What is the best breed for my situation?

[cmom]

I have a chick/grow-out coop that I have brooded in.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

The only thing I can add to what others have offered is to give you links to two excellent breed comparison charts then you can select from the characteristics that work for you. Weather tolerance, size, color, egg color, production, temperament, etc. and let you choose for yourself.
http://www.albc-usa.org/documents/chickenbreedcomparison.pdf
http://www.sagehenfarmlodi.com/chooks/chooks.html

 

[TinaMarieofFL]

As I said in the newbie thread I am new and researching beforehand. I will describe my situation and then what I would like. Any and all advice is appreciated.

*Family of 6 plus 2 dogs and 2 cats
*Chain link back yard about 1/2 acre
*Live outside of city limits but in a neighborhood
*Will build my own coop and run or might buy one at Rural King and add a run
*Will let free range during the day of around and can keep the dogs and cats from bothering them
*Have a shaded area under a tree but the rest is sunlight all day long
*Live in WV so it can get down to 0 or below and up to 99 with the "feels like" temperatures being well below 0 or over 110

I am wanting excellent egg producers that are very weather hardy and are as docile as possible since I have 2 small boys who will want to be around them a lot. Those are my 3 main wants in finding the right chickens for my family and our area

As for other stuff, egg color doesn't really matter but I do like the brown and blue and green colors.

And should I buy pullets from somewhere online or go to Rural King for the chicks (which I think the boys will LOVE to raise) or buy chicks online. We always have to go back and see if they have any as soon as we wall in. Also when is the best time of year to get chicks?

Finally I was going to get 6 (one fore each person) and maybe get a mix of 3+3 or 2+2+2. So please don't be afraid to mention multiple types.

As always, thank you for any advice

Please do your research on prefab coops. I have a Chicken Saloon brand coop, I do not recommend it. Nice looking, easy to put together but it in under a year it started to fall apart.

 

[SD in WV]

@Kathleen Sanderson , thanks. I read it was 1 per but really appreciate the 2 per. That sounds more like it

 

[Kathleen Sanderson]

Well, it depends on two things -- how many eggs your family eats, and how well your hens will lay. If you aren't big egg eaters, and get a breed that lays really well, one per person might be plenty. But if you eat a lot of eggs and get one of the breeds that is a fair layer but not exceptional, you may need four hens per person! (Which really brings the cost up -- that's why white leghorns and sex-links were invented, to keep the cost of eggs down.)

 

[Beer can]

In kinda partial to the naked neck turkens also. Like 'igorsMistress' said they do great in both temp extremes. I'm in the west side of the Catskill mts NY, teens down to subzero -20 wind chill winters to some weeks hovering around 100 summers. Seems like no temp bothers them and they lay great also. All breeds are pretty cool though and most do well at those temps, just make sure your coop is well ventilated, very mostly important for cold weather, ventilation is the most important thing to prevent frostbite.

 

[TinaMarieofFL]

You are getting great advice. The only thing I would add is that you should build your coop first. It can take longer than planned and you will know exactly how many chickens it wil fit before you buy. Build the biggest coop you can to plan for chicken math to strike. Building first allows for you to plan carefully for your needs.

yes, definately build the coop/run first.