I can only hope that I am posting this in the right forum... I live in the Northeast Corner of CT. I have recently decided to purchase some Cochins for my daughter and I. When I was growing up I had one who was simply the most AMAZING BIRD EVER, and now I want my daughter to have the same experience of a loving feathered friend. Cochins come recomended by many people when I posted on here earlier this month asking what breed to would be best with a small child. However, on many breed sites and on several breed charts Cochins are listed as having a climate tolerance of cold. My question is just what does that mean? Becasue winters can be 10 below 0, but summers might be up into the 90s. I don't want to get a bird that is going to suffer durring any time of year... Advice please???
http://www.ithaca.edu/staff/jhenderson/chooks/chooks.html This is a great breed chart. It lists Cochins as robust and cold hardy. Chickens prefer cold to a lot of heat anyway; over 100 degrees can actually be fatal. Just use wide roosts so they can rest on their toes and not get them frostbitten.. And you probably don't want a breed with a big comb like Leghorns, as the combs are also subject to frostbite. Chickens have a good tolerance of the cold, in general. You will want to read up on keeping them in cold climates, if you haven't already, though.
We're in Northeastern Michigan and it gets pretty cold here. Our chickens, cochins incl., have weathered the winters quite nicely. A well-built coop is all you need. Most people around here do not even insulate and their chickens survive. Our coop isn't insulated either. We had a very hot summer this year with temps in the upper 90s, which for Michigan is extremely hot, the Lakes usually keep us cooler. Upper 70s, low 80s is more normal for us. However, during this hot summer the cochins made it. Their coop and run is at the edge of the woods so they always have shade and we kept their waterer filled. We also wouldn't let them out to free range (far from the water) unless it was below 85.
It's hard to live in an area where you get extreme cold in the winter and also hot, humid summers. I always pick breeds that are cold hardy and stay away from those with large combs. They have all done well here. In the summer, I make sure they have plenty of shade and water. I designed all our chicken housing to be very open in the summer and more closed up in the winter. During the times when the temperature and humidity are both in the 90s, the only time I see them panting is after they have been running. Normally they are smart enough not to run when the weather is like that, but getting snacks on the patio excites them. If you ever do notice your chickens having a problem in the heat, you can always check out some of the threads on dealing with the heat. Sometimes people add some ice to their water or use fans when it gets bad.
I agree with Woodland Woman. My coops are designed to be very open in the summer, tight in the winter. I run fans in the large windows during the summer. My adult flock is all LF brahmas. They are very tolerant of cold and surprisingly do well in the summertime. During the dog days of summer - temps. of 100+, humidity values in the 90s - they forage early in the morning and late in the evening. During the hottest part of the day they find a nice shady spot to catch a nap. All I have to do is make sure they have plenty of fresh cool water. We water them from our well during the summer since that water is much colder than what comes out of the tap (city water).
I live in the northeast corner of CT also and have 3 bantam cochins. They do just fine in the winter! In fact, all of my chickens have done just fine. Perhaps if they are very young or very old (although my cochins are around 7 years old!) they may need a coop with no drafts but mine have all dealt with our cold winters incident free Good luck!
