The breed of chickens you raise may depend on where you live and the local climate. Certain breeds of chickens will do better in hotter weather, and others will thrive when it’s cold outside.
If you want a steady supply of chicken eggs, you should find the chickens best suited for where you live.
Whether a farmer or a hobbyist with a handful of chickens in a backyard coop, any chicken owner wants their chickens to be happy and comfortable. Chickens at ease lay more eggs, so choosing the right chickens for your local climate is essential.
If you’re in Texas, you’re likely dealing with long summer seasons. It can get chilly in Texas in the winter, but most of the state is hot and humid for much of the year.
Here are some of the best egg-laying chickens for Texas, along with some helpful information on how to raise them to get the most delicious eggs!
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1. Orpington Chickens
Orpington chickens are a popular breed for places like Texas because they do well in the heat and come in a lot of color combinations that people love.
They’re also very family-friendly. Most Orpington chickens will quickly form close bonds with humans, so they’re great family pets. Your children likely won’t be too afraid to pick them up or go to collect their eggs each day.
Orpington chickens lay around 190 eggs annually. They’re almost always light brown. Perhaps the nicest thing about Orpington chickens is they withstand the heat well, but they also do fine in Texas winters when temperatures drop.
2. Welsummer Chickens
The name fits these summer-friendly chickens. Welsummers are popular among families and farmers for their eggs and meat. They grow to be quite large, and they’re docile birds that love to walk around the yard pecking at bugs and plucking grass.
Welsummer chickens are robust and withstand hot climates very well. They lay well over 150 eggs per year if they’re comfortable and healthy, so they’re terrific options for people who want a lot of eggs.
When it comes to smarts, Welsummers are some of the most intelligent chickens you’ll find, so you may not experience the same level of frustration as you might dealing with other bird breeds.
3. Isa Brown Chickens
Isa Browns are among the most prolific egg-laying chickens in the world. They typically lay over 300 eggs each year. The eggs are big too! Isa browns are on the larger end of the scale when it comes to size, so their eggs are bigger.
Isa Browns are fantastic chickens in a variety of climates. They’ll do just fine in Texas summers as long as there is some shade where they can cool down when the sun is at its brightest.
Your family will love raising these very friendly and docile birds. They’re bigger, so you’ll need a larger coop, and you may only need to keep a few of them if you have a small yard.
4. Wyandotte Chickens
Wyandotte chickens date back to the 1800s in the United States. Farmers bred them to be a sturdy chicken that was adaptable to harsher conditions. That makes them ideal for a hot and humid Texas summer.
While they don’t lay as many eggs as Isa Brown chickens, these are colorful birds perfect for keeping in the backyard. They’re so pretty that Wyandottes show up for most of the big poultry competitions.
5. Plymouth Rock Chickens
Plymouth Rock chickens are some of the most resilient chickens you can find anywhere. These are typically considered the best all-around chicken, and they’ll thrive in hot or humid weather in Texas.
A major bonus that comes with the sturdiness of these birds is that they lay around 250 eggs annually, so you get plenty of value. They love to roam around, so it’s better for poultry farmers or families with room for them to walk freely.
Plymouth Rock chickens are usually black and white, but they also have distinct stripes and other patterns that make them a lovely part of any flock of chickens.
6. Easter Egger Chickens
You should probably check out Easter Eggers if you’re raising chickens for fun. These chickens are terrific because they frequently lay green, blue, and pink eggs!
They’re calm birds that are perfect for families. You can raise them in smaller spaces if you must, but they do better with more room to walk around.
Easter Eggers lay over 200 eggs yearly, so you’ll have plenty of eggs for breakfast or baking.
7. Australorp Chickens
Australians bred an adaption of the Orpington chicken for hotter climates down under. These are practical birds that lay up to 300 eggs annually. Usually, the eggs are light brown, and they make the most delicious organic eggs.
People love to have these birds for their eggs, but their looks are also impressive. They are larger birds at around 6-8 pounds, which means you’ll need more yard space to house them.
Raising Chickens in Hotter Climates
Higher temperatures pose a significant challenge to people who want to raise chickens. Like those from the UK and other places with colder weather, some chickens won’t do well in the Texas heat. They’ll struggle to survive, and the strain under the sun will impact how many eggs they lay.
If you want more eggs and happier chickens, you should stick to some of the birds on this list if you live in a state with more heat than usual.
They’ll manage the heat well as long as they have some shade, plenty of access to water, and other conditions that make getting through the summers easier.
Keep regular watch over your chickens to ensure they’re not getting too hot. Watch to see if they don’t roam around the yard or if they’re walking unsteadily, which could be a sign of heat exhaustion.
Finally, building the proper coop is another vital aspect of raising chickens. If you live in a Texas suburb, you can usually pick up the supplies you need at a local home improvement store.
There are also a lot of farmers who will sell you chicken coop supplies, feed, and anything else you need to raise healthy chickens.