Breed suggestions?

[Whiskybear]

Point taken on the spare roo.
thanks for the insights!

 

[Amer]

Buckeyes!

 

[laura877]

Look for birds that have small combs and small wattles as the cold temps with frostbite them. If you are raising chicks, you will have l9ts of roos that you will have to.male a decision about. Are you going to want to butcher and put in the freezer.? If so look for bigger, meatier birds. Research how many eggs they lay on average for a year. Can you live with only getting 250 eggs per bird per year or do you want some that lay 320 a year.

 

[Faithful flock]

Ameraucanas and Easter Eggers! They both lay very good and have smaller combs so you wouldn't have to worry about frostbite.

 

[Amer]

Buckeyes are cold, heat, and disease hardy, they are meaty birds that will hatch their own, and decent layers.

 

[Whiskybear]

Buckeyes!

Thanks. Been looking at buckeyes now, and they seem perfect except for the long time to maturity. There’s always a catch, eh?

 

[Amer]

Thanks. Been looking at buckeyes now, and they seem perfect except for the long time to maturity. There’s always a catch, eh?

I wouldn’t say they are slow maturing. They are like any dual purpose breeds, medium maturing, they just aren’t fast maturing like Delawares or New Hampshires.

 

[Whiskybear]

Alright, now I’ve been thinking about this too long. If I did decide to go mixed, would the Buckeyes and Rocks be a crazy blend?

 

[HaikuHeritageFarm]

I’m preparing to get my first chickens, soon. Pretty sure I can figure out the keeping them alive part but I don’t want to start out with a bad choice. My priorities are, in this order:
Weather hardiness… We get some nights at or below 0° F every winter, many summer days every year above 95°.
Disease hardiness… Where I live, I can't have a flock that needs a vet on speed dial.
Longevity… just seems important to me.
Tendency to brood/good mothering… in case incubating becomes problematic.
Quick maturity… They all lay eggs and they’re all edible; if I become more reliant on them for meat in the future, I don’t wanna starve waiting for them to grow.

I know, all the best traits aren’t gonna be maximized in one choice. But given that order of priority, what say ye?

I'd say reach out to any local poultry community you can find and see what's available already in your area. Especially when it comes to being well adapted to any common pathogens, etc in your particular area... this will be the best bet. Your temperatures are pretty average and could easily suit just about any well bred, healthy chicken.

 

[HaikuHeritageFarm]

(My take on what's average temperatures is probably weird, though, since I've raised the same breeds in both Alaska and Mississippi. Getting "special" chickens to suit my climate just isn't a thing that I consider in the least necessary )