since the pullets began, they haven't missed one day of laying yet. To me that is an excellent layer.

Here is a picture of my two cockerels. Almost old enough (one year October 1) to be called roosters, then they attain that word status, smiling again.

Enjoy. You will note on the mane and hackles that the feathers are just slightly lighter than the rest of the body. The colour needs to be worked on, should be full dark mahogany all over the feathers on the body, but still, to me, worth their weight in gold. Their eye colour has darkened too, and that is a good thing. Enjoy the pictures, and have that most beautiful day, CynthiaM.

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A buckeye hen and one of the roosters

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Wow nice pictures Cindi! And such a nice green background too!

Poultry poetry.

I find just sitting and watching my chickens to be a very calming soothing way to deal with the stresses of life. Its like watching a campfire, or an aquarium.
I just joined my youngsters with the elders recently too. I find it so interesting the way they form their little cliques and groups. I have five australorps I call the fab five that are inseparable. I don't have a rooster ruling the roost right now I had to separate my two faverolle roos from the group but I am considering letting them rejoin the group just to bring it together and train the young roos.
My youngsters like to hang out in the tall grass together and it is hard to tell if they are all in at night.
Amongst the youngsters are five blue orpingtons. This is my first experience with orpingtons and they are so huge. Even now not yet fully grow they are bigger than all my adult hens and even bigger than my roosters. They look so beautiful rooming around the yard. I think my favorite time of day is when I first let them out and they all come charging out and quickly disperse and begin their day. I just sit and watch them with my morning coffee, what a nice way to start the day.

Cynthia, your photos are like beautiful paintings. They are a spectacular breed.
And I love reading your musings - partly for the tranquility of your inspired words, but also because it comforts me to know that I'm not the only one who understands the clucks and squacks of her favorite hens and roosters.