Mail order chicks

Chris McCary photo

I ordered twenty five day old Buckeye chicks today. They will arrive by mail in the next few weeks. Seems I am back in the chicken business. The chicken putting-up-with, anyway.

Well, I really do love chickens. They are so funny. And smart. And animated, and communicative. And they are the only pet that can make you breakfast.

Buckeyes are a special breed. They are a heritage breed, original to the United States, and the only breed developed by a woman. They are lovingly raised and the lineage protected by dedicated breeders throughout the US.

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!”

http://www.albc-usa.org/cpl/buckeye.html

As Chris McCary writes in his The Ultimate Fowl Blog:

The Buckeye is a dual purpose breed and as its name implies, it heralds from the State of Ohio originating sometime before 1896. It is the only American breed with a pea-comb. The Buckeye also has the distinction of being the only breed of chicken created entirely by a woman, Mrs. Nettie Metcalf in Warren, Ohio. It was admitted to the American Poultry Association’s (APA) Standard of Perfection in 1904. Mrs. Metcalf’s Red Fowl creation pre-dates the introduction of the Rhode Island Red to her Mid-Western area.

Mrs. Metcalf set out to create a large red fowl. She began by first crossing a Buff Cochin male to Barred Plymouth Rock females. She then crossed the half Cochin pullets with a Black Breasted Red Game male she acquired the next year, probably of Oriental ancestry and genetically Wheaten or dark Wheaten in color. She took the red offspring of this mating to create the breed.

Mousers! Pets! Roaring rooster! Oh my! What a fun time this will be!

I also like that the grown birds are too big to be carried off by a hawk, the nasty things. We'll continue our vigilance for fox, raccoon, feral cats, dogs and skunk, but those are pretty big targets. Slower, too.

So, stand by. My daughter and I will keep you updated on the new venture. Pictures, too. Won't George be surprised when he gets home!