The Buckeye chicken is named after the Buckeye state, Ohio. Mrs Nettie Metcalf of Warren, Ohio created the breed which is one of the American Class of chickens. Mrs Metcalf is the only woman to have engineered a breed of chicken in this Class. Nettie's aim was to breed a useful bird that could survive and thrive in the bitter Midwest winters.
She began by crossing a Buff Cochin cock with Barred Plymouth Rock hens resulting in what she considered large, lazy fowls. She then put a Black-Breasted Red Game cock over the half-bred pullets. Several of the offspring were red and from these birds, Nettie went on to further develop the Buckeye. This was before the introduction of Rhode Island Reds into the mid-west.
In 1896, Nettie learnt of the Rhode Island Red. After corresponding and trading with some Rhode Island Red breeders, she called her new breed Pea Combed Rhode Island Reds thinking that this would help sell her chickens to prospective buyers. This didn't happen so when she exhibited two birds at a poultry show in Cleveland, Ohio in 1902 she called them Buckeyes. The American Poultry Association admitted the Buckeye to the Standard of Perfection in 1904. Because of the lack of colour variations, the Buckeye has never been very popular as a show breed and was never adopted by commercial ventures.
Nettie bred for a short, compact body shape similar to a Cornish chicken although she did not use any Cornish chickens in her breeding programme. So the stocky Buckeye has a short, broad back, very fleshy thighs, wings and breast. It is a heavy bird with cocks weighing around 9 pounds and hens 6 pounds. The brown eggs are of a moderate size.
Ideally their colour should approximate the seeds of the Ohio Buckeye plant (Aesculus glabra). The Buckeye chicken has deep red or mahogany plumage. It is darker than the original Rhode Island Red but lighter than modern Reds. Although on the surface it can be difficult to distinguish between the Buckeye and the Rhode Island Red, the Buckeye has a slate coloured bar in the fluffy part of the back feathers whereas the Rhode Island Red's feathers should be the one red colour throughout the length. The tail is black. The legs and skin are yellow. A characteristic of both is the tight feathering where the feathers overlap each other very tightly creating a smooth, sleek appearance. These two breeds are the only American Class breeds that have this trait.
The Buckeye was bred to cope with cold winters and hot summers and it does this very well. The pea comb means there is less danger of frost-bitten combs. The Buckeye has a few traits not shared by other breeds. The cocks are very vocal and exhibit a wide range of atypical chicken noises including a dinosaur-like roar! They are very active and are good mousers! Chickens that actively hunt and catch mice are few and far between. Because they are such active and vigorous foragers, they do best under free range conditions where they have space to develop. This will prevent any tendency to weediness in the birds. Despite open conditions being best for the Buckeye it will adapt to being confined. Some breeds take to feather-picking when stressed due to over-crowding or competition for feed or nest space. This trait is rarely observed in the Buckeye.
They are friendly birds with little fear of humans and the cocks may become assertive and even aggressive during the breeding season. It is a dual purpose breed, plump and tasty while also laying an acceptable number of eggs. It is the ideal breed for those wishing to keep a few chickens for eggs and meat. Besides, it would help save an all-American breed from dying out.
Today the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy has the Buckeye on its 'critically endangered' list. The Slow Food USA Ark of Taste has also included the Buckeye on its list of heritage foods at risk of disappearing from the menus of today United States citizens.
Sources:
keepingchickens.blogspot.com
en.wikipedia.org