New to chickens

We have never had chickens before. We live in northwest Montana. We are looking for a a breed of chickens that are good with kids and friendly. We also need a breed that will live through winter in lots of snow and cold temperature. We are also need a breed that will be economical layers.

Welcome to BYC!

From what I can gather you are looking for a docile hen that is cold hardy and a good layer?

I have linked below the BYC review section, at the side you can click on those attributes and filter for hens that fit your needs.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/products/category/chicken-breeds

MTfamily said:

We have never had chickens before. We live in northwest Montana. We are looking for a a breed of chickens that are good with kids and friendly. We also need a breed that will live through winter in lots of snow and cold temperature. We are also need a breed that will be economical layers.

Click to expand...

Welcome to BYC! Glad you joined the flock! I suggest the Black Australorp. I have 25 of them. Both hens and roosters are very friendly, one of the best layers in my opinion, and very hardy. You could also look at the Sexlinks. They are an amazing breed to and meet all of your requirements. Make sure they have a place to get out of the weather, maybe give them some cracked corn to give them some energy to stay warm and others to help out. Some people add heat lamps as a precaution.

Welcome to BYC from your neighbor in NW Montana. Glad you decided to join our flock. In which part of NW Montana do you live? Our place is in the edge of the foothills just south of Kalispell. Birdrain92's suggestion of an Australorp is an excellent one as they are extremely hardy in both cold and heat (they have a proven history of surviving Montana's winters), calm and gentle (good lap pets), and excellent layers of large brown eggs. Other breeds that are cold hardy (do well in Montana) and good layers (although not quite to Australorp standards) and which have a reputation for being calm and gentle (great lap pets) include Orpingtons, Sussex, Faverolles, and Brahmas. If course there can always be an exception with any breed. If you don't mind hybrids, Just make sure that their coop is draft free, dry, and well ventilated to prevent moisture from building up inside it. Feathers are wonderful insulators and moisture is a much greater danger than cold. Please feel free to ask any questions you may have. We are here to help in any way we can. Whatever breeds you decide to get, good luck with your flock.

Just as the others said, it COOP COOP COOP.

Good coop is a must. Start there, look at some coop
pictures, details and sort of see what interest you. Look at
the Montana thread, talk to the other members. See what
they have to say.

THEN get the chickens.

Spook

Hi and welcome to BYC - great to have you onboard. You have some great advice, so I'll just say hello for now.

All the best
CT

Welcome to Backyard chickens- hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

Welcome to BYC! I'm glad you joined us!

I recommend the Brahmas. They are cold hardy, friendly, and good layers!

Great advice from the previous greeters so I'll just say hello and have fun!