In general the first thing to consider when choosing a breed for me is its comb. The comb is that red thing on its head. There are different kinds of combs. In general if you live in a cold climate you want a SMALL comb. Look at pictures of the adults of the breed. I go for Rose and Pea combs. The big floppy single combs that you think of when you think classic farm rooster are a bad idea in a cold climate. Why? Because they freeze. Even pea combs get a touch of frost bite in winter. Worst case scenario is that they will fall off after a cold snap. This can cause sterilization in roosters. Why keep a noisy rooster if he cannot fertilize eggs though??
Beyond the comb you want tough, old school birds if you live in a harsher climate. I have never tried a Sumatra because they originate from a tropical island. Logic tells me that they are probably not going to do all that well on the tundra. I have tried a couple of the crested ones and none have made it past a cold snap. Frilly ones in general start looking pretty nappy after a long three week sideways rain snap. I do have a friend here who has a some exotics but she babies her birds more than I do. It can be done...I just don't see it as the best use of my resources or time.
Buff Orpingtons
Buff Orpingtons are one of my favorite breeds. They are a sort of strawberry blond color. They lay nice brown eggs and are very tough in winter. They are also calm and have pea combs. They are among the last to stop laying in winter and the first to start up again in spring. I usually get an egg a day when the light comes back.
Black Australorp
One of the best egg layers out there. I was worried they would not be tough enough and I had one hen who laid an egg a day each summer for five years. They are black but have this pretty green sheen in the sun. They are very tough, nice and calm and have a small comb.
Barred Rock
These are a little smaller than my orpies and australorps. They are also more frantic. They run away and seem in a panic if you are in the coop. While kind of annoying, this is a pretty good defense too. They have small black and white spots (almost a hounds tooth pattern). So they are pleasing to look at. They are also ridiculously tough winter birds with nice small combs on the hens. They lay late into fall and start up for me again early in spring. Tons of summer production. These gals are also among those most likely to go broody for me. Since they are so skittish they are also good mothers. These are the most economic to feed out of all the birds I keep.
Brahmas (come in light, dark, buff, and maybe a couple other colors...I like the light ones)
Brahmas are huge and have feathers on their feet. I have a hit or miss relationship with my Brahmas. I have not had any luck in the last couple years getting any adults to keep.
My first experience was from Sandhill though and we had the best, HUGE rooster. We actually named him Big Al. I usually don't name my chickens...because they are stupid and poop on everything. But at the time I had 2 roosters. The other was a Barred Rock. Big Al was bigger and more dominant, but Rocks are frantic and Brahmas are the most mellow of all chickens. When I would go to the coop the Rock would come charging at me with his spurs and Big Al would see him and kick the crap out of him to protect me...my personal guard chicken. So he got a name and got to live until old age. Eventually he broke the other rooster's leg and it had to hop around on one foot. Big Al was huge and white with feathered feet. He looked like a ptarmigan on steroids. We had a hen hatch some eggs and kept his son (an Australorp - Brahma cross) after he died. He was also a great rooster.
My Brahma hens have been mellow, winter tough, and excellent egg layers. We killed Big Al when he could no longer walk. He was so big that his feet went bad after four years. When we butchered his son we could see that he grew so big so fast that his breast bone had an odd bend to it. I was very bummed when all 5 of my straight run light Brahma chicks died this go round. I lost the one I got last year when his foot got caught up in something. They are just big and nice to look at with great temperaments. They are probably not the most economic eaters though. Also when they cross with other breeds you get scraggly feathers on the legs of the offspring. Brahmas are our favorite roosters.
Ameracaunas (Easter Egg Chickens)
Ameracaunas are a mixed breed with ties to South America. They are fun and I have had pretty good luck with them. Their color runs the gambit. They are usually multi-colored, have tufts of fluffy feathers around their face, and green feet. What makes them extra fun is that most of them (a few don't because of the mixing) lay eggs with green shells. Insides are like regular eggs but those green shells are too much fun. Kids go bananas for them. I have also found them to be tough birds that make it through winter. They are not my best layers but they are pretty good and the novelty makes them a keeper.
Wayandottes (come in various colors)
These are known for their winter toughness. I have had some. I think I have one right now. But they have never really caught my fancy in the way others have. They are frantic like the rocks but are bigger. They are pretty good layers of brown eggs. Lots of people love them and if you are in a cold climate they are a sure thing.
Red and Black Stars
These are a production variety. They will lay lots of eggs. I have had a couple winter over but they are more likely to die in winter and I find that they might make it through one winter but will not make it through two. If you are in a slightly better climate they can be rock stars on the egg production front.
Chanteclair
I want to try Chanteclairs but they are IMPOSSIBLE to get. They are the national heritage breed of Canada. They are supposed to be the toughest winter chickens ever. I have tried and tried but they are really really rare and hard to find. Some day though.
Jersey Giant
I had one Jersey Giant but went with a different rooster. They have a lot of potential and are supposed to be tough and excellent layers. They just eat a lot because they are so huge and that is not a quality I wanted in a rooster.
Dorkings
This is a breed I tried inadvertently when Sandhill did a substitution for me one year. They are very rare and are supposed to be excellent winter layers but they have huge combs so we wound up eating them. They are mellow and an excellent kind of odd looking rare breed if you live in a nicer climate.
Bantams
A Bantam is a half sized breed of chicken. They eat less and have smaller eggs but can be excellent layers. I stay away from them in general because in my experience they are MEAN! Especially the roosters. Someone left one in our chicken yard and it would attack anyone who went out there. I kicked him into the wall three or four times and he just did not take the hint...so we ate him. If you need feisty chickens that can better protect themselves Banties come in all kinds of colors and kinds. If you have kids, stick to the mellow breeds.
We did have one old bantie someone gave us. We named her Ittie Bittie. She was 4 when we got her and was not a bird to be messed with...but she left people alone. We had her another 4 years and she hatched three rounds of chicks, which was super funny since they were eggs from the big chickens and all grew up to be twice her size. She kept laying an egg every so often right up until she died.
Crested Breeds
There are all kinds of funny looking breeds with weird doodles on their heads. They are fantastic and strange. I have tried a couple on a whim and have had one as a mystery chicken from McMurray...none have even survived the summer for me, much less made it to winter. Pam has one in her more upscale set-up and he apparently gets picked on a lot. If you go this route and just want show chickens...get all crested so none looks different from the others.
Next post...Baby Chicks
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