Breed suggestions for a small backyard flock

Welcome to BYC.

Rev0 said:

We also live in the upper midwest so we want breeds that will be able to handle both the winter & summer.

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Glad you mentioned your location. Climate matters, especially when it comes to housing.

If you put your location into your profile people will be able to give better-targeted advice when you ask questions.

Here's a good article on cold-climate chicken keeping: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/cold-weather-poultry-housing-and-care.72010/

Rev0 said:

The Eglu Cube site says it can house up to 6 large, 8 medium, or 10 bantam sized hens.

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If there is a coop manufacturer that doesn't wildly exaggerate the number of chickens that can fit in the coop I'm not aware of their existence. Eglus, while sturdier than many prefabs, are not only under-sized, but also underventilated.

The Usual Guidelines

For each adult, standard-sized hen you need:

• 4 square feet in the coop (.37 square meters)
• 10 square feet in the run (.93 square meters),
• 1 linear foot of roost (.3 meters),
• 1/4 of a nest box,
• And 1 square foot (.09 square meters) of permanent, 24/7/365 ventilation, preferably located over the birds' heads when they're sitting on the roost.

Bantams are often said to need half the space of a full-sized bird.

Here's what you need for 4, full-sized hens:

4 hens

• 16 square feet in the coop. 4'x4' is the only really practical build for this given the common dimensions of lumber.
• 4 feet of roost
• 40 square feet in the run. 4'x10' or 5'x8'. 6'x6' is a bit too small, 6'x8' is more generous and easier to build than 5'x8'.
• 4 square feet of ventilation. A 2'x2' window is theoretically enough, but in practice doesn't create any air FLOW so better to spread the venting around (and even better to exceed the minimums, especially in warm climates).
• 2 nest boxes, to give the hens a choice

And this coop was designed to precisely meet all those minimums so you can see what they actually look like: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/the-little-monitor-coop.76275/

As far as breed recommendations, you *might* want to avoid breeds with large single combs since frostbite could be an issue in your winters, but, as a general rule, well-acclimated chickens in a well-ventilated coop are good down to at least 0F.

Any of the common, dual-purpose breeds that were developed in the 1800's and the first part of the 1900's will be well-adapted to a wide range of climates. "Friendliness" in terms of petting/handling the chickens is very much a matter of the individual bird's personality.

So, Go Ahead, Pick the Prettiest Chickens!

That said, Brahmas and Wyandottes are supposed to be great for cooler climates.

Thank you all for your advice! This is all super helpful.

I just started my first flock with a mixture of speckled sussex, cuckoo marans, buff orpington, barnevelder, golden comet, and olive egger. They're not laying yet so I can't offer any experience there. I picked those breeds based on purported friendliness/ease of handling, egg color/size/number, and hardiness in extreme heat and cold situations since the weather in my state fluctuates a lot. Doing well in confinement is important for me too since we have so many predators where I live. They are always in a covered run or a moveable tractor of the same size.

My two sussexes are like night and day... one is very very cuddly but is also super noisy. She is the one who lets me know if the group is displeased in any way (i.e. I haven't brought some treats or attention by noon). As a chick she let me know if it was too hot/cold or if the water got knocked over. When they started going for trips outside, she never stopped whining until I took them out again! The other is very high-strung and will tolerate being held and petted if caught but would prefer not to be, and never makes a peep. They are both at the top of the pecking order in my group and the cuddly one can even be pushy with me, pecking me hard if she gets on my lap and I don't start petting quickly enough. I think the high-strung one might be a bit of a bully but she hasn't done anything bad enough yet for me to seperate her. They have been expert foragers since they were very little and I have a feeling they both might be happier in a free-range situation. They are the prettiest in my flock and I love them.

My olive egger is highly intelligent and never makes a sound. She is also super affectionate and I can't wait for those green eggs. She is smaller than the other breeds, I have a Meyer Hatchery strain. She can spot a hawk from a mile away and even though she isn't the most dominant, the others observe her and follow suit.

The golden comets are like the sussexes in that one is super affectionate and the other doesn't want anything to do with me. If I had known they have such a shorter life expectancy I wouldn't have got them but now that they're here I love them. They're quiet and don't bother anyone. They're not as wary as the others and are usually first to follow the olive egger. Their egg count is supposedly massive.

The barnevelder is also super loud. She doesn't try to get my attention like the loud sussex, she just walks around making a pretty songbird-like whistling sound to herself all day. Very sweet but noisy.

I wondered with all the docile breeds I got which ones would come out at the top and the bottom of the pecking order. The orpington is definitely at the bottom. She is timid of the other chickens but is so tolerant of strangers that she's the one I give people to pet when they visit. She never makes a sound and can snuggle all day. She has a hard time catching on to new things but dang if she's not the best fly-catcher in the bunch.

I think everyone has that one chicken that they just like best for one reason or another, and that is the marans for me. She is always the first to jump on my lap and if I'm bent over in the coop doing anything she's on my back in a second. I didn't think they were that friendly, I mostly just got her for the egg color, but she has been my special buddy since she could jump out of the brooder. She is the only one who has trouble in the heat but she loves to wade in water so it isn't hard to cool her off.

I hope all the breed experiences in this thread help you find the perfect fit for your little flock!!