Chicken breed
Buckeye
Also called Pea Combed Rhode Island Red (early name)
The Buckeye is an Ohio-developed dual-purpose breed with mahogany-red feathers and a small pea comb. It is very cold-hardy, an active forager and a good meat bird. Hens lay brown eggs and can go broody.
At a glance
175–260eggs a year
3–5eggs a week
16–20weeks to first egg
6.5 lbhen weight
9 lbrooster weight
Largeegg size
Traits
- Cold hardyhigh
- Heat tolerantmedium
- Goes broodymedium
- Fine in a small runmedium
- Egg colour
- brown
- Temperament
- active yet gentle; docile
- Origin
- United States (Warren, Ohio)
- Comb
- pea
- Bantam size
- Available
- APA standard
- Recognized
- Conservation
- Watch
- Purpose
- dual
Good for
- cold climates
- free-ranging
- meat and eggs
Watch out for
- active forager that likes to range
- adapts to heat only gradually
Looks and feathers
Mahogany-red with black tail and slate undercolor; tight feathering. Only American breed credited entirely to a woman (Nettie Metcalf).
Our drawing shows the most common US variety; colours vary.
Similar breeds
All breedsSources
- 1Buckeye Chicken (breed facts)The Livestock Conservancy
- 2Buckeye Day Old Chicks (product/breed profile)Meyer Hatchery
- 3Accepted Breeds & VarietiesAmerican Poultry Association
- 4Buckeyes (product/breed profile)Cackle Hatchery
- 5Buckeye (breed page)My Pet Chicken
Hatcheries often disagree on eggs a year; ranges span every source we read. How we check the facts.