Sicilian Buttercup-a Few Questions

Hi Guys!
My little sister wants to get a sicilian buttercup for her 4-H project. I told her that I would check BYC. Are buttercups cold weather hardy? Are they hot weather hardy? I have heard them described as bantams and standards so how big are they really? I have looked at some pictures and they really gorgeous birds. I think that having one would definitely add some (more) spice to our crazy assortment living in the coop.
Thanks tons!

~chickenchick

Buttercups are really awesome birds. They remind me a bit of gamefowl without the gameness - hardy, flighty, always scratching and pecking for forage, and tough as nails. I lost my Buttercup this past week to a predator but you can tell she put up a heck of a fight - feathers scattered all the way across the yard.

Cold weather hardy? As a breed originating in Italy they really shouldn't be but my girl insisted on sleeping outside and she slept in trees through rain, snow, hail, and 20 degree nights and she was always spry and happy the next morning - you'd have thought she'd spent the night cozier up inside a heated coop. I tried for months to get her to roost inside but eventually gave up, that girl has a mind of her own. As for heat hardiness, they're about as good as any other breed - although certianly the skinny body and tight feathering are always advantages in hot weather.

They're a small standard (there may be a bantam version as well but I doubt they're very common, I've never seen or heard of them). My girl weighed maybe 4 pounds. Similar to a Hamburg in size (and attitude).

Only real drawbacks to the breed are their skittishness (your sister will need to work with her a while to get her tame) and they don't seem to be very good layers. My girl was a little before point of lay when I bought her and maybe 10 months when she died and she hadn't laid a single egg in her life.

That is great! They sound like neat birds. I am sorry about your loss, though. It sounds like she was a good chicken. Yeah, I knew that they were from Sicily but that doesn't forbid them from standing the cold, right? Here we have cold winters and hot summers and plenty of trees so it sounds like a buttercup would fit in well. My sister is a seven-year-old so a small standard kind of bird will be perfect. We have enough other chickens to handle the laying and I will be helping my sister work with her bird for her project. I will expect a buttercup in my chick orders!
Thank you a bunch, QueenMisha, you were a big help!

~Montana