Hatching Chicks

Hello and Welcome To BYC! You've gotten some good answers and suggestions above. X2 on the Brinsea incubators and the Hovabators if you are looking for a styrafoam one.
Most of the heavy brown eggs layers are pretty cold hardy and friendly, some popular ones are Black Australorps, Orpingtons, Plymouth Rocks, Sussex, Delaware and Wyandottes and don't forget Easter Eggers if you want green/blue eggs.

 

Glad you joined us!

I'm sorry for your losses.

There are many chicken breeds that would meet your criteria. However, I would personally recommend the Wyandotte. My Wyandottes have been docile birds that lay 300+ brown eggs a year. Wyandottes are also cold hardy, since they have small rose combs and heavy feathering, and they come in several beautiful color varieties.

Other breeds that I would suggest include: Australorps, Orpingtons, Rhode Island Reds, Plymouth Rocks, Easter Eggers, Ameraucanas, and Sex-links. I would check out the breeds section to see what other members think of certain breeds: Chicken Breeds - BackYard Chickens Community

Good luck getting some chickens next spring!

 

Sorry about your loss, but glad you are gonna start again. I have barred rocks and buff orps and love them all. So glad you decided to join us.

 

Welcome to BYC! Glad you decided to join our flock. I'm sorry about the loss of your Silkies to a predator. It's always sad to lose some of our flock. I would recommend Black Australorps. I've raised them for years (along with dozens of other breeds) and they are extremely hardy. I've raised them where winter temperatures dropped to 30 F below zero, and where summer temperatures frequently reached 117-118 F (123 F once), and in both climate extremes, they came through like troopers. They are also very calm and gentle. My children, and now my granddaughter (pictured in my avatar) made lap pets of them. And they are the best layers of the standard, brown egg laying breeds. A Black Australorp holds the brown egg laying record with 364 eggs in 365 days, and while none of mine have ever reached that kind of production (and likely never will), I've still had a few of them lay over 300 eggs in a year. Please feel free to ask any questions you may have. We are here to help in any way we can. Whatever breeds you decide to get, good luck with your flock.

 

The best breeds for are buff orpingtons, black australorps, EEs and sussex. Buff orps are my favorite. (That is breed in that picture!) They are very sweet, affectionate, calm and docile. They lay large brown eggs daily and are very cold hardy. Australorps are basically the same as orpingtons although they tend to be better layers. EEs, (easter eggers) are more independent and lively. They are still friendly and cold hardy. Sussex chickens are SUPER curious! They love to investigate EVERYTHING! If tamed while young, they are friendly. They are also good layers and cold hardy.

Good luck!