I'm moving to Arizona; first thing I think about is to order chicks ! My idea is to start a flock of Dark Brahma. Then I watch different hatcheries and I'd like to order 20 different breeds ! But the best is to take just one breed. I already have chicks of Blue Orpington, Black Copper Marans and Olive Eggers. So I'm thinking about Brahma : Dark because is the color I like the best between the 3 I can find ( Light, Buff, Dark ); they are big and gentle; people says that they lay good and they do pretty well also in hot weather. Is there a way I can breed Blue Partridge Brahma ( that would be my favorite color ) starting from Dark Brahma ? Or how can I breed Blue Laced Gold Orpington having already Blue Orpington ?
I would reconsider the breeds on your wish list. You are heavy on cold hearty breeds. they will struggle more in the summer than a light bodied bird will and you will be more apt to loose them.
X2 on Percheron chick, considering you live in Florida. Brahmas and Orpingtons tend to suffer in high heat and humidity. I would suggest going instead with Australorps. They typically have the same calm and gentle personality as Orpingtons and Brahmas (not surprising since they were originally bred using Orpington stock), but are better layers, and most importantly in your case, they handle heat and high humidity much better than Orpingtons and Brahmas. If you don't mind hybrids (since you are considering EEs), I would also suggest Black Sex Links (Black Stars) which are very friendly and hardy, egg laying machines. I raised them for years in all kinds of climates (along with dozens of other breeds and hybrids), and they have been my best layers, consistently churning out more than 300 large brown eggs per hen per year with double yolks not being uncommon.
Thanks for your answers. I didn't explain very good, sorry, English is not my first language ( Italian ). This past summer, in Florida, that is very hot and humid, I had standard Cochins, Faverolles, Black Marans and other. ..they were all painting but kept laying. They were digging holes and resting in the shade in the hottest hours. I'm a military, so every time I have to move, I have to sell all and start again. In a few days I'm moving to AZ, hot but dry. I have already Olive Eggers pullets ( these I think they won't have any problems ), BC Marans and Blue Orpington ( bought from breeder in Florida so I hope they will be ok ). I was thinking about adding Dark Brahmas, because some people said they do ok in hot weather, but I would love to find Blue Partridge Brahmas. So what happens if I put Blue Orpington on Dark Brahma ? Do you think Wyandotte would be better than Brahma for the hot weather ? And Welsummer ?
You're welcome. The first breed I ever had (50 years ago) were Brahmas and they are not a hot weather resistant breed (no matter what the humidity). I also had Orpingtons in the Corning, CA area where low humidity summer temperatures frequently reached 117-118 F (occasionally a little more) and all of my dual purpose breeds, including the Orpingtons and Wyandottes, struggled in the summer heat with the exception of the Australorps. While my other dual purpose breeds were listless, panting, and holding their wings out from their sides, my Australorps went about their usual business like troopers (not a surprise when you consider that Australorps are commonly raised in the Australian outback which gets very hot in the summer). Other breeds that do well in high heat are the Mediterranean breeds such as Leghorns, Andalusians, and Spanish. But these Mediterranean breeds tend to be high strung and flighty and they are poor meat birds which are bred primarily for eggs.
