Winter Hardy Chicken Breeds

[Better Than Rubies]

Well, I wouldn't mind having white eggs, but I don't want only or mostly white ones. I want a variety.
I'm constantly changing this 'list', but, here's a list of ten different chicken breeds I might want:
Golden Buff
White Leghorn
Black Australorp
Speckled Sussex
Buff Orpington
Welsummer
Columbian Wyandotte
Dominique
Blue Cochin
Silver Spangled Appenzeller Spitzhauben
How does that sound for starters? Do you think I would get at least six eggs daily? They're all different colors, too, which I did intentionally; it's nice to look at a flock with variety, if you know what I mean; plus, a fluffy hen and a crested one.
I'm hoping they'd be friendly at least if they were raised as very young chicks. My mom wants eggs, and I do, too, but I also really want friendly chickens for pets.

And, sbhkma, that's cool!

 

[lazy gardener]

My personal preference is to avoid the crested birds, and feathered feet. I forget what your climate is. I've heard that the Spitzhauben don't do well in confinement. And the Golden buff would be a production bird. Prolific layer for a season or two, then most likely succumb to reproductive issues.

Do some price shopping, some hatcheries may require you to get a minimum of 3 birds of any one breed. Something else to keep in mind: birds of a kind flock together. I even see birds of the same color roosting together on the perch. This is not always the case, but common enough that other posters would tend to agree. Crested birds can get picked on in a flock of non crested.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I have found most breeds are winter hardy. My Ancona lay pretty well if you want a leghorn type that looks good too.

Cochins aren't the best layers, their eggs are small and they go broody often.

Stay away from crested breeds until you are more familiar with chickens. Appenzellar are independent birds. I constantly forget I have 2.

I will always recommend buff Orpingtons, and Australorp. Wyandotte can be poor layers, and sometimes aggressive. I recommend the silver laced variety if you wish to add some.

Welsummer and speckled Sussex are average to poor layers in my experiences.

Deciding what you want chickens for will help you pick the best flock. Do you want egg production or are you okay with free loaders. Are your birds going to be confined to a run? Some breeds don't tolerate it as well as others.

I personally use My Pet Chicken for all my hatchery birds. I like their selections, location, website, and customer service.

 

[Better Than Rubies]

So, based on from what you're saying, you both think I probably shouldn't get a feathered footed or crested breed for my personal starter flock? Since they might get picked on even more?
Hmm. That makes sense; I don't like seeing others get bullied. It makes me really mad. I had/have a fish that gets bullied, and all I wanted was a peaceful tank.
@oldhenlikesdogs, how much did MPC charge you for shipment of your chicks?

 

[PirateGirl]

My Wyandotte is my best layer so far. I don't know that I'd call her a bully, but she made sure she was at the top of the pecking order from the day she was introduced to the rest of the flock.

I have witnessed the "feather picking" of birds that are different. Again, not exactly bullying, but maybe out of curiosity. I have only one girl with a beard and the other girls plucked her beard out. She is a bit flighty (possibly because of this, maybe not) and very defensive. She is the only one I've seen get tall and puff out her feathers and flap at the others, but she is at the bottom of the pecking order.

Sooooo.... if you go with feather footed and/or crested, make sure they all grow up together (I'd think it would be harder to introduce them later) and have a few of them so they aren't the only "different" looking one.

 

[Kathy Golla]

i dont know how hot it gets where you are but in NCalifornia where I live this last summer we had about 30 days of 90+ degree weather, all the way up to 110 degrees. Be careful not to get cold hardy hens but then if its hot and humid where you are find out the cold hardy hens are not heat hardy.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

So, based on from what you're saying, you both think I probably shouldn't get a feathered footed or crested breed for my personal starter flock? Since they might get picked on even more?
Hmm. That makes sense; I don't like seeing others get bullied. It makes me really mad. I had/have a fish that gets bullied, and all I wanted was a peaceful tank.
@oldhenlikesdogs, how much did MPC charge you for shipment of your chicks?

My order for 11 chicks for this coming spring will cost me 36 dollars in shipping. If you order more than 15 the price drops a bit. Before anyone gets on my case and says that's expensive, I'm okay with it.

 

[Better Than Rubies]

Thanks, PirateGirl! And, Kathy Golla, thank you, also.
From Meyer's Hatchery, it's only a little cheaper than MPC, then (well, for some locations). And if you live in the state MPC is located, then most likely that makes it cheaper. So, maybe I should stick with Meyer's Hatchery. Hopefully that would be a good one, too. Thanks!
Love,
Better Than Rubies

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Thanks, PirateGirl! And, Kathy Golla, thank you, also.
From Meyer's Hatchery, it's only a little cheaper than MPC, then (well, for some locations). And if you live in the state MPC is located, then most likely that makes it cheaper. So, maybe I should stick with Meyer's Hatchery. Hopefully that would be a good one, too. Thanks!
Love,
Better Than Rubies

My Pet Chicken rents warehouse and incubator space from Meyers, so they come from the same place. Used to be My Pet Chicken was the only place you could get small chick orders from, but Meyers does it now too, so the chicks are basically the same. My Pet Chicken main office is in Connecticut I think, chicks come from Ohio. Just in case you wanted to know.

 

[lazy gardener]

I recommend putting together a sample order, then price checking MPC, and several of the other popular hatcheries to see how they stack up against each other.