Best breed for me please help

[dogkennelcoop]

Hey everyone I was wondering whatkind of chicken would work best for me OK here we go I live in Georgia so it does get kind of cold in the winter I want a chicken that lays alot of eggs not a meat bird and I have plenty of property to let them free range then coop them up at night thanks

 

[MIRanger]

Anyone, please feel free to correct me if I am wrong. I plan on getting Buff Opringtons and I live near Augusta and I understand that they will do really well out here. They are my breed of choice due to temperament as I have 2 small children.

 

[Pork Pie]

The breed section of BYC may help to guide your choice.

Good luck

Ct

 

[Michael OShay]

Hey everyone I was wondering whatkind of chicken would work best for me OK here we go I live in Georgia so it does get kind of cold in the winter I want a chicken that lays alot of eggs not a meat bird and I have plenty of property to let them free range then coop them up at night thanks

Pretty much any breed will handle Georgia's winter temperatures as long as their coop is draft free, dry, and well ventilated to prevent moisture from building up inside of it. Feathers are wonderful insulators and moisture is a much greater danger than cold. If sheer egg production is your priority, then White Leghorns (for white eggs) and Sex Links (for brown eggs) are the best layers in the world. They are the hens used by laying houses as they are laying machines that will consistently churn out more than 300 large brown eggs per hen per year. Black Sex Links are my personal favorite chickens as they are very friendly and hardy, egg laying machines. Other breeds that have a well deserved reputation for being calm and gentle as well as good layers include Australorps, Orpingtons, Faverolles, Sussex, and Brahmas. Of course there can always be an exception with any breed. Whatever breed you decide to get, good luck with your flock.

 

[donrae]

I agree with Michael. In Georgia, any of the dual purpose birds will thrive and do well. Rocks, Wyandottes, Reds, Orpingtons, etc. Any of the sex links will work well for you. Leghorns and other Mediterranean breeds should also do well as long as you have good ventilation to prevent frostbite. In your climate, most of the ornamental breeds should also do well, but mixing them in a flock with dual purpose or layer breeds can be an iffy thing.

The only thing I'd caution about is how wet your specific area might be. if you're in an area where the birds are going to have a wet run, you might not want feather footed birds. Otherwise, you're good to choose pretty much any breed. I say get a variety and see who you like best.