Barnvelder vs amerucana...ready? Set...go!

[3chickchicks]

I live in Texas. We get temps into the 107-108 every year, occasionally 110-115. So heat tolerant is probably the most important thing.

I found someone with a barnvelder hen and an amerucana hen which they need to rehome. The amerucana, I'm betting, is hatchery stock. I wouldn't know how to tell if it's breed stock. The price suggests hatchery stock.

Anyway, I'd love some pretty blue eggs. But the barnvelder is a gorgeous bird too. I'd rather have a long term layer over a very productive but short term layer. They will free range in a protected back yard.
My current flock is nice, nobody picks on anyone. I'd like to keep it that way.

So which breed would you suggest?

Mine are 17 weeks old. These should start laying any day. I hope the age difference will be alright and since the "older bird" would be the one on new turf.

 

[Whittni]

Why not both?

Barnves are more likely to get sick, but lay a rich chocolate colored egg and are beautiful birds.
Ameraucanas are usually friendly and lay those cool colored eggs. I would say this is the more heat tolerant breed.

 

[3chickchicks]

Why not both?

Barnves are more likely to get sick, but lay a rich chocolate colored egg and are beautiful birds.
Ameraucanas are usually friendly and lay those cool colored eggs. I would say this is the more heat tolerant breed.

Thank you for the response!
The Barnvelder is so pretty with her double lace, but yeah I need a heat tolerant bird.

If I could, I would take both but I only have room for one more. My run is 4x8 and the coop is 4x4 so three is really the max. Mine free range but we get bad and unpredictable weather here with hail and tornadoes that knock down fences, etc. So I may need to keep them in the run for days at a time to keep them safe. Those are the two out of several birds they're needing to rehome that I'm interested in. If they only had two they were re-homing, I'd be more tempted.