New person over here!

[Chic Rustler]

hello from north Texas. 105-106°f is pretty regular for us. There are several breeds that are successful here. Rhode island reds, australorp, barred rock, buff orpington , sex links, marans, etc.

Just got have a good coop with ventilation and some shade.

 

[baymule]

Welcome from NE Texas. I second the breeds @Chic Rustler listed. I currently have Delawares (don't like them) Red sex links (love them, they are calm, sweet and LAY) and Easter Eggers (they lay a green or blue egg, not the best layers, but I like the colored eggs)

I am going to try Australorps next. I am looking for that WOW breed that I just can't imagine doing without. I also am interested in Speckled Susex.......I like eye candy.....LOL

We will be glad to help you any way we can, just love to see young families take charge of their lives and live the good life. I do a lot of canning, as do others here. So if you have questions, just ask!

 

[milkmansdaughter]

Welcome from North Alabama.
You'll find lots of support here in all areas, so feel free to look around, and ask questions. We'll be looking forward to learning more about you and your family.

 

[Beekissed]

My Dominique hens are a dream. My rooster is evil. Ok, he's not that bad but my daughter does have to carry a stick because he likes to go for your ankles. He is, however, an amazing protector of the hens and is very gentle with them. Hence why he's still around. @Beekissed how do your white rocks do in the heat? They sound like a great bird for docile temperaments and great layers. They might be a good choice.

They do remarkably well in the heat for such large birds. Their feather depth and the nature of their feathering seems to insulate them against the heat. As long as they have available shade, they do as well as any other breed.

They also winter well for the same reasons, laying on fat in the fall and their thick feathering and slow metabolism makes them great winter keepers.

Very feed thrifty if you free range as chicks, free range first each day and feed in the evenings.

 

[tortoise]

I'm in northern WI and Rhode Island Reds and Buff Rock do well here with our frigid winters. (Lows of -20 for weeks). We've had RIR in a freestanding wooden coop with a heat lamp. We've had roosters refuse to sit under heat lamp and get frostbit combs. I prefer a breed with a pea comb for cold tolerance to avoid that frostbite issue.

We get 90 degrees in summer regularly, occassionally up to 100. They seem unaffected as free ranging, they seek out shade and water. We have a group of chickens in our barn which runs cool and has ample ventilation. The barn birds do well, but this past summer we put a box fan on them.

 

[NH Homesteader]

Your birds are so much luckier than mine. No way they're getting a heat lamp! We get down to -20 also. The pea combs are nice for sure, I'm worried about my poor dorking roo this winter!

 

[Chic Rustler]

I forgot to mention the most obvious answer for hot weather birds.

White Leghorn. They can take heat like nobody's business.


I need to get some for myself

 

[NH Homesteader]

Bay I've heard great things about the Speckled Sussex. My friend has some and he loves them. They're kind of a scrawny carcass, although it could be he didn't wait long enough to butcher the ones I saw.

Remember when I said my roo wasn't evil? I lied. He just attacked my dog. Jerk.

We have a lot of breeds. Primarily focusing on breeding Dominique, dorking and cornish. Then we have a bunch of randoms. I absolutely adore our white orpingtons. They're awful heavy and fluffy so not sure how heat tolerant they are. But they're just sweet and relatively calm.

 

[Britesea]

I just got some Speckled Sussex this year, and so far I love them. The cockerels we've butchered so far have been on the small side, but I think they just grow a bit slower than the actual meat breeds. They are pretty gentle so far, and SO pretty!

 

[baymule]

That clinches it, I am going to get some in the spring!