Recommended breeds for my locale

[kuna-clucker]

I'm a bit of a newbie here so please extend some grace! I live in the Boise, Idaho-area. We have winter lows in the single-digits, summer high up to 110. I have a pretty good mix of hens consisting of Barred Rocks, Ameraucanas, Buff Orpingtons, Brown Leghorns, and some Cinnamon Queens (Red Sexlinks).

I got some Rhode Island Reds from the local feed store, straight runs, turned out to be all roos! They are VERY aggressive!

So here's my question: If I want colored egg layers that won't die from the summer heat but won't be prone to frostbite. Won't be flighty (crazy) and tend to be docile what should I get? I know my BL's are a white-egg-laying, crazy-flighty, frostbite-prone-combed breed so they may not have been the best choice, but what about the others? This is a fantastic website! Is there a place that someone could point me to to weigh these choices out?

 

[Uppity Peon]

Wyandottes are supposed to be a good choice for cold climates. And they lay brown eggs. And as adults, they are too big and fat to be good fliers.

 

[LaSombra]

the barred rocks should do ok and I agree about the wyandottes. Also, orpingtons are supposed to be very cold-hardy.

 

[Nostalchic]

My buff orpingtons and black austrolorps are my most friendly though not docile, exactly, both decent layers of brown eggs and tolerate cold and heat pretty well. Check out the "choose your chicken" tool at MyPetChicken.com - really helpful in selecting breeds according to certain criteria.

 

[GoldenSilverLaced]

And as adults, they are too big and fat to be good fliers.

I beg to differ - my SLW can jump/semi-fly more than 2x higher than my GB, even though she is..."voluptuous".

I do agree that SLWs would be a good choice based on your criteria.​

 

[briteday]

Not too far from you in northern NV...I have 6 RIR who have done jsut fine in heat and cold. And we are raising some new egglayers this year...Delawares, speckled sussex, and EE's. And I'm thinking about some autralorp for next year.

 

[patandchickens]

Chanteclers do real well with cold and at least reasonable heat, and are decent layers of tinted eggs. Also EE's, though not *as* cold-hardy as chanteclers.

Rocks (barred or otherwise) are a good all round heat-and-cold hardy chicken, though they have more comb to potentially get frostbit than the above.

The most important thing for very cold temperatures is to take whatever management steps are needed to keep the coop air DRY. If it is humid in there (frosty, condensate-y) frostbite happens at much less severe temperatures. Insulation and getting as much benefit from solar inputs as possible will also help, by keeping the coop warmer than the outside air at night.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[cmom]

These sites are especially helpful in selecting breeds.

http://www.mypetchicken.com/breedQuestions.aspx
Henderson's Chicken Breed Chart
http://www.feathersite.com/Poultry/BRKPoultryPage.html