To repeat what I think you are after. You are not worried about meat or eggs. You contend with heat, not cold. Heat is more dangerous anyway. You want them to eat bugs and roam the yard so good foragers.
The chickens that the pioneers brought with them usually had a lot of Game in them. They were good foragers and were fairly small so they could fly really well. That gave them a bit of an advantage on getting away from predators but that does not mean they are safe from predators. Expect some losses. They provided eggs and meat but not a lot per bird. One advantage for the pioneers that may not be an advantage for you is that they went broody a fair amount. They would hatch and raise chicks. You can get a variety of colors and patterns so Games tend to make good eye candy. Do you plan to have a rooster for fertile eggs? Games are good if you want them to hatch and raise chicks.
In your heat I'd also consider Mediterranean breeds. Leghorns are the best known but there are different breeds that might work. Leghorns specifically tend to lay a lot of eggs but seldom go broody. I'll include a link to Henderson's breed chart that shows traits and tendencies by breed, plus a link to Feathersite so you can see what the chickens look like and colors/patterns available. It can be addictive looking through these.
Henderson’s Breed Chart
http://www.sagehenfarmlodi.com/chooks/chooks.html
Feathersite
http://www.feathersite.com/Poultry/BRKPoultryPage.html#Chickens
What I suggest is that you get different breeds in different colors/patterns and see what you like best.
The chickens that the pioneers brought with them usually had a lot of Game in them. They were good foragers and were fairly small so they could fly really well. That gave them a bit of an advantage on getting away from predators but that does not mean they are safe from predators. Expect some losses. They provided eggs and meat but not a lot per bird. One advantage for the pioneers that may not be an advantage for you is that they went broody a fair amount. They would hatch and raise chicks. You can get a variety of colors and patterns so Games tend to make good eye candy. Do you plan to have a rooster for fertile eggs? Games are good if you want them to hatch and raise chicks.
In your heat I'd also consider Mediterranean breeds. Leghorns are the best known but there are different breeds that might work. Leghorns specifically tend to lay a lot of eggs but seldom go broody. I'll include a link to Henderson's breed chart that shows traits and tendencies by breed, plus a link to Feathersite so you can see what the chickens look like and colors/patterns available. It can be addictive looking through these.
Henderson’s Breed Chart
http://www.sagehenfarmlodi.com/chooks/chooks.html
Feathersite
http://www.feathersite.com/Poultry/BRKPoultryPage.html#Chickens
What I suggest is that you get different breeds in different colors/patterns and see what you like best.
