Need Advice on Breeds that will be OK in VERY Harsh weather...

[Mrs MIA]

Hi~
Yep, Triple D is right near the "Y" in the Valley - their website has a map. I'm heading up there this weekend to pick up chicks and turkeys. They're not a traditional hatchery, though - they get their chicks from Ideal, and don't hatch a lot of their own there, even though they do have equipment. Alaskanhenhouse, on this forum, has a website, too, and she sells chicks of the cold-hardy types, too. We're about 150 miles away, so we wouldn't be AS convenient as Triple D or Alaskanhenhouse, but we will have different breeds available.
I did what you're talking about - trying a few of each of the breeds to see which do the best. My findings, after a couple of years:
My Americauna must be broken, because she lays an egg a day for 2 weeks, then takes 4 months off. :|
My light brahma is an egg machine, except when she's moulting, and has not gone broody yet. That's why we chose to breed them.
The buff orpington is the same as the LB, as well as my black australorp. The white leghorns are great layers, but their combs take constant watch in the winter months. Put vaseline on them, and they can usually handle the cold.
The barred rocks and rhode island reds are also egg machines, though the BRs go broody quite often. The RIRs are young, so I don't know about their broodiness yet.
I also have a golden polish, white rock, white wyandotte, silver spangled hamburg and silver laced wyandotte, 6 week old chicks, to test their laying/hardiness. Our kids like the small bantam eggs, because they're more "their size".

But they're not as consistent laying as the larger girls.

Welcome to the madness... we started off with an 8x8' insulated coop with attached 8x16' run (which has now been doubled to accomodate doubling the number of chickens to 20

) and are now building a 12x20' breeders coop, also fully insulated and wired for light/heat. The heat will mostly be in the form of heat tape for the watering system, and a few well-placed heat lamps. Just a warning... the baby chicks are addicting!

 

[LynneP]

She's right and I don't even have mine yet...

 

[Rare Feathers Farm]

I live in Okanogan, WA and we have had temps reach well below zero (we're at 3,000' elevation). This last winter, we had over a week of minus zero, with the lowest temps reaching -20 on two nights.

I have Golden Laced Cochins, Light Brahmas (standards) and Muscovies. All did just fine. Of course, they have a nice coop with a heat lamp.

The Brahmas laid all the way through the coldest week.

 

[P0U1TRYP3RS0N]

I would say Easter Eggers are pretty cold hardy (they have pea combs--so less risk of frostbite on the comb). Plymouth Rocks are really tough, too. Both are gret layers. The EE's lay green eggs and the Rocks' brown. Just be really careful with frostbite. Check them often and don't let them get wet. I live where temp sometimes is -2 in the winter, and some of my birds have lost toes (or lives) due to the cold. Coat their combs in Petroleum Jelly if you know it's gonna be an especially cold and windy day.

 

[Mrs MIA]

Quote:
Hi Lynne!

You'll have your babies in no time. And they are going to be even more spoiled than mine.

We hover around -20°F for the month of January... sometimes into February... maxing out between -30 and -40°F for about a week or so. The chickens didn't come out of their coop much during then, but they continued to lay, and I kept lights on timers for them. They know when it's too cold, and as long as you have a place for them to get out of the elements, and kept above freezing so the eggs/water don't freeze, you should do just fine.

 

[Winter]

I just went through this same dilema. I live in Canada where it can be -40 at night. I plan on having heated water but an insulated unheated coop. Growing up we had chickens and they were never heated (but probably misreable). I think that in the worst weeks I can put them, coop and all, into the garage.

I just ordered Speckled Sussex, Light Brahma, EE, Buff Rocks and salmon Favorelles. I wanted BO but they weren't available so I chose the buff rocks instead.

I really wanted Cochins but I read they were too broody so weren't a good choice as layers. Is this true? I feel incline to change my order to include some cochins but I already have 25 coming and only was planning on keeping 3-7. Yikes.

 

[mamarama]

I know this is a bit after the fact, but...

For what it's worth, I've been keeping chickens on the Kenai Pen. (in AK) for 3 years, and all of my chickens have been fine through the winters in an unheated, uninsulated coop. The first winter all I had were 3 tiny banty hens, and even they had no problems at all...This winter I had 4 banties and 4 Easter Eggers of some variety, and I spoiled them by letting them pass the winter in the greenhouse...but no problems at all. I just hatched out some black australorps, and I'll be keeping several of them and we'll see how they do this winter. Probably just fine. I've known people here that put them in a truck canopy on the ground and they've been fine. I wouldn't worry too much about it...

Hope that helps!

Mamarama

 

[morelcabin]

Thanks for posting that Mamarama...I am in Canada and although I have a very draft free, double walled coop it is not insulated and I didn't want to have to take the inside walls down to insulate. (this is a new coop from last year that I didn't keep birds in over the winter)
But I think now I will try over wintering them and see what happens...after all, many wild birds out there live outdoors and have no real draft free shelter and they do fine:>)
I was kind of worried about it, but you are right about the truck caps, I have seen that around here too, and it works just fine. Thanks again, you put my mind at ease:>)

 

[Mrs MIA]

I think the key is keeping them draft free, and keeping the water thawed. And the eggs. I try to keep the coop at a minimum of 35°F, and I collect the eggs more often in the winter. Other than that, they do really well.