Best Florida Weather Adaptable Breeds

[ShiddyAcresFarm]

Hello, we are getting our first flock this weekend. I live in Florida and want to make sure I get a breed that is most suited for the extreme temperatures. It gets above 90 in the summer and in the low 20s in the winter. TIA for all the help.

 

[AmeliaBedelia]

Most seem to do okay with heat...I've heard a couple people say they've had issues with wyandottes. And black chickens especially will need constant access to shade so they can escape the sunlight as needed.

In general, the bigger the comb and wattles, the better for hot weather. And fatter/fluffier chickens usually don't do as well as slimmer breeds. That said, brahmas do fine in heat and they are pretty floofy AND don't have the largest combs.

Our cuckoo marans have done well. Easter eggers are also usually very hardy. I've also heard australorps do well.

You don't need to worry about cold with chickens in Florida...20 degrees will not phase them as long as they are in a dry shelter.

 

[ShiddyAcresFarm]

Most seem to do okay with heat...I've heard a couple people say they've had issues with wyandottes. And black chickens especially will need constant access to shade so they can escape the sunlight as needed.

In general, the bigger the comb and wattles, the better for hot weather. And fatter/fluffier chickens usually don't do as well as slimmer breeds. That said, brahmas do fine in heat and they are pretty floofy AND don't have the largest combs.

Our cuckoo marans have done well. Easter eggers are also usually very hardy. I've also heard australorps do well.

You don't need to worry about cold with chickens in Florida...20 degrees will not phase them as long as they are in a dry shelter.

Oh this is great! Thank you so much for the reply!

 

[Mamatomany123]

Most seem to do okay with heat...I've heard a couple people say they've had issues with wyandottes. And black chickens especially will need constant access to shade so they can escape the sunlight as needed.

In general, the bigger the comb and wattles, the better for hot weather. And fatter/fluffier chickens usually don't do as well as slimmer breeds. That said, brahmas do fine in heat and they are pretty floofy AND don't have the largest combs.

Our cuckoo marans have done well. Easter eggers are also usually very hardy. I've also heard australorps do well.

You don't need to worry about cold with chickens in Florida...20 degrees will not phase them as long as they are in a dry shelter.

My EEs and australorps, while they survive,have a pretty hard time. BUT we get hot, like 120 or over. I think the main thing to do is make sure your chickens have deep shade, cold water (I freeze some every night and set it out. They stand in it and drink it while it melts) and occasionally I'll put out a fan if there is no breeze.

 

[AmeliaBedelia]

Yes, I usually put a plastic dish of water in the freezer that I can dump into one of their water bowls around lunch. I also sometimes froze veggies or other treats into the water and set it out as a treat.

We usually have similar annual highs to north florida here, just our summer is a couple weeks shorter. The cuckoo marans were the only breed we had last year, and they did fine but definitely stuck to the shade and drank a LOT of water. They also dug a deep dust bath under the deck where I guess it was cooler.

Shade is also a big, big deal. Especially make sure your coop is shaded. If it isn't possible to build it under deep shade from a tree, consider a tent (like people set up to tailgate) to shade the roof. I'd also recommend having a wall or large window-sized section you can remove in summer that's covered in hardware cloth, with a window opposite and above the perches so there can be a cross breeze up high to remove hot air.

 

[3KillerBs]

Any Mediterranean breed should be good in a hot climate.

Also Australorps and the most common of the classic American "farmyard" chickens tend to do well in heat.

Weirdly, Brahmas do remarkably well in heat. I think that -- up to a point at least -- their thick feathers insulate them from heat as successfully as they insulate them from cold.

 

[Florida Bullfrog]

Any traditional breed does well here. What part of Florida? Florida has a wide spread of climates. In the north of the state winters can go down into the teens. In the south of the state it may never freeze. In between there’s a lot of variability.

If you have room and good forage habitat, game chickens will thrive. Traditionally Florida frontier settlers kept games feral and let them take care of themselves.

 

[Florida Bullfrog]

NM I see you addressed temps. So somewhere in the north.

Anything will do fine. I keep Wyandottes with my games and they’re fine with the heat.I let mine free range all the time though so they find their own shade and cool spots. They also have access to two cool ponds for constant fresh water.

 

[HenKeepers]

Hello, we are getting our first flock this weekend. I live in Florida and want to make sure I get a breed that is most suited for the extreme temperatures. It gets above 90 in the summer and in the low 20s in the winter. TIA for all the help.

We have 300+ birds just north of Gainesville. Water, shade, and a good dust bath area in the summer. Protection from north and west winds during the winter. Freezing water does not work with 300 chickens. A fountain pump can circulate water between 2 tanks with a float valve and hose on one to maintain water level. This will keep the water cooler than stagnant water.