Replacement- Heat tolerant, colored egg chickens

[CabritaChicks]

Chicken replacement math is officially underway—my husband is very upset about losing one of his favorites from the flock, and he’s determined to bring in some new birds after my next surgery (so there is no rush). We're planning to either order chicks or hatching eggs, but I want to be intentional about the breeds we choose this time around.

Given our hot, humid climate (year round- no winter), I’m specifically looking for heat-tolerant breeds that lay colored eggs. I have no issue rehoming any extras we don’t keep as the island is slim pickin for expensive birds- and I have friends who just started their chicken journeys, so I’ve got some flexibility with how many I raise.

One option I’m also considering (yet is not ideal) is hatching from my current flock. That would likely mean chicks from our rooster—who seems to be a mix of Marans, White Leghorn, Splash something—crossed with our Rhode Island Reds. The resulting chicks would probably lay brown eggs. Nothing wrong with brown, of course, but I’m hoping to add more variety in egg colors this time (just a personal preference).

On the aesthetic side, I’m especially drawn to gray-colored chickens—they're just so striking. I’ve been reading up on the Whiting True Blue, or Cuckoo Bluebar Blue-Egger which lays blue eggs and often comes in that lovely silvery-gray coloration. They’re said to be heat-tolerant, but I did notice they have smaller combs, and I’ve read that might not be ideal for hot climates where comb size helps with heat regulation. I’d love to know if anyone has experience with them in tropical or very warm conditions.

So with all that in mind, I’m open to breed suggestions that combine good heat tolerance, colorful eggs, and ideally some unique feathering or appearance. Personality is a bonus too—friendly birds are always welcome in our little flock as I raise them more like pets than livestock. Thanks in advance!

 

[Amer]

The cuckoo Bluebar Blue-Egger or Cream Legbar would be good for those traits. The Leghorn ancestry helps with the heat.

 

[thecatumbrella]

Seconding cream legbars. Less meat to overheat, big combs, auto sexing.

 

[MysteryChicken]

Chicken replacement math is officially underway—my husband is very upset about losing one of his favorites from the flock, and he’s determined to bring in some new birds after my next surgery (so there is no rush). We're planning to either order chicks or hatching eggs, but I want to be intentional about the breeds we choose this time around.

Given our hot, humid climate (year round- no winter), I’m specifically looking for heat-tolerant breeds that lay colored eggs. I have no issue rehoming any extras we don’t keep as the island is slim pickin for expensive birds- and I have friends who just started their chicken journeys, so I’ve got some flexibility with how many I raise.

One option I’m also considering (yet is not ideal) is hatching from my current flock. That would likely mean chicks from our rooster—who seems to be a mix of Marans, White Leghorn, Splash something—crossed with our Rhode Island Reds. The resulting chicks would probably lay brown eggs. Nothing wrong with brown, of course, but I’m hoping to add more variety in egg colors this time (just a personal preference).

On the aesthetic side, I’m especially drawn to gray-colored chickens—they're just so striking. I’ve been reading up on the Whiting True Blue, or Cuckoo Bluebar Blue-Egger which lays blue eggs and often comes in that lovely silvery-gray coloration. They’re said to be heat-tolerant, but I did notice they have smaller combs, and I’ve read that might not be ideal for hot climates where comb size helps with heat regulation. I’d love to know if anyone has experience with them in tropical or very warm conditions.

So with all that in mind, I’m open to breed suggestions that combine good heat tolerance, colorful eggs, and ideally some unique feathering or appearance. Personality is a bonus too—friendly birds are always welcome in our little flock as I raise them more like pets than livestock. Thanks in advance!

Combs do not help with heat regulation. If that were the case all my roosters I've dubbed would be dead due to the excess heat we get from time to time. Combs serve nothing more then a target, & occasionally a health indicator.

 

[CabritaChicks]

Combs do not help with heat regulation. If that were the case all my roosters I've dubbed would be dead due to the excess heat we get from time to time. Combs serve nothing more then a target, & occasionally a health indicator.

Okay, that is fascinating. I trust you- since a lot of material I read is from what I call the 'peanut gallery'. We are our coolest 74 (night), and go up to 95ish (with very high humidity year round, but more so in the rainy season which temps can go up higher, African dust, and humidity makes the air thick through part of the season).

Seconding cream legbars. Less meat to overheat, big combs, auto sexing.

Okay- for some reason I did not know they laid blue eggs! I love the hairdo.

 

[MysteryChicken]

Okay, that is fascinating. I trust you- since a lot of material I read is from what I call the 'peanut gallery'. We are our coolest 74 (night), and go up to 95ish (with very high humidity year round, but more so in the rainy season which temps can go up higher, African dust, and humidity makes the air thick through part of the season).


Okay- for some reason I did not know they laid blue eggs! I love the hairdo.

Our hottest day was in the mid 90s.

 

[The Moonshiner]

Okay- for some reason I did not know they laid blue eggs! I love the hairdo.

You might like Opal Legbars more then the CCLs

I'd also disagree with the idea that large combs don't help in the heat.

 

[fluffycrow]

Our summers regularly get to 40+ degrees Celsius temps, and relatively humid. This week has been pretty much unbearable for us humans, dogs, and most wildlife, since the lowest it has been is 37 degrees Celsius, with the highest somewhere around 43.

The free ranging birds here are mostly a single combed Greek landrace, as well as one Oriental Gamefowl (of sorts), and four of his offspring that also have some Brahma blood in them. More specifically, 3 hens have pea combs, and 2 males have pea combs. 1 male has a somewhat large single comb (see below), and all the other hens in the group have single combs. All the mixes (with the exception of the gamefowl) are very gifted in the feather department, while all the landraces are tightly feathered.

Pictured here, the landrace male (somewhat large single comb) and the mixed male (heterozygous pea comb).

With the heat we’re experiencing, every single group member with a pea comb has been noticeably more inactive than their single combed friends. In fact, at 14:20 today, when the temperature had dropped to a somewhat comfortable 38C, the single combed birds were foraging, while the pea combed birds would not leave the shade of the fruit trees. If that isn’t enough, the Landrace male, just like his father before him, shows no signs of being hot, unless the temp goes over 43C. The single combed hens do show signs of being hot (panting and lifting their wings from their body), but are not glued to one cool place until the afternoon. Egg production seems to be ok as well, with 8 eggs out of 10 or so laying hens.

All this has left me to believe that comb surface does play a role in helping birds deal with heat.

As for breed recommendations, I have none. I will also encourage you to look at breeds with a lot of surface area on their comb, but I’m not sure that legbars are exactly what you’re looking for. They’re a bit too “poofy” in my eyes. If there are any local mixes, that have been living on your island for generations, I’d trust them more.

Maybe mixing some breeds of your choice could also work. Something to give the egg laying gene you want, and something else to give the build, comb type and colour you prefer

 

[CabritaChicks]

Our summers regularly get to 40+ degrees Celsius temps, and relatively humid. This week has been pretty much unbearable for us humans, dogs, and most wildlife, since the lowest it has been is 37 degrees Celsius, with the highest somewhere around 43.

Maybe mixing some breeds of your choice could also work. Something to give the egg laying gene you want, and something else to give the build, comb type and colour you prefer

I've noticed something similar with my jungle fowl. They've been on the property for generations, but honestly—they’re incredibly skittish, even though one was raised from an egg alongside my other chicks. Still not exactly friendly and definitely the most high-strung of the bunch.

My Egger, who has a pea comb, seems to struggle the most with the heat. She constantly looks uncomfortable, and I have to keep a close eye on her to make sure she's eating and drinking. She tends to retreat into the shade along with my New Hampshire Red mix when the temperature climbs.

In contrast, my rooster (a Marans, Leghorn, and Splash mix) and my Rhode Island Red seem totally unbothered by the heat. They both have larger combs, which might be helping with heat regulation.

Just to give some perspective—my husband is from Thessaloniki, and we still have a home in Pefkohori that we rent out. We’re very familiar with hot summers, but even our relatives from Greece were shocked when they visited us here. The first thing they said when they stepped outside was, "Αυτό είναι πιο ζεστό από την Αθήνα"... might be due to humidity makes it 'feel' hotter.
That is what attracted me to the Cuckoo Bluebar Blue-Egger. Slender, but great structure, and gray (my favorite color).

I am weighing the ideas everyone has. But I am not interested in more junglefowl- I see them all day long on every corner, of ever street and parking lot with tiny/small light brown eggs... I hatched one. She is, how do I say this... 'Annoying'.

 

[MysteryChicken]

Our summers regularly get to 40+ degrees Celsius temps, and relatively humid. This week has been pretty much unbearable for us humans, dogs, and most wildlife, since the lowest it has been is 37 degrees Celsius, with the highest somewhere around 43.

The free ranging birds here are mostly a single combed Greek landrace, as well as one Oriental Gamefowl (of sorts), and four of his offspring that also have some Brahma blood in them. More specifically, 3 hens have pea combs, and 2 males have pea combs. 1 male has a somewhat large single comb (see below), and all the other hens in the group have single combs. All the mixes (with the exception of the gamefowl) are very gifted in the feather department, while all the landraces are tightly feathered.

Pictured here, the landrace male (somewhat large single comb) and the mixed male (heterozygous pea comb).View attachment 4180861

With the heat we’re experiencing, every single group member with a pea comb has been noticeably more inactive than their single combed friends. In fact, at 14:20 today, when the temperature had dropped to a somewhat comfortable 38C, the single combed birds were foraging, while the pea combed birds would not leave the shade of the fruit trees. If that isn’t enough, the Landrace male, just like his father before him, shows no signs of being hot, unless the temp goes over 43C. The single combed hens do show signs of being hot (panting and lifting their wings from their body), but are not glued to one cool place until the afternoon. Egg production seems to be ok as well, with 8 eggs out of 10 or so laying hens.

All this has left me to believe that comb surface does play a role in helping birds deal with heat.

As for breed recommendations, I have none. I will also encourage you to look at breeds with a lot of surface area on their comb, but I’m not sure that legbars are exactly what you’re looking for. They’re a bit too “poofy” in my eyes. If there are any local mixes, that have been living on your island for generations, I’d trust them more.

Maybe mixing some breeds of your choice could also work. Something to give the egg laying gene you want, and something else to give the build, comb type and colour you prefer

Seems like you have just coincidence. My birds both single, pea/walnut all seem to deal with the heat equally. Going to shade, water, opening wings, panting, & dust bathing whenever they feel like they need to stay cool. Even if they feel like it's necessary they'll go back inside the coop, & laze around, or hang by the indoor water bowl to stay cool.

My second coop does the same thing as the other group.