Buckeye Chickens
— The Buckeye is a dual-purpose breed of chicken with a deep, lustrous red color of plumage. They have yellow legs and skin and pea combs. Buckeyes were developed by Mrs. Nettie Metcalf of Warren, Ohio, and are unique in the American Class of chickens in that it is the only breed created entirely by a woman. In the 1890s Mrs. Metcalf started by breeding a Buff Cochin male to Barred Plymouth Rock females. This produced what she considered a large, lazy fowl. The next year she purchased a Black-Breasted Red Game male and crossed this male over the half cochin pullets. This cross produced several red offspring and from there she developed the breed. The Buckeye is on the Livestock Conservancy’s Endangered Watch List.
American Buckeye Poultry Club
