babes in da woods

[Yooper]

Hello again!
We are in the great state of Yooper Michigan. We are wanting to get some chickens and from what we are reading we have a ways to go to prepare for our "kids" before we order them. we would like to DIY anything that is within our abilites. brooders, etc.
We are looking at dual purpose birds that are really cold hardy. Our choices are the Golden laced Wyandottes and the true Americauna.
Does anyone one have comments about our choices? Are there any folks in the big snow country that raises/sells birds/eggs? any advice would be appreciated. There is a TSC in Escanaba about an hour away from us so we can get some supplies etc. there .
We have looked at all kinds of pictures for coops, runs etc. we favor the ones with the green house attached , long roofs to best use the sun with its variants summer/winter skies. we occasionally share the woods in our area with bears, wolves, cougar racoon, foxes, and the whole darn weasel family. We look forward to hearing from you.
Thank you so much for your replies.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Those are good breed choices but I recommend people look at a couple breed charts before they decide because there are so many great breeds that might fit your needs and wants.

http://www.albc-usa.org/documents/chickenbreedcomparison.pdf

http://www.sagehenfarmlodi.com/chooks/chooks.html

Greenhouse is a good idea.
Build for snow load. Use big windows and gable vents rather than ridge vents because they don't work covered with snow. Chickens die from heat and bad air rather than cold so don't close off the ventilation.





As for predators. Build like Fort Knox and for night time, no openings larger than 1". That means hardware cloth over all larger openings.

I'd sooner be a small bird in a hawk-filled wood than a caged chicken on a factory farm.- Simon Barnes in How to be a Bad Birdwatcher