I've had my girls for 5 months, and although I can't say for sure they're cold hardy, I've been told many MANY times that they are! My egg farmer friend gave me some of his pullets and told me they can put up with really cold temps. (When I was looking around for chickens, if left to my own devices, I probably would've aimed for a fancier breed, but since they were the right price (free!), how could I say no?) He keeps his in an unheated barn, and since it gets pretty cold up here in Canada, I'll buy it.
My girls are friendly, love to follow the family around, will play with my 2 year old daughter, chill on the deck with my giant dog, and none of them have ever bit me (on purpose anyway. One did nip at my baby toe, but I've wondered before if my toes look like worms or something since my hen was not the first fowl to try to eat my feet!). They free range and have never (fingers crossed) tried to fly out of the yard, although I've watched them fly-jump well over 6 feet in the air to get to a tasty morsel! They like to be close to the house and are pretty quiet, save for their egg-laying song in the morning, which I don't mind (and hopefully my neighbors don't either, which is why I ply them with free eggs!).
Their eggs are brown and while I could tell the eggs apart at the beginning, they all sort of look the same now. Same with the girls, come to think of it. I have to really squint and stare to figure out who's who. My daughter seems to know, but since she's only two, she's not exactly a reliable expert!
I'd give them a 5 star, but since I have nothing to compare it with, 4 is the best I can give!
My girls are friendly, love to follow the family around, will play with my 2 year old daughter, chill on the deck with my giant dog, and none of them have ever bit me (on purpose anyway. One did nip at my baby toe, but I've wondered before if my toes look like worms or something since my hen was not the first fowl to try to eat my feet!). They free range and have never (fingers crossed) tried to fly out of the yard, although I've watched them fly-jump well over 6 feet in the air to get to a tasty morsel! They like to be close to the house and are pretty quiet, save for their egg-laying song in the morning, which I don't mind (and hopefully my neighbors don't either, which is why I ply them with free eggs!).
Their eggs are brown and while I could tell the eggs apart at the beginning, they all sort of look the same now. Same with the girls, come to think of it. I have to really squint and stare to figure out who's who. My daughter seems to know, but since she's only two, she's not exactly a reliable expert!
I'd give them a 5 star, but since I have nothing to compare it with, 4 is the best I can give!