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homeofhousechickens · 2 years

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The Mediterranean chicken breeds, champions of egg laying and heat tolerance

In general chickens who are lightweight and tightly feathered are considered some of the most heat tolerant chicken breeds, you also want chickens who have a decent sized comb and wattle because the vascularized tissue helps chickens cool down. Any chicken who fits this criteria is likely going to be more heat tolerant then heavy breeds which are built for the cold regardless if its a mixed breed chicken or not..

That being said there is a group of chickens who ALL fit the above criteria and they are known as The Mediterranean breeds/class, they are called this because most of these chicken breeds have close ties to Italy and Spain which explains their heat tolerance as both of these countries can get very hot during the summer (115 degrees Fahrenheit). Some of these breeds are more rare then others and therefore don't have the same hardiness you might expect but if your able to establish your own line and select for heat tolerance and hardiness these breeds would likely be some of the easiest chickens to use. Some of breeds that fall under this label are the Leghorn, Andalusian, Ancona, Minorca, Sicilian Buttercup, and The White Faced Black Spanish (there are others but im going with these). There are plenty of other chicken breeds who are heat tolerant but i wanted to focus on these guys because they tend to be less desirable compared to popular American and Asiatic breeds.

Non-industrial type Leghorn (The Egg Laying champion)

Pros- Leghorns are prolific layers of white eggs and known for their high strung and independent personalities. These are a highly intelligent and active chicken breed that does well in confined or free range environments. Their large comb helps them thermoregulate in extreme heat and also looks quite silly. Industrial type leghorns tend to be more fragile and less weather tolerant then their heritage counterparts so when looking for a good heat tolerant egg layer try to look for the heritage varieties as they are resistant to extreme heat. Leghorns come in multiple colors with brown and white being the most popular. Leghorns feather in and reach sexual maturity very quickly and have some of the best food to egg conversion rates out of any chicken breed. Heritage Leghorns will still outperform most chicken breeds with their egg laying capabilities.

Cons- It can be difficult to source leghorns not selected for extreme egg production, leghorns selected for this extreme production suffer health consequences and the strain of egg laying makes them less tolerant to extreme temperatures. Their oversized combs make them easy victims of frostbite but this can be mitigated by well ventilated coops during the winter. Leghorns are also known for being trouble makers due to their intelligence and they love to escape their coops and runs, this paired with their high strung nature means that they can be skittish if not properly socialized. Their active nature and small size means this breed is not good for meat production.

The Andalusian (The Blue beauty)

Pros- Andalusian are a very beautiful chicken breed that comes in three colors Black, Blue, and Splash with only the Blue really being recognized for showing. They are a graceful chicken breed that thrives in a free range environment. Like the Leghorn they are prolific layers of white eggs and they reach maturity very quickly. Andalusians are very heat tolerant and cold tolerant and they are known for being great winter layers but like the leghorn their large comb must be managed in cold temperatures. They are a lot less vocal and nervy then the other breeds on this list and depending on the line can have very brave friendly personalities. They are a good all around chicken breed that is flashy and nice to look at.

Cons- This breed really loves to have its space, birds who are kept in small spaces tend to turn towards feather picking and bullying their flock mates. This breed can be very aggressive and assertive towards more docile breeds so its important to make sure your birds have plenty of space and entertainment if you are not able to free range. Some hatchery lines of this breed tend to have poor feather quality and some of the same health problems production leghorns suffer from so as always its important to be mindful of where you are sourcing your birds from. This is a threatened breed.

The Ancona (The Lively and Loyal)

Pros- Ancona chickens possess some of the most precise mottled markings out of any chicken breed, this makes them very beautiful and nice to look at. Anconas are a very busy, talkative, active, and playful chicken breed that loves to keep itself busy. They lay a nice amount of large white eggs and like the other breeds on this list rarely if ever go broody. The roosters are very showy and love to dance and crow. Like leghorns they have a fantastic feed conversion rate and are all around hardy happy birds. The reason i labeled them as the lively and loyal is because once you earn this birds trusts they are very friendly and loyal birds, i know plenty of people who have pet anconas who want nothing more then to follow their owner around all day happily chatting and digging. They also come in rose combed varieties which help with cold tolerance.

Cons- These birds are great flyers who love to travel long distances if given the chance, special care needs to be taken to keep birds contained to where they are supposed to me. Because these birds are used as exhibition birds inbreeding is common and this can negatively impact a birds hardiness. Their vocal tendencies can also make them problem if you have close neighbors. Like the Andalusian these birds tend to not deal with confinement well and can get stressed but thankfully they are not known to be aggressive.

Minorca (The Graceful and Reliable)

Pros- Black Minorcas are thought to be the largest breed in the Mediterranean class though their other color varieties are known to be a bit smaller bodied, its easy for roosters to reach up to 8 pounds. They have slender bodies and a classy look about them. Some lines are more prolific layers then others usually ones with larger white earlobes lay less but both are known for being heat tolerant. In my opinion this is a tropical breed that does best in warm climates though some lines are cold tolerant. This breed is known for laying very large white eggs sometimes competing in size with industrial leghorns. Because of their large size these birds are classed as a dual purpose breed. They have a more serious demeanor then some of the other breeds mentioned but this is still a curious and intelligent breed.

Cons- They birds are known for being quite skittish and due to this some lines dont pay attention to their roosters personality which leads to some lines having human aggressive roosters. If aggression isnt a problem you can expect your birds to still be skittish but like with most chicken breeds they can be won over. They are very alert but not easily made irritable they do however tend to be clannish which means they like to stick with similar looking birds. Minorcas are a threatened chicken breed so they can be hard to source.

The Sicilian Buttercup (The Sassy and Silly)

Pros- These birds are very unique with the hens beautiful plumage and their buttercup combs which are like two single combs but merged. This breed has had a lot of ups and downs with people becoming fascinated in them then losing interest over time thankfully this breed persevered and is still around today. This breed is known for having a goofy and personable personality the hens can sometimes grow spurs and in general are quite bossy to their owners and flock mates. Unlike some other breeds listed here this breed shows sexual dimorphism with the hens having a nice golden spangled colored while the roosters have a more solid red coloration. These birds were mostly selected for their beauty and combs so they wont beat some of the other birds here at egg laying or meat production but they make up for it in their personality.

Cons- while some lines are extremely friendly and calm other lines can be extremely reactive and terrified of humans. This breed isnt supposed to be prolific egg layers but some hatcheries and breeders focus very heavily on production over health which can lead to reproductive issues like EYP and cancer. Also due to poor breeding heart issues are also very common in this breed but if your able to source some high quality birds you should get some birds that are well mannered and hardy in both warm and cold climates but they prefer warmer weather. Their conservation status is critical and they desperately need more breeders to preserve this breed.

The White Faced Black Spanish Chicken (The Aristocrat)

Pros- This is a very old chicken breed that has been around for a very long time. The White Faced Black Spanish chicken is also extremely unique in the chicken world with high quality birds possessing a white face and over sized earlobes which makes for a very stroking appearance. This breed is very heat tolerant but does poorly in colder temperatures. They lay a medium white egg and are decent non broody layers. They are an extremely important foundational fowl that's genetics have helped establish many chicken breeds. These birds are known for being aloof but they are not aggressive and are quite calm and curious as adults. They are good foragers and are quite predator savy.

Cons- This breed is known for being extremely fragile healthwise. Due to breeders focusing on bigger and bigger white faces and wattles they mistakenly didnt also select for health and unfortunately this breed has experienced some serious genetic bottle necks and breeder sabotage multiple times in the modern day. Current lines are still struggling to get back to hardiness and vigor Mediterranean breeds are known for. This breed is critically endangered but all it takes is a couple of passionate people to help turn it around.

Hopefully you enjoyed my little write up on some of these heat tolerant breeds. There is plenty of other birds in this class i could list and some birds outside of it but i chose these birds because i like them and a lot of them need more attention due to critical or endangered status

#heat tolerant chicken breeds #warm climate chicken breeds #leghorn #white faced black spanish #Sicilian Buttercup #Minorca #Ancona #Mediterranean chicken breed

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