heat and cold tolerant birds

[woogiedaddy]

I live in northern NC and am looking to get my chickens next year. Most of the year we have hot or very warm weather, but it isn't odd for us to get a cold snap to 0F or below for a week or two.

What kinds of birds should I be avoiding or getting. At this point, I am looking at some barred rock, but was looking to add at least one more type. Wellsummer is one that has been mentioned that would do ok in my type of weather. I would like to stick to birds that are ok with that sort of temperature ranges. I realize that I can put some sort of heat lamp in the coop when it does get cold, but you can never be too careful. I have been going back and forth on this for a couple weeks now. There doesn't seem to be any definitive info on what temps are best for which birds.

I found an article on here about it, https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...ide-to-picking-backyard-chicken-breeds.64518/

Am I putting too much worry into this? I haven't even started my coop yet, but just looking ahead

 

[BantyChooks]

I'd recommend white leghorns. My experience with the hatchery strains is that they are incredibly hardy in all sorts of weather, good layers, and range wary. Yes, they have big combs, but that's not the whole cold-hardy package. Most other breeds are all decent in tolerance, and would do just fine down to zero, but the leghorns are one breed that have consistently stood out to me as being above average. When you start to see differences among breeds is when daytime highs don't see zero for over a week. Then the weaker or less lusty breeds start fading. So, I doubt it would really matter. I don't have hot weather by your standards, but the leghorns do well in whatever we do get.

 

[Dr.GarryTTucker]

So I know RIR are great heat and cold tolerant. For what I’ve ready the comb and wattle keep them cool in heat and the bulk feathers in cold. But the down fall is the lack of broody. I live in Texas and my RIRs do amazing in high heat high humidity of the Gulf. My Buffs don’t do bad and they are cold tolerant. But my chickens are set up under a huge shade tree. Leghorns are supposed to be good in both along with Easter Eggers

 

[Beer can]

You should be able to have most any breed in your climate. No heat is needed. Cold weather the most important thing is good ventilation, the humidity is what causes frostbite not the cold. I'm in upstate NY and our temps vary from 90-100 some weeks in the summer to many weeks of below zero in the winter.
Chickens are pretty hardy, I've had quite a few different breeds even the big floppy combed leghorns with no issues. Roosters will sometimes get some frostbite on the tips of their combs that heals up like nothing come spring. Never any on the hens.
IMHO the naked neck turkens are about the hardiest bird in hot weather and super cold. Lay great and make decent meat birds also.

 

[llombardo]

I am nervous about winters here. Chisho area weather is so unpredictable. So far they are doing ok with the extreme heat, very little panting, but I have water they can stand in and a mister going. I have barred rock, RIR, silver lace, golden lace, brahmas, leghorn and faverolle.