We live in a suburb in Michigan and want to get 2-3 hens for pets and laying. I talked with one farm that had some chicks for sale locally and they would only consider selling me 6, saying that we had to have number minimum to keep each other warm through the winter if we had no heat in the coop. Is this true? We really only have room for 2-3, plus city ordinance only allows 4 anyway. We haven't built the coop yet but are looking at plans. We're waiting to see what we actually end up with, bird-wise. Were planning for an insulated, ventilated coop w/run. Oh, and regular size chickens, not bantams.
They do like to huddle together when it's cold. If you buy six chicks, you'll be very lucky to end up with three hens. Some won't survive to maturity, and half are likely to be roosters.
You may need to put in a heat lamp in the winter. Two or three will be fine. The farmer is right if you have no heat.