Do you need to keep the coop heated in the winter? Always wondered about that.
I never heated my coop in the winter months up here on the Frozen Tundra. It was a standard coop, about 8x8x10 of living space. As long as they have a roost where they can cuddle together for body heat, I had no problems.
You DO need to have sturdier breeds for the North, though. You want hens with small ‘combs’ which easily can get frostbitten.
On some years, when we had below zero temps for weeks on end, I put Vasoline on their combs to keep them from getting frostbite.
I never lost a hen to the cold. Lost them to dogs, wild mink or hawks, but never to the cold.
I put a heat lamp on cold days (we get some -0 nights) but some say they don't need it. Our local supplier (Cackle Hatchery) mails chicks all over the country. My wife was waiting in line at the post office and they were mailing boxes of chicks to Alaska.
Barred Rock is a good egg layer, like someone said, get some Americanas for the colored eggs. We got rid out our rooster, he got up too early for us and the neighbors.