Breed suggestions?

[Whiskybear]

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?

 

[JustAChickenLoverOverHere]

I’d say Salmon Faverolles fit those standards rather well.
Amazing cold hardiness, not prone to any diseases, somewhat broody, and good egg production. Not sure about the life expectancy.

 

[Whiskybear]

I’d say Salmon Faverolles fit those standards rather well.
Amazing cold hardiness, not prone to any diseases, somewhat broody, and good egg production. Not sure about the life expectancy.

Thanks. Never even heard of those before!

 

[Iluveggers]

I think Orpingtons and Brahmas would be great choices. Plymouth Rock are another good choice! How many chicks are you looking to start with? If I may suggest, I like having a mixed flock. Maybe try 2-3 of a couple of breeds, and see which you like best?

 

[Whiskybear]

I think Orpingtons and Brahmas would be great choices. Plymouth Rock are another good choice! How many chicks are you looking to start with? If I may suggest, I like having a mixed flock. Maybe try 2-3 of a couple of breeds, and see which you like best?

I kinda want to stick to one breed in case purity becomes an issue down the road. I could be talked out of that, I mean… I’m all ears.
Barred Rocks were what I was leaning toward before I posted the question. But I came to that from reading. I trust y’al and your experience more than what can find randomly.

 

[Whiskybear]

I think Orpingtons and Brahmas would be great choices. Plymouth Rock are another good choice! How many chicks are you looking to start with? If I may suggest, I like having a mixed flock. Maybe try 2-3 of a couple of breeds, and see which you like best?

I intend on 6 hens and a roo.

edit… and a spare roo.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

If they have adequate shelter, look at Cornish bantams. Yes, they're bantams, but the lay good amounts and are stocky things. And mine at least love to brood if you forget to gather eggs during summer

 

[Iluveggers]

if your original thought was Barred Rocks, I think that is a great choice. They are hardy, lay well, forage well, and have great personalities. I would personally only have 1 rooster. 2 roosters with 6 hens would be rough on the girls. If something happened to your rooster when he was older, you could hatch some of the eggs and get a new one. And a single rooster would be super easy to find if you got desperate (people give them away all the time.)

 

[3KillerBs]

If you put your general location into your profile we can give better-targeted advice.

Go Ahead, Pick the Prettiest Chickens!

Heat is more of a problem for chickens than cold, but any of the common, "barnyard" breeds should be well-adapted for a wide range of climates.

No chicken is really *good* at both meat and eggs, but those classic, familiar, dual-purpose breeds were developed to be OK at both -- though most hatchery birds have had their focus shifted to egg production and don't have the meat characteristics of their ancestors.

I love my Australorps, but Barred Rocks, Rhode Island Reds, Buff Orpingtons, etc. are ubiquitous for a reason.

Brahmas might meet most of your criteria. They're weirdly heat-tolerant as well as cold-hardy despite having none of the characteristics usually associated with heat-tolerance. But they are slow-growers. Also, feathered feet are fine in well-drained soils, especially sandy soils, but can be a problem in areas with heavy clay soil because mud can cake on the foot feathers beyond the birds' ability to keep them preened clean.

Also, Brahmas, and some of the other heavier breeds, don't fly well (the one I had most recently could achieve a wing-assisted hop to about 18" off the ground and needed a ramp up to the roost and nestbox). If you're going to free range then the ability to fly up into a tree when threatened could be critical -- that means lighter-weight breeds.

Wyandottes are not noted for heat-tolerance, but fit many of your other criteria. The one I had from Welp struggled a bit with my central NC summers, but I'm hoping that the ones I have now from Ideal, which is in Texas so their breeding flocks would be automatically selected for heat tolerance, will do better.

 

[3KillerBs]

and a spare roo.

6 girls is barely enough -- and might not be enough -- for one male. 2 males in that situation would almost certainly fight and if they didn't fight then the girls would probably be worn featherless and at least stressed if not injured from over-mating.