Best breed for cold climates

[BantamRun]

Our Easter eggers are great over the winter. Two other breeds you might want to consider are buckeyes and chanteclers. Buckeyes were developed in Ohio to be a cold hardy version of RIR. They have smaller combs. We've had RIR in the past and buckeyes now, and I love my buckeyes. Small combs, very friendlky and beautiful large eggs.
The chanteclers were developed in Canada to be cold hardy. They have small cushion combs and are supposed to lay throughout the winter. Mine are 7.5 months old and are just starting to lay.
You can go to www.mypetchicken.com and answer a short questionnaire and they will list breeds that should be good for your needs.

Thanks for the input. I have never heard of the Buckeyes. They are a nice looking bird. I am new at raising chickens so a lot of these birds look the same to me.

LOL!

 

[Michael OShay]

Thanks. I have been reading a lot about the Silkies being one of the broodiest breeds and the best mothers. Do they do well in colder climates like Northern Michigan? I have been getting mixed answers on that point. Also we have our ducks and chickens together and was wondering how they will do with the ducks. The rest of our chickens seem to be doing fine with them. We do have one Millie Fleur OEGB Rooster. The other chickens don't seem to mind him. They all seem to get along better than my kids

so I'm not too worried about putting Silkies in with them.

Silkies are not as cold hardy as some of the dual purpose breeds and depending on how well ventilated, dry, and draft free your coop is, they could be at risk. For this reason you might want to consider Cochins for broody hens.

 

[BantamRun]

Silkies are not as cold hardy as some of the dual purpose breeds and depending on how well ventilated, dry, and draft free your coop is, they could be at risk. For this reason you might want to consider Cochins for broody hens.

Thanks a bunch for all the help.

 

[Michael OShay]

Thanks a bunch for all the help.

You're welcome.

 

[lightchick]

If sheer egg production is your main priority, I would suggest Black Sex Links (Black Stars), which are hardy and friendly, egg laying machines. I've had dozens of breeds and hybrids over the past 50 years in winter climates that dropped as low as 30 F below zero, and my BSLs have been my best layers, consistently churning out more than 300 eggs per hen per year. They have been particularly persistent in really cold weather, and their eggs have also been my largest, with double yolks being fairly common.

x2 I have a BSL and she's awesome!

 

[BantamRun]

x2 I have a BSL and she's awesome!

I have one that i just picked up yesterday. I really am thinking about adding a few more to the flock.

 

[beckywolfe]

Silkies do great in cold winters (northern Alberta) as long as you have enough of them. We have 6 and our coop is insulated and heated for the harshest cold (-43C on some of these brutal nights) We did something a little different since we didn't want to make two coops - we started our silkies in one of those small but cheap coops from Amazon and they grew up separately in it when they were babies. But come fall, we put their entire mini coop inside the main coop (which is just a big 12x12 vinyl shed with insulation.) and they are all thriving together fine. The silkies roost & sleep & lay in their own lil coop keeping eachother warm, they share the floor & water dish with the big hens when they are kept inside on the coldest days no problem.
And the reason they are great for cold climates is their tiny combs. Way less susceptible to frost bite so they make a much better cold hardy bird. The only one I worry about is my tiny frizzle as her feathers don't work the same way. So I always make sure she's tucked in with the regular silkies to stay warm

 

[CWhite67]

If you're looking for the cold hardy breed, take a hard look at the chanteclers. I breed them, these birds are by far the best at handling the cold.