Chickens for the Texas Heat

[TexasAggieOfc]

Welcome to the world of chickens!

As far as the heat, it got awfully hot up here in Northeast Texas this summer (110+!) and I and out of close to 100 birds at the time, I only loss two chickens to the heat. One was a Broiler that my daughter adopted, and as such I wasn't allowed to process and the other was a Lakenvelder (golden)

I'm pretty sure that heat wasn't a factor in the broiler as poor Shelley was 5 months old and quite a big girl (it could have exacerbated her problems though), and I can't say definitively that it killed the other Lakenvelder as her 3 other sisters weathered it fine.

When it gets hot, just provide them with good shade, plenty of ventilation, and in extreme heat ice (I filled up old 2 liter coke bottles with water and froze them then threw out in the chicken run for them), and even in Texas, most breeds will be fine!

Best of luck!

 

[galanie]

Well, you have a wide variety of chickens. They should all be able to stand the heat if you provide them shade and water. The pans of water for chickens to stand in and splash in is a good idea for the summer.

You should be able to get several very productive years of egg laying from each hen. A good idea to keep the flock productive is to remove a few older chickens for meat each year and add a few young chickens to the flock. The spring is the best time to add new chickens.

Do you plan on hatching any chicks, or will you continue to buy new chicks from a hatchery? If you plan to hatch chicks, did you get a rooster? If you plan to get a rooster, I would suggest a leghorn. A leghorn will add egg-laying productivity to your flock.

As far as egg laying goes, here is what you can probably expect on average with some of your hens I did not mention before:

Red Stars -- 5 eggs a week
Barred Plymouth Rock -- 4 eggs a week
Wyandottes -- 4 eggs a week
Buff Orpington -- 3 eggs a week
Jersey Giant -- 3 eggs a week
"Easter Egger" -- Difficult to tell since this isn't a breed, but they are often similar to Ameraucana -- about 3 eggs a week

But remember, there are individual variations, so some individual hens in a breed may be better or worse than average.

Buff Orpington 3 eggs a week? Are you serious? My hatchery Buff Orpingtons gave me 6-7 a week their first year and are doing 5-6 now. Even my "poor laying" breeder quality ones are better than that now, with 5-6 a week. Also, for heat tolerance of the breed I will just say this. They seemed to suffer no more than any other chicken during our horrible summer. I was out with them yesterday when it was pretty hot for this time of year. The Barred Rock and the Dark Cornish had their wings out like they were hot but the Orps were fine. I'm not saying the Orps are the breed to get, just that what I read above about Orpingtons is inaccurate.

 

[bj taylor]

i live in north central texas. heat was a big factor in my choices. because i have have to start out with a run that has no top (so i needed heavies) and because i wanted dual purpose, and because i wanted fairly gentle, (and pretty), i went for silver laced wyandotte, buff orpington, black australorp, and barred rock. i'm sure hoping my choices were good. my grand adventure begins next week (if they get here ok).

 

[Bullitt]

Buff Orpington 3 eggs a week? Are you serious? My hatchery Buff Orpingtons gave me 6-7 a week their first year and are doing 5-6 now. Even my "poor laying" breeder quality ones are better than that now, with 5-6 a week.

The numbers are average per year. You may have also been very lucky with your hens. If your Orpingtons can lay nearly 350 eggs a year, I would recommend that you breed them and sell them to farmers producing eggs.

http://www.mypetchicken.com/chicken-breeds/Orpington-B80.aspx

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orpington_(chicken)

https://www.backyardchickens.com/products/orpington#description

 

[galanie]

Buff Orpington 3 eggs a week? Are you serious? My hatchery Buff Orpingtons gave me 6-7 a week their first year and are doing 5-6 now. Even my "poor laying" breeder quality ones are better than that now, with 5-6 a week.

The numbers are average per year. You may have also been very lucky with your hens. If your Orpingtons can lay nearly 350 eggs a year, I would recommend that you breed them and sell them to farmers producing eggs.

http://www.mypetchicken.com/chicken-breeds/Orpington-B80.aspx

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orpington_(chicken)

https://www.backyardchickens.com/products/orpington#description

Simply saying "3 a week" makes it sound like in any given week, you'll only get one egg every three days. You're talking to someone who owns them and logs each layer's eggs, some each of hatchery and breeder stock, not someone that just got finished looking on Wiki. No need to be smart.

Your source for Barred Rock, 4 eggs a week, looks to be straight from My Pet Chicken. While your 3 a week appear to be your own rounding down from Wiki's numbers (175-200 per year) which looks to be really close to the very same figure, but the way you have it stated it looks like Orps lay 150 a year while Barred Rock lay 200 a year. Wait, Orps lay 200 a year according to Wiki, don't they?

ETA: And yes, I do have one that lays well over 200 a year. Her chicks are due to hatch next week, barring any horrid accidents with the incubator.

 

[Bullitt]

ETA: And yes, I do have one that lays well over 200 a year. Her chicks are due to hatch next week, barring any horrid accidents with the incubator.

That would mean you get about 4 eggs a week on average in a year. As I said, maybe you have been lucky with your hens. Some are better layers than others.

So a Buff Orpington will lay about 3 or 4 eggs a week on average in a year. How is that?

 

[galanie]

That is more accurate. How many do yours lay?

 

[ronniewayne]

In North east tx my best layers are red comets (red sex links) 1st laying yr ave 6 eggs per week had a hot dry summer and no lights for winter mine do free range and i have winter pasture for them although they are not great stew hens. next i would say are the rhode island reds..ave about 5 eggs per week 1st yr.. then the barred rock seems to do 4 to 5....the latter 2 larger so more stew meat..although i recommend raising broilers for meat and sell your hens after 1st yr lay from a pure money standpoint you will come out better. it goes without saying here to represent the hens you sell to the buyer as to their real age...some people dont care if they are over a year old. good luck sounds like you will have a real mix of breeds..

 

[robisonfamily7]

Im looking forward to my red sex links.

 

[robisonfamily7]

Well, you have a wide variety of chickens. They should all be able to stand the heat if you provide them shade and water. The pans of water for chickens to stand in and splash in is a good idea for the summer.

You should be able to get several very productive years of egg laying from each hen. A good idea to keep the flock productive is to remove a few older chickens for meat each year and add a few young chickens to the flock. The spring is the best time to add new chickens.

Do you plan on hatching any chicks, or will you continue to buy new chicks from a hatchery? If you plan to hatch chicks, did you get a rooster? If you plan to get a rooster, I would suggest a leghorn. A leghorn will add egg-laying productivity to your flock.

As far as egg laying goes, here is what you can probably expect on average with some of your hens I did not mention before:

Red Stars -- 5 eggs a week
Barred Plymouth Rock -- 4 eggs a week
Wyandottes -- 4 eggs a week
Buff Orpington -- 3 eggs a week
Jersey Giant -- 3 eggs a week
"Easter Egger" -- Difficult to tell since this isn't a breed, but they are often similar to Ameraucana -- about 3 eggs a week

But remember, there are individual variations, so some individual hens in a breed may be better or worse than average.

I do not have a lot of space, as they are in a closed-in chicken tractor, so I have not yet decided whether I could hatch chicks or not. My chicken tractor has a yard space of 8' x 5' and I am running 15 chickens in it. So a rooster would take up space and feed and not increase egg production. So, I am open to suggestions, but I do not see how I could raise chicks.
Another thing, I was told to NEVER introduce new pullets into an old batch, or the older ladies would peck them to death.

Thanks
Dman