Best lap breed for heat tolerance - heritage and landrace specifically

[Mkay24]

Hello Everyone!

Soon to be first time chicken owners. Looking for breed suggestions.
#1 must be cuddly, friendly and enjoy being held - we want a friendly bird who can eventually show 4h.
#2 heat tolerance of leghorn and Egyptian fayaoumi
#3 Quiet- we live in the suburbs
#4 egg layer
#5- landrace or heritage breed or on livestock conservancy list is preferred - looking for hardy disease resistant breeds

We have been considering - minorca, white face black spanish, catalana, australorp, Java, campine, basque hen, anacana, and white true blue.

We will only have 2 hens at this time.

Of the breeds I mentioned, please let me know what would meet our criteria the best and which hatchery is recommended.

Thank you everyone so much!

Ps- what is this breed in the photo? A friend's but doesn't know the breed

 

[Logar]

If you are looking for a cuddly pet chickens probably aren’t a great choice. Very few of them actually enjoy being held or carried around. The best you are most likely going to get is them tolerating it. And chickens are individuals. They aren’t going to follow the “normal” for the breed a lot of the times.

But the best option sounds like an Orpington to me. They tend to be friendly, tolerant of handling, inquisitive, ok layers, and are very hardy. It isn’t on your list but it seems to be the best in my opinion given what you are looking for.

 

[Mkay24]

If you are looking for a cuddly pet chickens probably aren’t a great choice. Very few of them actually enjoy being held or carried around. The best you are most likely going to get is them tolerating it. And chickens are individuals. They aren’t going to follow the “normal” for the breed a lot of the times.

But the best option sounds like an Orpington to me. They tend to be friendly, tolerant of handling, inquisitive, ok layers, and are very hardy. It isn’t on your list but it seems to be the best in my opinion given what you are looking for.

Thank you so much!! I really appreciate it

 

[tlcmurphy]

If you are looking for a cuddly pet chickens probably aren’t a great choice. Very few of them actually enjoy being held or carried around. The best you are most likely going to get is them tolerating it. And chickens are individuals. They aren’t going to follow the “normal” for the breed a lot of the times.

But the best option sounds like an Orpington to me. They tend to be friendly, tolerant of handling, inquisitive, ok layers, and are very hardy. It isn’t on your list but it seems to be the best in my opinion given what you are looking for.

This. I have Buff Orpingtons, they are certainly friendly but do not enjoy being picked up or cuddled. One tolerates being pet because she’ll get a treat, the other abhors being touched. They are friendly birds though.

 

[Logar]

This. I have Buff Orpingtons, they are certainly friendly but do not enjoy being picked up or cuddled. One tolerates being pet because she’ll get a treat, the other abhors being touched. They are friendly birds though.

I have one and she is pretty much the same. Very friendly but being picked up is not something she likes. I do pet her occasionally and she doesn’t seem to mind as long as it is only a little pat or two on the back. She kinda just rag-dolls when she gets picked up so it is hard to tell how much she minds it, as in she doesn’t like it but how much she doesn’t is up for debate.

 

[Mkay24]

Thanks! I guess I should clarify, we are not expecting a dog or cat but a personality that will tolerate 4h showing, wing trimming if necessary and nail trimming if necessary without raising a fuss. Lol

My friends orpingtons and ameracaunas struggle in our climate. Lavendar orpington is a great personality. Her Speckled sussex is a great personality but still struggles in our heat.

@logarand @tlcmurany experience with the landrace or heritage breeds that are good for heat?
I really appreciate the feedback

I have read minorcas can be a good 4h show chicken as well as australorps.

 

[tlcmurphy]

I have no experience with any of those breeds, sorry

 

[No Coop No Problem]

Sumatra are a very tough landrace that's both human friendly and very quiet. I've had the sumatra matriarch here jump into my lap before. The females are friendly, intelligent and tough

The males on the other hand are human aggressive psychos in my experience. Quiet monsters

 

[MrFarmboy1888]

Hello Everyone!

Soon to be first time chicken owners. Looking for breed suggestions.
#1 must be cuddly, friendly and enjoy being held - we want a friendly bird who can eventually show 4h.
#2 heat tolerance of leghorn and Egyptian fayaoumi
#3 Quiet- we live in the suburbs
#4 egg layer
#5- landrace or heritage breed or on livestock conservancy list is preferred - looking for hardy disease resistant breeds

We have been considering - minorca, white face black spanish, catalana, australorp, Java, campine, basque hen, anacana, and white true blue.

We will only have 2 hens at this time.

Of the breeds I mentioned, please let me know what would meet our criteria the best and which hatchery is recommended.

Thank you everyone so much!

Ps- what is this breed in the photo? A friend's but doesn't know the breed

Of the breeds you mentioned, Australorp is by far the best. Equal to the Orphington on friendliness, but takes the heat much better, and lays better.
Most of the other breeds you named are more flighty like Leghorn, Minorca, Fayoumi.
Some other breeds that might fit your list are Naked Necks, Buckeye, and a couple of my Whiting True Blue are friendly(they are not as flighty as Leghorn/Campine, but still not as friendly as australorps.
These are some very to decently heat hardy breeds:
Egyptian Fayoumi
Leghorn
minorca
catalina
andalusian
Australorp
Naked Neck
whiting true blue
Barred Holland
icelandic
Cubalaya
Kraienkoppe
california grey
Iowa blue
Possibly Buckeye
And here are some divided out by trait:
1) Great setter, decent to good layer, and not as flighty as Leghorn:
Icelandic
Kraienkoppe,
Cubalaya
Iowa Blue
Buckeye
2) Best layer, heat hardy:
Leghorn,
California Grey,
Australorp,
Naked Neck
3) most disease resistant:
Fayoumi,
Kraienkoppe,
Icelandic
4) lap chicken:
Australorp, way more heat hardy than orphington, i will never own buff orphington again compared to black australorp, but i have never had the original orphington(black english orphington) but i do not think it is as heat hardy as australorp(australia orphington, better for australia heat).
--
Anyway, I wish i could encourage the more rare breeds but i do not know if any of them can compare To Australorp when it comes to heat hardiness combined with the orphington friendly genetics they must inherit. Naked Necks are probably next in line, decently friendly and very heat hardy. Cubalaya could also be a good choice, i do not have any but i believe i read they are bred to be friendly, they are good layers but summer production is cut by summer broodiness, like icelandic and Kraienkoppe. My Buckeyes take the heat better than orphington, but not as good as australorp, but buckeye is a more friendly breed too, and lays decent, nice dark meat. I want to try Bresse they also may fit some of these points.
I have my first batch of Kraienkoppe and icelandic and find them nice, much less flighty than leghorn or fayoumi, but not lap chickens.

 

[Labsandchickens8]

I have

Of the breeds you mentioned, Australorp is by far the best. Equal to the Orphington on friendliness, but takes the heat much better, and lays better.
Most of the other breeds you named are more flighty like Leghorn, Minorca, Fayoumi.
Some other breeds that might fit your list are Naked Necks, Buckeye, and a couple of my Whiting True Blue are friendly(they are not as flighty as Leghorn/Campine, but still not as friendly as australorps.
These are some very to decently heat hardy breeds:
Egyptian Fayoumi
Leghorn
minorca
catalina
andalusian
Australorp
Naked Neck
whiting true blue
Barred Holland
icelandic
Cubalaya
Kraienkoppe
california grey
Iowa blue
Possibly Buckeye
And here are some divided out by trait:
1) Great setter, decent to good layer, and not as flighty as Leghorn:
Icelandic
Kraienkoppe,
Cubalaya
Iowa Blue
Buckeye
2) Best layer, heat hardy:
Leghorn,
California Grey,
Australorp,
Naked Neck
3) most disease resistant:
Fayoumi,
Kraienkoppe,
Icelandic
4) lap chicken:
Australorp, way more heat hardy than orphington, i will never own buff orphington again compared to black australorp, but i have never had the original orphington(black english orphington) but i do not think it is as heat hardy as australorp(australia orphington, better for australia heat).
--
Anyway, I wish i could encourage the more rare breeds but i do not know if any of them can compare To Australorp when it comes to heat hardiness combined with the orphington friendly genetics they must inherit. Naked Necks are probably next in line, decently friendly and very heat hardy. Cubalaya could also be a good choice, i do not have any but i believe i read they are bred to be friendly, they are good layers but summer production is cut by summer broodiness, like icelandic and Kraienkoppe. My Buckeyes take the heat better than orphington, but not as good as australorp, but buckeye is a more friendly breed too, and lays decent, nice dark meat. I want to try Bresse they also may fit some of these points.
I have my first batch of Kraienkoppe and icelandic and find them nice, much less flighty than leghorn or fayoumi, but not lap chickens.

I have had a Bresse since the end of July. She lets me pick her up and pet her, follows me demanding treats and will jump in my lap. She's the top of the pecking order but not overly mean about it. She is also a dependable layer in the month she's been laying. She was heat hardy in the 6 weeks or so of heat we had when I got her as a pullet.