Is it possible to get the best of both worlds?

[HaikuHeritageFarm]

If you trimmed the brown leghorns combs, would they then become cold hardy? Is the only bottleneck their combs and wattles?

Yeah, they seem to do great when we have cold weather here. We had a 50 degree temp drop last month followed by several days of blistering cold howling wind and temps in the teens and since we're down south I have open air coops that were tarped up to block the wind. No heat, fresh water 2x daily, the leghorns were all fine, no frostbite on the hens or cock, but my main cock did lose the tips of the points off his comb a couple of years ago. The legbars in the same coops had frostbite going half way down the blade of their comb and even lost their wattles they all kept laying, eating, drinking and chickening as normal. A less sudden switch in the weather would have probably made it even easier on them.

 

[Chickenguy420]

Is there a chicken with the oriental aesthetic of a gamefowl, that is simultaneously a great layer, a broiler, and cold hardy?
if no such bird exists, would cross breeding a gamefowl with a more domesticated chicken (for example AGB x Jersey giant) result in a useless bird, or a perfect cross? Has anyone tried this?

I have oriental gamefowl and they are great layers....and I've had them go broody twice in a year, also they are very hardy birds, they do well in cold and hot, and very disease resistance. IMHO

 

[NatJ]

If you trimmed the brown leghorns combs, would they then become cold hardy? Is the only bottleneck their combs and wattles?

Cold hardiness involves several things, including at least the following:
--whether they get frostbite on combs, wattles, feet, etc.
--whether they sit around puffed up and miserable while other chickens are happily foraging
--whether they actually die, when other chickens come through safely

Of course all of those can be affected by housing conditions too. Something as simple as being in a windy place or being in a sheltered place can make a major difference in how chickens act, and how well they do.

In general, the only problems I hear about for Leghorns in the cold are frostbitten combs & wattles. So it seems likely that Leghorns would cope with the other aspects of cold weather at least as well as most other breeds.

You could try getting a few hens each of the most promising breeds, observe them through at least one winter, and then decide which you like best. Once you decide, get more of that breed from the same hatchery (because the "same" breed may have different traits if it comes from a different breeding flock.)

 

[nuthatched]

Red orpington or speckled sussex?

 

[Chickenosauurs_RexNo54]

A great option possibly.
I would love a do it all chicken, and there are plenty out there, but if only they came in those wild colors.

There are plenty of breeds that come in those colors like Gauloise, Gamefowl, Welsummers, and others. Unless your looking for a cheap alternative?

 

[cubalaya]

I gave you one breed already. Another breed is buckeyes. No need to breed a bunch of mutts

 

[mwturn99]

I gave you one breed already. Another breed is buckeyes. No need to breed a bunch of mutts

I think I'll take your advice. Cubalaya seems like the best breed for my interests! I've been looking at online sellers for cubalaya, but all I can find are cubalaya bantams. I'm not interested in bantams since I'll be using them for meat too. Where can I find a high quality, dual purpose cubalaya? I'm just afraid all the sellers in America only breed for ornamental purposes, and not efficient genetics

 

[Nashv755]

Have you looked into Liege Fighter's (top picture)? What you're looking for sounds a lot like what I'm doing with my breeding experiment. 2nd picture is a cross between a Liege and a Phoenix. He doesn't really look much bigger than a Phoenix but a GOOD 2-3 pounds heavier. Liege feathers sit tighter to the body so they hide the extra mass. My cross is about halfway between the 2 breeds in size. I've read that breeds that handle the cold better usually have a smaller comb. Straight comb breeds are more prone to loosing comb and wattles from frostbite.

 

[Amer]

Cubalayas?
I know they are supposed to be multipurpose but I cannot confirm.
https://livestockconservancy.org/heritage-breeds/heritage-breeds-list/cubalaya-chicken/
But I know from experience that Buckeyes meet these criteria.

 

[Amer]

Lol I didn’t read the thread. I see that’s already been posted.