BREEDING FOR PRODUCTION...EGGS AND OR MEAT.

[CanadianBuckeye]

As much as I love my Buckeyes, I would probably choose a different breed if I lived in a hotter climate.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

That's the truth.
One should always select breeds appropriate for their climate first. It solves lots of possible headaches. There are plenty of good breeds adaptable to one's normal weather trends.
The problem comes when you live someplace like I do where it can range from -20F to 110F (-28C to 44C) in a single year. And always with high humidity.

I've found the Jaerhon to be the best all around climate bird. Mediterranean breeds are good too. Most breeds can handle pretty cold temps but they tend to suffer in temps around 100+.

 

[GabrielBane]

The issue with Florida is just the darned humidity. It's suffocating sometimes, especially on a day that hits 105+F in the summer.

I've always preferred raising Mediterranean breeds , this is our first year raising European Imports, but hey, if Greenfire is doing it in Florida, we're sure we can do it (especially since we're further north).

The Sulmtalers are enjoying it outdoors immensely. But right now our high temps are ranging between 55-80 so it's nothing too extreme. We'll see how they adapt in the spring and summer.

 

[DesertChic]

Pm me your address. I'll share some Egyptian onions. These will be sprouted bulblets pulled from my Oklahoma garden and mailed.
My Buckeye hens stopped laying when the temps reached 100 and have not laid since. I hoped they would begin after molt, but no luck.

Oh! Well that's good to know. I've had the same problem with my Bielefelder girls. I learned pretty early on that the breed isn't compatible with our environment, but I didn't expect them to be THIS unproductive. It's been over 9 weeks since the better layer of the two has given me any eggs, and almost 14 weeks since the poor layer gave me anything. Their molts have been over for more than a month. If I don't start getting eggs soon I think I'm gonna turn them into soup, no matter how sweet they are.

 

[DesertChic]

But, you ONLY have 75 chickens!!!!! I'm SURE you have plenty of room for another project!!!!

- Ant Farm

And 24 eggs in the incubator.

 

[DesertChic]

Yeah, you guys are doing a really good job of convincing me to just stick with my NNs. They're perfect for my climate, and I do love their quirky personalities and variety in appearance.

And....if they do well as they age...the Silver Grey Dorkings I hatched out last month. Those SGDs have got to be the sweetest, friendliest chicks in existence. I'm not unaccustomed to friendly chicks, but those SGDs take it to a whole new level.

 

[miss heny]

Suprisingly enough the Swart Honas thrive in our humid MS weather. One would think the swedish bred chickdn wouldnt!

 

[holm25]

My Buckeyes are PERFECT for the climate here. Especially with their nice little pea combs! Out of all my birds the buckeyes and Brahms's are the only birds that really go outside with this kind of weather! We have 25-30 mile per hour winds and freezing temps and yet they go out to get a little to eat and scratch around in the snow.

NNs would stand a chance here... I don't think... maybe if they have the right set up but I don't heat our cool or do anything special in the winter. Heck I hardly even water them! My birds don't even drink water in the winter! They just eat snow. I don't think it's smart for them to do that but if that's the only way they are gonna drink I don't care.

 

[DesertChic]

My Buckeyes are PERFECT for the climate here. Especially with their nice little pea combs! Out of all my birds the buckeyes and Brahms's are the only birds that really go outside with this kind of weather! We have 25-30 mile per hour winds and freezing temps and yet they go out to get a little to eat and scratch around in the snow.

NNs would stand a chance here... I don't think... maybe if they have the right set up but I don't heat our cool or do anything special in the winter. Heck I hardly even water them! My birds don't even drink water in the winter! They just eat snow. I don't think it's smart for them to do that but if that's the only way they are gonna drink I don't care.

We had a couple hard freezes here this past week and my NNs loved it! Their water froze and all I did was break up the ice a bit. They ignored the water but went crazy for the ice chips. It was funny to watch.

 

[holm25]

We had a couple hard freezes here this past week and my NNs loved it! Their water froze and all I did was break up the ice a bit. They ignored the water but went crazy for the ice chips. It was funny to watch. 

Maybe cuz it's shiny lol? Mine love ice too... We had a tub full of minnows freeze so I put that in the run and I'm sure you can about imagine how that went!