Hardy, friendly chickens recommendations...

[Sylvester017]

Everyone will have their favorite breeds.

However, for low care cold weather birds (especially if it is cold and wet), you need a breed with TINY comb and wattles, and CLEAN feet (no feathers on the feet). I know some people might say feathered feet keep the feet warm.. but wet snow will ball up on the feathers, and freeze the toes. If you live in a dry area, it can be OK, or if you have a covered dry run. But wet and cold are bad for feathered feet.


For hardy, easy care, great personalities, productive, and roosters that are not people aggressive, I easy vote for the Dominiques. Great birds.

Some males have wattles bigger than I would like... but still great birds. I haven't tried Chantecleer's or Buckeyes.

Well, you know me! I say HURRAY for Dominiques and Breda! Dominiques are probably the most weather adaptable, people-friendly breed ever, and we're finding the Breda are very similar. In fact, I opted to try Breda because they reminded me so much of Dominique in temperament and decent egg-laying. I'm not sure how my 3 new Dom girls will be in productivity but I should know by Spring. I couldn't ask for a better flock mix, just wish we hadn't lost one of our old Silkie hens to cancer this year because now the other old Silkie is a loner. We're glad the Breda and Dominique let her be top hen and don't bully her.

 

[Lelanae]

I am putting in a vote for English Orps for cuddling. Not the greatest layers and they do go broody---but for SWEETNESS and big, fluffy,and small combs, they are hard to beat. I also recommend deep litter in the coop for warmth and plenty of chickens to keep each other warm. I read that a chicken has a temperature of 103 degrees and emits 10 degrees of heat--so 10 chickens in a coop have the equivalent heat of hanging a 100 watt bulb in the coop. As long as you have a heated water source and a automatic door and a big feeder--I find 10 as easy to care for a 4. Also use nice planks for roosts so they can fluff their feathers over their feet on cold nights.

 

[black_dove2]

Danish Brown (Leghorn?) and RIR are good breeds to keep together. More assertive breeds go well together. It's when timid or docile breeds are added to the assertive flock that bullying can start. We had a beautiful Buff Leghorn that turned into a bully at one-year chasing the Ameraucana around the yard and pulling out her cheek muffs and yanking out the Silkie crest feathers so we had to get rid of the Buff Leg. Our White Leghorn was fine for 3 years and suddenly decided she was going to bully everyone in the flock. We loved her and waited to get her calmed down but she never did. In her new flock home she quickly rose to the top of the pecking order as a new hen in the coop. Our dark egg layer Marans was a bully from the start so she didn't stay with us either.

Feathered legs/feet are not a problem in our humid climate zone. 3 months of the year we get nice 30 to 40 degree nights and usually 60 to 80 degree days -- but 9 months the rest of the year we are absolutely sweltering in 80-100 degree days and 60-80 degree nights. Our Breda do fine with no comb and so do the small-comb Silkies -- both breeds have feathered legs/toes. Our 5-month-old Dominique juveniles seem to do really well in all sorts of temps but haven't been through one of our sweltering summers yet -- but I suspect they'll be fine. Our Leghorns did fine in the heat but it was during winter that their comb tips darkened so I don't bother with straight comb breeds any more. I talked with a Breda/Andalusian breeder in Texas about straight-combs for hotter climates and they said the weight and size of a chicken is to be considered more than comb size during heatwaves. So I switched to pea-comb or no-comb chicken breeds in lighterweight sizes to tolerate our heatwave climate. Plus we discovered our 3 breeds are docile gentle breeds that happen to get along well together -- no bullying, no combats, and the Breda and Dominiques don't mind the little 2.5-lb Silkie being top hen. When we considered to keep docile smaller breeds we took into consideration the best laying chickens of the lightweight breeds -- we weren't looking for meat birds. Everyone has their own favorites and these just happen to be our choices.

Silkies looked small to be around these two IMO. Danish is smaller then RIR production but she's the leader. I figured just like dogs they developed their own ways. I picked out these two when tiny chicks based on their behavior in the brooder and they've pretty much stayed same.

I was given a new hatched silkie but I gave it back immediately. I'm not ready today and I want to be careful what I add.its possible I may have to try adding two more to buddy up.

Thanks for pointing out the difference in climate concerns. I have a lot more reading before moving ahead.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

 

[Sylvester017]

Silkies looked small to be around these two IMO. Danish is smaller then RIR production but she's the leader. I figured just like dogs they developed their own ways. I picked out these two when tiny chicks based on their behavior in the brooder and they've pretty much stayed same.

I was given a new hatched silkie but I gave it back immediately. I'm not ready today and I want to be careful what I add.its possible I may have to try adding two more to buddy up.

Thanks for pointing out the difference in climate concerns. I have a lot more reading before moving ahead.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

So glad you wisely chose not to keep the Silkie. I love the little Silkies but they are not for aggressive flocks. Here's what happened to our first little Silkie that I thought was molting but then found out the 7-lb bully Marans was eating her alive on the roost. The Marans outright attacked the other Silkie in a fight -- 2-lb Silkies are too little to fight with 7-lb Marans. We re-homed the aggressive Marans!

Thankfully all the Silkie feathers grew back!

 

[Sylvester017]

I am putting in a vote for English Orps for cuddling. Not the greatest layers and they do go broody---but for SWEETNESS and big, fluffy,and small combs, they are hard to beat. I also recommend deep litter in the coop for warmth and plenty of chickens to keep each other warm. I read that a chicken has a temperature of 103 degrees and emits 10 degrees of heat--so 10 chickens in a coop have the equivalent heat of hanging a 100 watt bulb in the coop. As long as you have a heated water source and a automatic door and a big feeder--I find 10 as easy to care for a 4. Also use nice planks for roosts so they can fluff their feathers over their feet on cold nights.

Your Orp looks like a real sweetie! Owners love their Orps and they come in beautiful varieties. I researched and watched Buff Orp chicks in a mixed pen to watch their behavior before I made a decision about them. My friend had an Orp that was top of the pecking order which made me hesitate. Usually top hens are assertive breeds. When I watched the 2 Orp chicks w/ 2 Leghorn chicks w/ 2 Pekin baby ducklings, I found the Orp chicks were hyper, going around disturbing and pecking on the Leg chicks who were minding their own business and then the Orps started pecking on the sleeping Pekin duckings. The Orp chicks were relentless in chasing the Leg chicks and ducklings around the pen so we decided not to get any Orps. Another thing I had to consider was that Orps are very heavily feathered and would not tolerate our humid climate.

As adults, the lighter weight Leghorns can hold their own with larger assertive breeds like RIRs, NHRs, Marans, Orps, etc -- but we had Silkies in the flock so kept our other breeds in the 5-lb-&-under docile class to mix w/ the Silkies. I adore so many of the larger breeds of chickens and did try Leghorns and Marans but they simply did not suit our flock temperament or climate. I happen to love Langshans but probably will never have one because of its heavier size and straight comb -- our humid climate is not kind to larger heavier breeds.

 

[All Ball]

What?? Some buckeye roos DON'T CROW????!!! Seriously??? Can you share more info?

 

[Sylvester017]

What?? Some buckeye roos DON'T CROW????!!! Seriously??? Can you share more info?

I know Buckeyes are probably one of the more docile standard breeds and I heard the roos were mellow but "don't crow" ? Cockerels might lack confidence and get chased or beat up by hens but usually mature roos are self-confident enough to take on normal flock duties. Maybe someone has bred a Buckeye strain that doesn't crow much?

 

[cavemanrich]

I know Buckeyes are probably one of the more docile standard breeds and I heard the roos were mellow but "don't crow" ? Cockerels might lack confidence and get chased or beat up by hens but usually mature roos are self-confident enough to take on normal flock duties. Maybe someone has bred a Buckeye strain that doesn't crow much?

I just know that capons if done at correct time wont crow. Done too late and they may. I cant keep roosters for that reason. I would keep capons, but just don't have the stomach to perform caponizing.

 

[gocgo]

As far as cold weather breeds up in Yukon, I'd select a breed with a less prominent comb. I have barred rocks, but I've noticed that my Gold Laced Wyandottes handle the cold better as they have a pea comb. I also have a buff orp roo that has not matured yet. He's getting kicked out of the coop by the girls and his comb is also getting some minor frostbite. Roos can be hit and miss as far as their personality, so I'd probably agree to avoiding for now.

 

[Sylvester017]

I just know that capons if done at correct time wont crow. Done too late and they may. I cant keep roosters for that reason. I would keep capons, but just don't have the stomach to perform caponizing.

I don't blame you -- I don't think I could do ANY kind of surgery on a chicken, or ANY animal. For years vets didn't even use pain killers before performing procedures on dogs or cats and thankfully that has changed in recent years. People think chickens are "just chickens" or food and therefore don't deserve any tender regard. Makes me so mad. Yesterday morning near our home on a busy 605 Interstate Fwy 19 chickens had to be corralled by Highway Patrol officers and taken to the animal shelter. Sadly, 2 chickens were dead, 7 were so badly injured by traffic they had to be euthanized and the rest are up for adoption -- the shelter charges $25 adoption fees to forever homes so no one can just come in and get free chicken dinners! The 605 Fwy has been notorious for years as a travel route for turnip trucks to transport stacked cages of meat chickens or ducks from the Inland Empire to go to markets in downtown Los Angeles. I suspect it was such a truck that lost a chicken cage and how so many chickens wound up on the interstate. Yesterday, DH and I signed a cage-free petition to get on the ballot. Hey, it isn't much but we all can do as much as we can to fight big poultry business practices that don't care how they treat animals.