Minimum new chickens to indroduce

[Folly's place]

Single combs are much more likely to get frostbitten in cold weather. Small combs don't have that problem.
French Marans have the really dark eggs, while the clean legged cuckoo Marans won't have chocolate eggs. And 'Americanas' are actually Easter Eggers, which come in any color, lay more eggs usually than purebred Ameraucanas, and can lay green, blue, or sometimes tan eggs.
Mary

 

[Brooksy21]

Single combs are much more likely to get frostbitten in cold weather. Small combs don't have that problem.
French Marans have the really dark eggs, while the clean legged cuckoo Marans won't have chocolate eggs. And 'Americanas' are actually Easter Eggers, which come in any color, lay more eggs usually than purebred Ameraucanas, and can lay green, blue, or sometimes tan eggs.
Mary

My Easter Eggers are from Crested Legbar genes so they have big floppy combs. Guess I’m going to have to watch them this winter. I’m hoping to get some EEs with the Ameraucana genes. Sounds like they’ll do better in the cold with those pea combs from what you’re saying. I’m not sure I want the feather legs as I’ve heard that they’re not good in clay soils. Because it gets caked on and it’s hard to remove making their feet colder. Can you get none feathered Legged Black Copper Marans?

 

[Folly's place]

EEs have clean legs, fine. And we have both French Marans and Belgian d'Uccles, who have more leg feathering, and they are fine here. Chickens hate snow anyway, so walking in snow isn't a problem. Getting feet wet, as in a doggy water dish, or wet bedding, would not be good.
Once in thirty years we've had a bird with frozen feet, and he was a large Chantecler cockerel, who found a way, not sure how. Bad for him, but our only one, ever.
Standing water is never good, make sure the drainage is good at your coop and run
After twenty plus year of having a small open run, we had the coop roof extended over it, making a much larger coop, and no snow in there. Wonderful!
Also, having electricity out there for heated waterer bases, lighting, and do you have water close for winter? Another thing we added years ago, a frost free hydrant next to the coop. Carrying waterers through snow and on ice is miserable!
Mary

 

[rosemarythyme]

I only have 6 birds which is a nice number for me. However I’d really like to add a few more colors to my egg basket come spring . What would be the minimum number of birds I should add. I’m thinking 3 at least incase I lose one then I’m not left with just one to integrate, that would be terrible. 10 seems like way too many although I probably have the room. I’m thinking max of another 6, but 4 might be the magic number. Thoughts?

3 or 4 is a perfectly good number, I've always done chicks in 3s or 4s so if you lose one, you won't get stuck with a solo bird, but it's still a small enough number that they're easily manageable.