Silver-Laced Breed for the Heat?

[3KillerBs]

You could add a few Sebrights as well. They are small, and may not manage "productive," but they seem to fit several of your other points. They definitely come in Silver Laced, being bantams they are likely to be are early-maturing, and being small with not-fluffy feathering they would probably deal well with the heat in your climate.

I rejected the idea of either Seabrights or Polish because production qualities are the most important thing to me.

Not *so* important that I'll only raise Leghorns and sex-linked layers, but I don't want small eggs and reduced laying frequency.

As I said earlier, I'm really surprised that there are so few Silver-Laced breeds.

 

[Amer]

You could add a few Sebrights as well. They are small, and may not manage "productive," but they seem to fit several of your other points. They definitely come in Silver Laced, being bantams they are likely to be are early-maturing, and being small with not-fluffy feathering they would probably deal well with the heat in your climate.

I personally wouldn’t recommend it since their lacing is birchen based as opposed to Wyandotte partridge based lacing.

 

[3KillerBs]

I think I mentioned before that I thought the Double Laced Silver Barnevelder would look beautiful in your flock! Not exactly the crispness of the single laced, but easily some of the most beautiful chickens out there. And you get nice dark brown eggs, too!

@K0k0shka got some real beauties as hatching eggs from Blue House Farm.

View attachment 3095929

They are beautiful birds.

Hard to source though unless I spend a lot more than I'm really wanting to at the moments.

 

[3KillerBs]

Yeah, the big hatcheries seem to only have the golden barnevelders, not the silver. Chicks from a breeder are going to be pricy, but hatching eggs might be doable now that you have an incubator. Though it is always risky with shipped eggs.

Blue House Farm is in North Carolina, but I don't know how close to you. It may be possible if you or a friend is going near where they are, and can pick some up without having them shipped.

They're about 4 hours away. It's not impossible that I might sometime go there, but not likely that I'd go there anytime in the next year or more.

 

[NatJ]

I got 4 SLW chicks from Ideal today. We'll see how this goes.

What comb types do they have?

 

[Poultrybonkers]

That would be an interesting experiment.

I think you saw my little California White cross boy who popped a strong comb at only 2 weeks, right?



I am told that even the best breeders keep some single-combed birds that they don't show in order to keep their fertility up since the rose combs can be linked to poor fertility.

Thats an excuse to sell mutts is all. The breeders ive seen to has been breeding for years and have never had fertility issues

 

[3KillerBs]

Yes, Sebrights are the original laced chicken. Laced Leghorns exist but not in the states. And that’s all.

Funny that such an attractive pattern is comparatively rare.

You could cross laced Orpingtons with brown Leghorns to eventually develop a laced Leghorn or laced mixed breed.

I think that heavy-feathered English Orpingtons would be even worse in the heat than my Wyandotte.

Mine lay like Champs (normal standard egg size at least 4 or 5 times a week) and have done good during the summers in Montana.

Spangled, so not at eye catching though

IIRC, you get some fairly brutal summer weather there, right?

 

[NatJ]

My general goals for the flock as a whole are to have vigorous, productive, early-maturing birds who deal well with my climate and my management system.

You could add a few Sebrights as well. They are small, and may not manage "productive," but they seem to fit several of your other points. They definitely come in Silver Laced, being bantams they are likely to be are early-maturing, and being small with not-fluffy feathering they would probably deal well with the heat in your climate.

 

[Poultrybonkers]

If I'd have been able to discover a silver-laced breed that was suitable for the heat I'd have found it much easier to just buy some.

But in the large fowl breeds it's just Wyandottes and Cochins.

I couldn't possibly achieve a new color variety that would merit inclusion in the SOP, but I can probably achieve something silver-laced and Australorp-adjacent.

There is silver laced orpingtons

 

[3KillerBs]

Silver laced Barnvelders? They seem to do pretty well here in Sacramento! We don’t have humidity though, so there is that.

I don't know of a source for them that I can afford.