Welcome to the forum!
Glad you joined us!
First, I suggest you read these articles. The lady that wrote them was in Ontario so she might have more credibility with cold weather than I do.
Pat’s Big Ol' Ventilation Page
https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=1642-VENTILATION
Pat’s Cold Coop (winter design) page:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=1642-winter-coop-temperatures
Pat’s Big Ol' Mud Page (fixing muddy runs):
https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=1642-fix-a-muddy-run
That’s a real nice run size and the 8’ chain link is real predator resistant. Foxes, raccoons and such can still climb it but it will stop a lot of predators and really slow others down. Gates can be a weak point though so give some consideration how yours is made.
I’m not familiar with Cackle’s red broilers so I can’t help you with them. I’ve dealt with Cackle before. They are hard to get on the phone but are real nice people to deal with once you get in touch with them. If I remember right, Meyer Hatchery is in New York. You might have a shorter shipping time which is important or you might even be close enough to pick them up if they allow that. Some do, some don’t.
I don’t know when you intend to get your chicks. 16 to 20 weeks is normally a good age to process dual purpose birds like Wyandottes. They’ve done the most of their fast growing by then. They will have more texture and a different flavor than the store bought chicken, but using a slower moister cooking method will take care of the texture issue. On the flavor, some of us like it a lot better and some don’t.
I’d suggest you don’t think of coop size for 10 to 12 Wyandottes. It sure sounds like you will want to raise more chicks in the future. If you have a broody with chicks, she can easily raise them with the flock if she has enough room to work. And if you get an incubator or buy more chicks to raise in a brooder, integration goes a whole lot better if you have extra room.
My basic goal is to have one rooster and 7 or 8 hens. I raise them mostly for meat but get plenty of eggs which is a nice side benefit. Last summer I had over 40 chickens of various ages before the first hatch got big enough to eat. I put 5 in the freezer last Wednesday from a late broody hatch and have three more to go. But I also have 22 eggs in the incubator that will go into lockdown tonight to start this year’s cycle.
I hate giving magic numbers for coop size. There is a rule of thumb on this forum that gives 4 square feet in the coop and 10 square feet in the run for each chicken. That will keep most people in most climates using most management techniques out of trouble most of the time but does not give a lot of extra flexibility. With your snow in winter, I’d think bigger to start with. They will be trapped in there a lot in your winter.
I’ll mention that most building materials come in 4’ and 8’ standard dimensions. You can usually be most efficient in coop size both from a money aspect and with less cutting and waste if you plan around those dimensions.
There is another rule of thumb on here for nests, one nest for every four hens. You’ll find that most will lay in the same nest anyway, but I’d go with three for you. It gives you a bit of flexibility if one goes broody. It’s possible if you are raising chickens in the future you will have extra pullets that start laying before you process them. You may want to keep you pullets and evaluate their laying if you decide to replace older non-productive hens in the future.
On the roosters and noise, who knows? They are all individuals. Often the dominant one is the one that crows the most. Sometimes the non-dominant ones hardly ever crow. With the ones I put in the freezer last Wednesday, several of them were crowing, not just the dominant one. People will tell you mine do this or mine do that and I totally believe them. We are dealing with living animals. It’s hard to predict what will happen with an individual.
Since predators can climb that chain link, I suggest you build a pretty predator proof coop and lock them in there securely at night when the risk is highest. Again, you are dealing with living animals with the predators. It is certainly possible they will hunt during the day but they are most active at night. That’s when you risk is highest.
As far as your brooder, I’d keep the broilers separate from the Wyandottes to start with. Broilers are eating and pooping machines. I think you will be much happier with separate brooders from day 1. If you have electricity out there, I’d suggest building a large brooder and raise them out there. Make sure it has a good draft guard, good ventilation, is predator proof, and just heat one area. Let the rest cool off as it will. When a broody hen raises chicks she does not heat the entire world. She provides a warm place for them to go when they need to warm up. Think along those lines.
Good luck and welcome to the adventure.
