What kinds of chickens to get

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HopeCassman

HopeCassman

Hatching
6 Years
Jul 7, 2013
3
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Hi guys, I live in MN, I don't have any chickens put am wondering what kinds of chickens to get. I want to make sure they will do good in cold weather because up here it gets really cold! I am thinking about getting 1 Americaunas (I heard they do well in the cold), 1 Red stars and 1 Black Stars. Do Black and Red Stars do well in the cold? I heard they are great layers though!
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I would go for breeds that were developed in cold climates. What part of Minnesota? I remember going to Brainerd one summer and it was over 100. If it gets that hot where you are, that's harder on most breeds than the cold.
If it doesn't get hot, try Chanteclers or Orloffs, they can really take the cold but a little too heavily feathered for heat.
If it does get warm in summer better to go with Wyandottes, RIR, Plymouth Rocks, Welsummers, Jersey Giants, Orpingtons, Delawares, New Hampshires - all cold hardy and good layers.
For extreme cold and heat hardy, I especially like Jaerhons. They're from Norway but being smaller and tight feathered they can handle just about anything.

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Greetings from Kansas, HopeCassman, and
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! Great to have you aboard! While I agree with ChickenCanoe, chickens handle cold much better than heat and there are likely few breeds that wouldn't do well in the MN cold - provided they had a adequate coop. And for what it's worth, I'm a big fan of the 'Stars' - Black and Red. You might check the MN thread in the link below to see what breeds locals are raising. Below that is a handy chart that compares a bunch of breeds by various attributes. Good luck to you!

https://www.backyardchickens.com/f/26/where-am-i-where-are-you

http://www.ithaca.edu/staff/jhenderson/chooks/chooks.html
 
Congrats on getting chickens!!!
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They are very cute and fun and I bet you'll love them! I have 2 Ameraucana chickens. Where I live, the climate is hot but it can get very cold in the winter! My chickens have never died from the cold (or heat) and are very healthy. When it gets cold, I put a heater in their coop and pen and it always works. Ameraucanas take the cold and hot weather very well so I suggest getting Ameraucanas. I hope this helps!!! Good Luck!!!
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I too am looking to get chickens. I live in Shingle Springs CA and it can get a bit chilly in the winter. I am looking for suggestions on what kind of chickens to get. I plan on only having 2 or 3 because that is all my "coop" will support.

Thank you in advance for your help!!!
 
sunrunner719 said:
I too am looking to get chickens. I live in Shingle Springs CA and it can get a bit chilly in the winter. I am looking for suggestions on what kind of chickens to get. I plan on only having 2 or 3 because that is all my "coop" will support.

Thank you in advance for your help!!!
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What do you call chilly? How cold does it get? That will help us.
Most breeds can handle cold much better than heat. Most start panting at 85 and suffering at 95.
 

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