Fiendish Foragers

South Africa once did a study on chickens as tick control, using them in an infested cattle pasture. The result? Each chicken ate up to 80 ticks an hour, significantly cleaning the field (abstract here, PDF study has to be purchased). Are chickens then an effective method to help eliminate an ever-increasing tick population (especially in Maine)?

We think they are and just over a year ago we began testing the theory with a slightly different approach than the study. We tested a unique heritage breed developed in 1800s Ohio by a practical woman named Nettie Metcalf who wanted a cold-hardy, dual purpose bird better than popular breeds at the time. Her fascinating journey and one specific trait of the birds she bred, helped us decide the Buckeyes were the right choice for us.

The one trait these birds had? Mouser reputations.

Studies show that a high mouse population generally translates to a higher tick population. Now some other chicken breeds will consider mice or bugs, but they haven’t built up quite the reputation as the Buckeye and we found out why. We put this breed to work in our own experiment and the results were good. Firstly, the Buckeyes do go after mice, frogs, and similar tiny fast-moving critters; they have a tough time catching them but even the chase is a big threat to mice. Secondly, they directly consumed tick populations. We went from getting ticks just walking out in tall lawn grass to only getting ticks show up in tall brush on the outskirts of the chickens’ free-ranging environment. We used sixteen Buckeye chickens over a two acre area.

Why Buckeyes in Maine

Some of you are already saying, ‘What about Guinea Hens?’ because we all know their tick-destroying reputation. But the fact is we’re not Guinea Fowl people. And in comparison with the Buckeyes, our chickens win out due to a many other factors. We’ll do a pro and con comparison list of the two on another blog post because that could get lengthy, but here are the main reasons we jokingly call Buckeyes our “apocalypse” chickens and why that matters to you.

We established these birds are feverish foragers. They also lay up to 240 brown eggs a year and they put on weight fairly quickly which equates to a bird that tastes good on the dinner plate.

Buckeye Chicken Challenges

Now next to the exquisite Ameracaunas we raise, these birds aren’t beautiful. They’ve got more of a rugged Spartan-warrior look, but these birds are so damn effective we made a pact to continue raising and selling them. It’s not all sparkles and sunshine with these birds. There are some challenges to raising them besides the obvious fact that you’re raising chickens at all.

Due to game-bird lineage, the birds generally require a higher protein diet to be at their healthiest. Free ranging helps provide them with bug (or other) protein but you may still need higher-protein feeds. Additionally, they are pretty territorial. Most chickens are, but these ones are a little more extreme with outsider chickens.

Quick Buckeye Chicken Stats

• Mature roosters weigh 9 pounds; mature hens weigh 6 to 6.5 pounds
• Pea combs, yellow skin, and dark red (mahogany) feathers
• Average egg production is 200 per year, on up to 240 per year
• Only American chicken breed developed entirely by a woman (read Nettie’s Buckeye story HERE)
• Buckeyes are not Rhode Island Reds – both are separate breeds
• Heritage Breed Status on the Livestock Conservancy: Threatened (see info HERE)
• Family-friendly birds that do well around little kids (rare aggressive males may show up, but we don’t keep them in our breeding flocks at Chisel’d Creek).

Chisel’d Creek Buckeye Chickens

Our Buckeye Chickens are bred for foraging, hardiness, production, and friendly personality. We do also strive to follow APA standards and most importantly we want to follow the vision that Nettie Metcalf had for the breed.

If you’re considering Buckeye Chickens for your own backyard or Maine farm, we can’t recommend them enough. These chickens really are the fiendish foragers reputed.

Maine locals, you can purchase Buckeye chicks from us HERE. And if you do get Buckeyes, we want to hear about your experiences! Let us know how their foraging skills work for you and your family. Drop a comment below or follow our Instagram HERE to stay connected and see what else we’re up to at Chisel’d Creek Farm.

Cheers!