# BUCKEYES - Myth or Legend



## BuckeyeChickens

The Buckeye is an American breed and the ONLY breed of chicken developed by a woman in Ohio (hence the name Buckeye, named after the Buckeye state)!!! It was accepted by the APA for the Standard of Perfection (SoP) in 1904 and because it is a Pea Combed fowl is very cold climate tolerant. Mrs. Metcalf moved to California in the early 1900's and wrote this detailed account of the breeds history shortly after leaving here beloved state of Ohio;

_History of the Buckeye_
_NETTIE METCALF_​
We began housekeeping in 1879 with a flock of pure-bred Brown Leghorns, and didn't like them. They were into everything, scratched and destroyed more than their necks were worth, laid only in the spring, and hid their nests! When I wanted to kill one it was "always the wrong time of the year," according to my husband, for they were always scrawny and in poor condition......

....<having settled on Barred Rocks to raise for broilers> I traded eggs with a neighbor who had Buff Cochins, and used the cockerels so raised with my Barred Rock hens and pullets. This produced a big, lazy fowl, so I looked around for something else to mix in. I visited a breeder of Black Breasted Red Games, who claimed his stock was pure, but I noticed that they were not uniform, some of them having yellow and some slate-colored legs, yet so handsome were they that I bought eggs and raised some fine cockerels from them,which I crossed upon my flock of hens.

This year's mating produced a few red birds, something never seenaround there before, and which attracted my attention and aroused an ambition to try and reproduce them. How I was laughed at for the attempt. Well, ridicule and opposition are just the spurs some people need,so I determined to "show folks" or die trying. I had no yards or conveniences except one 10x12 coop and the run of the 100-acre farm, but whoever heard of a woman stopping for anything, once her mind was made up! The backyard was fenced and there were big picket gates on theplace which nearly always stood open, so I got a boy to help me unhinge acouple and carry them across two corners of the back yard; then, I borrowed acouple of big boxes for coops, and what more was needed? I penned up two pairs in these small enclosures. Had I to do this over again, I would start with onepair, but I was afraid of in-breeding in those days, so doubled my troubles by starting with two pairs, thus getting the defects of four progenitors instead of two.

My, what a flock I raised that year! No wonder my friends laughed!Green legs and feathered legs, buff chicks, black chicks, and even red andblack barred chicks; single combs and pea combs, and no combs at all, but fighters from away back. One good neighbor quit laughing and decided to help me out, but her husband "didn't want any of those Metcalf mongrels on the place"! Many names for my new breed suggested themselves, and year after year they bred truer to the type I had in mind, which was a modified Cornish shape, with the very darkest of red plumage, hens containing some black not being objectionable to me so long as the males kept that dark red shade I admired.

I finally decided upon the name Buckeye Reds,and advertised and sold eggs to well-pleased customers, although some ofmy neighbors thought I ought to be prosecuted for fraudulently using the mails."My" they used to say, "anyone could mix up a lot of chickensand name them something and sell the eggs; it isn't right." But when they saw some of the letters from pleased customers they began to go so far as tooffer to trade eggs or roosters with me, and one man even made me the magnificent offer of "some fine, fat cockerels, Rocks, all ready for market, if I would give him their weight (their .weight, mind you) in late-hatched pullets." He calculated on getting about two pullets for each cockerel, you see.

Late in 1896, after having made up my mind to apply to have mybreed admitted to the standard as Buckeye Reds, Iread an' article describing Rhode Island Reds, andfor the first time found that the red chicken, idea was not original with me,but had been worked at many years down east. I immediately corresponded withleading breeders of Rhode Island Reds, exchangedbirds and eggs with them, only to find that they bred to a lighter shade ofred, and that they had rose and single combs while I had single and pea combs.

I now knew that the black-breasted Red Games I had bought were mixed with the Indian Game and that that was where I had obtained the pea comb,to me the finest of all combs. Leading Rhode Island Red breeders, among them the late R. G. Buffington, advised me to drop the name Buckeye Reds and call mine Rhode Island Reds also, as they seemed to think they were so very similar. The help of a large club appealed to me and I finally took this bad advice, but was careful to keep the rose, single and pea combs yarded separately.

The difference in shape and comb and depth of color, however,convinced me that they ought to be bred to a different standard, and when the Rhode Island Red Club adopted the new standard, cutting out all slate inundercolor, I knew that standard would never do for Buckeyes.

My reason told me that all wild birds of brilliant plumage had slate, or leaden blue, undercolor, and I felt sure that this dark pigment was necessary in order to retain the dark plumage in the offspring. So, while I threw in my single combs with the Rhode Island Reds, and bred them in their standard, my pea combs were bred along the old lines, and I returned to the old standard and name of Buckeye Reds. This old standard called for "a bar of slate across the feathers of the back, next to the surface color, the rest ofthe undercolor being red.''

In December, 1902, I fitted up a pen of Single Comb Rhode Island Reds and a pair of Buckeyes for the Cleveland show, atthe same time submitting a standard for Buckeyes and petitioned the AmericanPoultry Association to admit them to the standard. This was the first official showing for both breeds, the rule governing the admission of new breedsrequiring that two generations must be shown at three annual meetings of theAmerican Poultry Association. I lost the year 1903 by showing at an adjourned,instead of a regular, meeting, showing at Indianapolis instead of atHagerstown. Therefore, the technicality kept the Buckeyes out of the standarduntil 1905, while the Rhode Island Reds, single comb, were admitted in 1904.

My husband and I personally attended the meeting at Rochester, N.Y., in 1904, where we showed for the second time officially. The following yearI was unable to attend the meeting at Indianapolis owing to my mother'sillness, but sent birds for the third and last official showing, at the sametime submitting proofs in the shape of affidavits from breeders of Buckeyes,sworn to before notaries public, proving that they bred true to type and wereas claimed, and the Buckeyes were admitted February, 1905.

It was a heap more of a job than I had ever expected when I began,and I think I should have given up after the first showing at .Cleveland butfor the encouragement of the president and secretary of the American PoultryAssociation, who visited Red Feather Farm, August 24, 1903, examined my breed,and advised me by all means to go on with them, as in their opinion there wasmore than enough difference between them and the Rhode Island Reds to justify my claims to a distinct breed.

Now the difference is summed up in this way briefly: The Buckeye should be as much darker in color than theaccepted Rhode Island Red as the Rhode Island Red is darker than the buffbreeds. Their plumage should be so dark as to male as to look almost black insome lights, garnet-red being as near a description as I can give. The shapeshould resemble the Cornish Game, but the Buckeye isnot as hard in feather and has more fluffiness in plumage, but not so much asthe Rhode Island Red.

The comb of the Buckeye is a pea comb,small and close fitting to the head, and the weight of the bird is much greaterthan is apparent from the size, although I personally much prefer a maleweighing eight to nine pounds.The laying qualities of the Buckeyes are proverbial, and they areexcellent sitters and mothers, although not very much inclined to broodiness.

I never aspired to a show breed, my object being utility qualitiesonly; but the great beauty of the Buckeyes is a sore temptation, and in thefuture more show birds will be produced yearly.

(printed in October 1917 "Poultry Success" Vol 28)


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## Circle_U_Farm

Welcome back Jeff. Glad to have a home for the buckeyes here on the chicken forum again. Welcome to anyone interested in buckeyes.


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## BuckeyeChickens

I have been extremely busy with my cattle and poultry since early May and as you know my priorities do NOT revolve around BYC or the Chicken Forum! Thanks for the warm welcome back, Josh!


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## TXRedBird

Well its about time we have another Buckeye thread for those of us that love raising them. My "Lay" Buckeyes are coming along fine, just started getting my first eggs a few weeks ago. And I do like me some nice dark colored Buckeye's !


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## Itsacutefuzzball

I wish I could get buckeyes, but my coop cannot hold more chickens, sadly.


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## Bill_Dyke

Good to see a Buckeye thread up and running again Jeff. Glad to see you're still using my "flag" too.


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## BuckeyeChickens

Bill_Dyke said:


> Good to see a Buckeye thread up and running again Jeff. Glad to see you're still using my "flag" too.


Hey Bill, thanks for adding that post over at the APA Facebook page regarding the American Buckeye Club website/blog update! I hope it didn't get deleted?!?!?


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## Bill_Dyke

You're welcome Jeff. I just this minute checked, Mon. 7/29 1:35 PM, and it's still there. I think I'm still under the radar with those in control there and it doesn't appear that I pose the same threat to them as some others may, at least for now. I'm going to try and keep it that way. Being rather anonymous does have it's advantages. I don't make waves there so they don't really know who I am. And I pretty much stay away from BYC and some of the other places where I may be tempted to get into the fray.


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## BuckeyeChickens

The Buckeye is alive and well.....we have our FIRST ever "Grand Master Exhibitor" for the breed (unofficially, we are awaiting confirmation from the APA), Shumaker Farm's located in SW Ohio. Shumaker Farm's Buckeye Cockerel won Reserve Champion Large Fowl at Lucasville, Ohio recently.....a show that had 2700 fowl exhibition, too! Congrats to Joe & Sydney Shumaker for the HUGE win and for reaching GRAND MASTER status with the APA.










I'm gonna go out on a limb and say Shumaker Farm's will ALWAYS be a Buckeye Legend....certainly NO Myth here!!!


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## BuckeyeChickens

Where are those BUCKEYE breeders/owners???


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## Shumaker

Thanks Jeff for your vote of confidence. Our family has been truely blessed with being able to work with this breed of poultry. "Legend"?!?! That's a tall order...maybe one day but we have to get this breed on a national setting first. I'd like to do the same kind of thing with the bantam buckeyes as well. 

Last weekend in Marietta, OH we were fortunate; A buckeye cock won Champion American and Grand Champion Large Fowl. It was a smaller show of only 700 birds but a buckeye still made it up front so it was a good day for the breed.


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## BuckeyeChickens

Just wanted to congratulate Joe Shumaker of Shumaker Farms for being recognized as the FIRST Buckeye "Grand Master" within the American Poultry Association (APA)! It's a great year for the Shumaker's and for the Buckeye breed as well.


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## Bill_Dyke

Congratulations to Joe & Sydney Shumaker, and Shumaker Farm. This wasn't just handed to them but required years of hard work. That hard work has paid off. Don't slow down now guys. Keep 'em coming!


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## BuckeyeChickens

Bill_Dyke said:


> Congratulations to Joe & Sydney Shumaker, and Shumaker Farm. This wasn't just handed to them but required years of hard work. That hard work has paid off. Don't slow down now guys. Keep 'em coming!


Yup, the Buckeye Legend still lives Bill ****!!! With Shumaker Farm's becoming the FIRST ever Buckeye Grand Master within the APA the breed will certainly grow and grow!!! Nothing like a little envy to light a fire under some of those Buckeye exhibitors who are struggling to get their Buckeyes on Champion Row in the BIG shows. Maybe some of them are happy announcing in the Poultry Press they had "Best of Breed" at XYZ fair or some local 100 Large Fowl show?!?!? Sad thing is many of them have been showing Buckeyes several years longer than Joe & Sydney, too! Some like to pound their chest and talk about one Reserve Champion win they had almost a decade ago.....blah, blah, blah and in the same breath make a lame effort to dismiss the hard work the Shumaker's have put into their Buckeye breeding and exhibition program. Yes sir, the Buckeye Nation is just starting to ramp up so look out folks!!!


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## BuckeyeChickens

Another Shumaker Farms Buckeye wins Reserve Champion Large Fowl at Lucasville, Ohio a couple weeks ago!


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## BuckeyeChickens

This weekend the Buckeye breed will be the spot light American breed at the Ohio National poultry show in Columbus, Ohio (Nov 7-8-9). Nearly 10,000 birds have been entered this year and the Buckeye has over 70 entries making it one of the biggest group of Buckeyes shown in modern times! The American Buckeye Club will be on hand with a booth and several ABC members can answer any questions you may have about this outstanding American dual purpose breed. Currently the ABC has nearly 1000 active members and we hope to see many new people joining in 2015 as well. We have supported several large poultry shows around Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky since 2008 and will be doing many, many more in the future! If you plan to be in Columbus, Ohio this weekend or within a few hours driving distance I encourage you to visit the Ohio National and stop by and chat with The American Buckeye Club.


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