Can I see your Australorp and speckled Sussex HENS please?

[OmnipotentOrpington]

Don't care at all about egg color nor number of eggs. Mottled Java's are still in my top 2 (Along with Brabanters.) I've also thought about Barnevelders. There are breeds that aren't fluffy and are said to be very cold hardy. (Brabanter and Spitzhauben for example. But they don't check all of the boxes either. LOL) Like I said, I'm probably looking for a unicorn. But I know what I like and what I don't too. So I am trying to as much research ahead of time as possible. Rather than just running out and getting the first thing I see, THEN learning that they are a BAD fit. I'm also thinking I will get more than one breed. So I want breeds that aren't known to be too "bossy" to flock mates. (While also knowing that they are all individuals. And not every individual of a certain breed is like the breed is said to be.)

Our Orpington is really hardy and tolerant of most weathers. However, she DOES have a large comb. She doesn't mind rain, hail or snow (all of which we've had!) She also lays consistently every day. We haven't had them long enough, but I'm fairly certain Orpingtons go broody. As for color, while the most common one is buff (a tannish color), you can get them in other colors, such as lavender and white,
Australorps are a good choice, based off of your particular needs, but I don't think they go very broody. Ours is at the top of the pecking order, but isn't too bossy.

 

[MGG]

Our Orpington is really hardy and tolerant of most weathers. However, she DOES have a large comb. She doesn't mind rain, hail or snow (all of which we've had!) She also lays consistently every day. We haven't had them long enough, but I'm fairly certain Orpingtons go broody. As for color, while the most common one is buff (a tannish color), you can get them in other colors, such as lavender and white,
Australorps are a good choice, based off of your particular needs, but I don't think they go very broody. Ours is at the top of the pecking order, but isn't too bossy.

Good quality Orps are crazy broody usually. Poor quality birds do not go broody as much. Orps are one of the most broody breeds out there. I do LOVE Orpingtons though, broodies give me an excuse to hatch more chicks, lol.

 

[jo777]

Here's my hatchery girl, Speckles..

 

[ShrekDawg]

Actually BOTH. LOL I find giant combs unattractive, AND we have WINTER here. And I am NOT going to have to baby them. Animals that need babied suck the fun out of it for me.

My birds have never needed any babying. Even the ones with huge combs and wattles. And I’ve had several. They just need a dry, draft free place to sleep and get out of the elements. Doesn’t even have to be warm.

Humidity is a much bigger problem than cold so proper ventilation in the coop is key so the coop isn’t damp or whatever. That will cause frostbite even on smaller combed birds. Also I wouldn’t recommend really open waterers or stuff they can dunk their combs and wattles in and freeze them haha but as long as it’s dry and draft free they will be fine.

I have had several roosters, two of which have or had MASSIVE wattles and comb and they are perfectly fine. Also have a Leghorn hen with a very large comb, far larger than any of those breeds would have, and she’s fine too. As was my Barred Rock hen with the very large comb and wattles. And we are in Massachusetts which I think is colder than you guys? So if mine are fine, yours will definitely be.

I wouldn’t worry too much about comb size. Honestly, any breed you get could have a big comb or wattles. It just depends on the individual bird, not necessarily any particular breed.

 

[ShrekDawg]

All of these birds have been perfectly, 110% fine. Actually, the only bird I ever had get frostbite had a relatively small comb. And that was before we built the new coop.

Spoiler

 

[Cattle dog Mom]

And we are in Massachusetts which I think is colder than you guys? So if mine are fine, yours will definitely be.

We can get down to 0F ir a little lower. We also get snow and a lot of wind. (And LOOOTS of fog in the fall/winter, sometimes the fog has so much moisture it feels like trying to breath underwater. And we can get 2 or 3 inches of frozen fog on things like fences and trees. Where they are trees. LOL (This is the high desert, so there are onyl trees in town and where someone has planted them Hence why I have none. Where I live, no one has ever lived before.)

 

[ShrekDawg]

We can get down to 0F ir a little lower. We also get snow and a lot of wind. (And LOOOTS of fog in the fall/winter, sometimes the fog has so much moisture it feels like trying to breath underwater. And we can get 2 or 3 inches of frozen fog on things like fences and trees. Where they are trees. LOL (This is the high desert, so there are onyl trees in town and where someone has planted them Hence why I have none. Where I live, no one has ever lived before.)

Oh wow! I didn’t realize you guys got that cold!! I still think they will be fine though

 

[Cattle dog Mom]

Oh wow! I didn’t realize you guys got that cold!! I still think they will be fine though ❤

Central and eastern WA are TOTALLY different than the west side of the state. Most people think it is all like the Seattle area. (Fairly mild all seasons and lots of rain) But it is definitely NOT. As I said, here in central WA, it is high desert. (No trees and LOTS of sage brush. And no rain at all for MONTHS at a time in the summer.)

 

[HappyClucker7]

This is my Black Australorp hen.

 

[OmnipotentOrpington]

Central and eastern WA are TOTALLY different than the west side of the state. Most people think it is all like the Seattle area. (Fairly mild all seasons and lots of rain) But it is definitely NOT. As I said, here in central WA, it is high desert. (No trees and LOTS of sage brush. And no rain at all for MONTHS at a time in the summer.)

I mean, you're correct about the rain (it's raining right now!), but the weather is hardly mild. It can get quite cold, and yesterday we had a blackout it was so windy. We also have thunderstorms and hail. Lots and lots of hail.

And we live in the rain shadow!