Good backyard breeds for the cold northeast?

[CautiousVenturer]

Hi all,

I've been doing a little research on picking breeds, and I was thinking Dominiques and Easter Eggers, but someone mentioned Dominiques might be on the noisy side? Are Barred Rock better? I think they're so pretty!

I'm looking for quiet, cold and heat tolerant, reliable producers (just for family use), and friendly or at least docile!

Any breed advice?

 

[1muttsfan]

Orps -, friendly, good layers but like to go broody.
Speckled sussex - very friendly, pretty, decent layers
Delawares - excellent layers, personable but not lovey-dovey
EE's - excellent layers, active but friendly, pretty eggs
Welsummers - good layers of gorgeous eggs
Lots of others to, including rocks.
The henderson chicken chart may interest you, it lists hardiness, temperament and laying characteristics for many breeds
http://www.ithaca.edu/staff/jhenderson/chooks/chooks.html

 

[Rosaleen]

I have Plymouth Barred Rocks, Golden Comets, Amerucanas, and bantam Cochins and a Silkie. All do well in our cold winters in northern Vermont.

 

[jenjscott]

If you can stand the name, get some BUCKEYES!! bred to be cold hardy with pea combs, but do well for the most part here in the heat of the south. Any chickens can be on the noisy side, Doms with their rose comb would still be on my list of possibilities. Most of your single comb breeds will suffer from frost bite on their combs in extreme cold.

 

[oshun55555]

I have Light Brahmas ... these chickens seem impervious to our Colorado cold and snow, they lay right through the winter, and took this years heat like champs. Big sweet docile birds, they lay a flesh colored egg. Very quiet, but loud as heck when the hens do their egg laying song, but for the most part very quiet gentle giant girls and the roosters are pretty docile too, but like all roosters they crow. When they come running to see what I have they look like fat old ladies running in bedroom slippers.

 

[happyhensny]

Chanteclers - bred in Canada, tiny combs, dense feathering.

 

[fowlsessed]

You want something with a small comb. Large combes will freeze.

 

[phasianidae]

Quote:
And small wattles.

Chanteclers, Buckeyes, Brahmas, Easter Eggers, Ameraucanas, Araucanas, and Silkies should all do well in a cold climate. Dominiques, and RIR's will also do well, but the wattles may freeze. If you have a waterer that does not allow them to dip their wattles into that will help.

ETA: In an ice storm, Silkie crests may freeze which can cause considerable damage to the bird.

Ryan