Best Chicken Breeds for Extreme Temperatures

[Iluveggers]

I don't think chancteclers handle high temperatures very well

I googled Celsius to Fahrenheit conversion. 30C is about 86F. To me, that isn’t a high temp, especially if it’s only on occasion. Maybe it’s just perspective? In NY, high 90s is high. In Southern USA 100s is high.

 

[SirPecksALot]

Thanks for the advice! Some summers it does get quite a bit hotter than 30 degrees, and that's usually when the chickens are doing the worst, but around 30 degrees is when they start panting and drinking more. We tend to get pretty cold, damp winters, and we've already got quite a bit of snow on the ground. So we do have a few chickens- like our Marans crosses- that take the winters really well, but seem to be boiling in their feathers during the summer. So I'm just looking to see if there are any chickens that take both hot and cold temperatures well.

 

[3KillerBs]

I googled Celsius to Fahrenheit conversion. 30C is about 86F. To me, that isn’t a high temp, especially if it’s only on occasion. Maybe it’s just perspective? In NY, high 90s is high. In Southern USA 100s is high.

Yep. For me 95f is normal summer weather.

Thanks for the advice! Some summers it does get quite a bit hotter than 30 degrees, and that's usually when the chickens are doing the worst, but around 30 degrees is when they start panting and drinking more. We tend to get pretty cold, damp winters, and we've already got quite a bit of snow on the ground. So we do have a few chickens- like our Marans crosses- that take the winters really well, but seem to be boiling in their feathers during the summer. So I'm just looking to see if there are any chickens that take both hot and cold temperatures well.

Brahmas are supposed to be quite tolerant of cold but they are also weirdly heat-tolerant.

The ones I've had here in central NC *do* spend more time dug into the ground staying cool in the summer than the lighter breeds, but seem to suffer less than the Wyandottes. I suspect that their thick feathers also insulate them from the sun.

I don't know how my beloved Australorps fair in severe winters.

 

[Sally PB]

I don't know how my beloved Australorps fair in severe winters.

I wouldn't say I have severe winters. Lots of days in the teens and 20s (Fahrenheit), and nights in the teens with some in the single digits. We do get below zero, but not too far, or too often, or for too long, usually.

My Australorps have been fine. If it's going to be 0-5 above for a day, I'll put a dish of snow in the coop for them to eat, instead of going outside for water. I don't keep water in the coop, but there is a bowl of feed in there. Then I close the people and pop doors to cut down on any breeze. I'll check on them every 2-3 hours to see how they're doing.