Looking to start raising some free range chicken in Wisconsin

[KyleNamber]

I'm looking to get app 12 chickens, what types would you recommend for the harsh winters in Wisconsin? Also what type of coop and how big should I make it for 12 chickens?

 

[Sclark73]

I live in northern Wisconsin and so far my Dottes, Sussex and Orps seem to be handling it well. I would suggest the dottes as their combs have a less chance of freezing. Most of my straight combed chickens had some sort of frostbite from this winter. As far as a coop I would say 10x10 at least. Where abouts in Wi are you located?
Thanks,
Stacy

 

[TwoCrows]

Lots of hardy chickens out there. You might want to check out our breeds page here on BYC to see what members are saying about the different breeds and their hardiness...

https://www.backyardchickens.com/products/category/chicken-breeds

Also, here is a nice external breeds page that has some info on hardiness. I used this page many times while picking out breeds....

http://www.sagehenfarmlodi.com/chooks/chooks.html

You might also do some chatting in your states thread to see what types of breeds others are keeping in your area...

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/245700/wisconsin-cheeseheads

Great to have you aboard and enjoy all your poultry adventures!

 

[Kelsie2290]

Hello and Welcome To BYC! A great article from the Learning Center that helps figure out how much space you need in the coop https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/how-much-room-do-chickens-need and be sure to check out the rest of the Learning Center articles https://www.backyardchickens.com/atype/1/Learning_Center and here is a thread that talks about dealing with the cold weather and coop designs https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/736771/can-chickens-stand-the-cold-weather

 

[KyleNamber]

Thanks Stacy! We live in black creek near Green Bay. I'm trying to find a cheep easy way to build a coop that's plenty warm in the winter.

 

[Ren2014]

Hello and

 

[Sclark73]

Thanks Stacy! We live in black creek near Green Bay. I'm trying to find a cheep easy way to build a coop that's plenty warm in the winter.

Their are quite a few others that live in your area on the Cheeseheads board you can converse with about chickens for sure. As far as cheap, I'm all about saving money any way I can. Most of my coops are built out of recycled wood and pallets. I know somewhere on this site someone has a whole tutorial of coops they built with pallets. I think they are on the Blue Laced Red Wyandotte board. Or you can just search it on this site.

 

[gander007]