Faverolles

We have three salmon faverolles.  Super sweet!  And fantastic with the rest of our city "farm" (our Great Pyr. Mix and Shepherd Mix ... and HUGE cat).  They're very good winter layers (we get at least two eggs/day).  Very friendly.  They like to follow us around the yard and come when they're called (craziness, I know).  Not aggressive in the least and very smart (almost expressive).  My only complaint is that we didn't get more!!

These girls are my favorite.  They are very reliable layers thus far.  They are the friendliest of my flock.  They follow you around like little puppies.  They are also the best with our children, letting them handle them hand feed them etc. 

The only draw back is that with the exception of one SF hen with attitude, they are the bottom of the pecking order and they are easily picked on. 

I have 3 faverolles, and I'm glad I have 3 so they can stick together.  As I add to my flock, I think I'll be concerned about these girls being at the bottom of the pecking order.  They are very quiet, very sweet, and completely nonaggressive.  Not my smartest birds, they follow my Delaware around and let her show them where to go.  Great for children, though more shy than friendly.  They'd rather run away from my kids than come up and beg for a snack.  The only big con: though they lay very well (4-5 times a week) the eggs are medium-sized so I don't use them to bake with.  Three of their eggs equals two large in a recipe.

I have had salmon faverolles since May of 2010, and they quickly surpassed my love for all my previous breeds.  I started with bantams, because that is what I found first, and have recently acquired three salmon LF pullets.  Although the LF are still warming up to me, the bantams are wonderful, full of personality and a joy to watch.  They are the most calm when being held, and tend to follow me around in the run. The rooster is the most spectacular of all the roosters I have seen, IMHO.

Unfortunately, their docile nature entices the other birds to pick on them, which is why I'll will have a flock of faverolles in their own section in the future. I highly recommend them as a first breed for young children, because of their gentleness.  

The faverolles from the hatchery are quite different from the truebred birds available from breeders - they are worth the wait and the cost, as is true of virtually every purebred fowl.