Best breed for backyard coop?

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I LOVE my Rhode Island Reds!!! They are so loving and produce tons of eggs!! I have one that is the boss and is loud at times but ALL of them love to be held and have their heads scratched. :) I think the key to happy chickens is to hold them as much as possible when they are chicks and to continue to show them attention throughout their life. HAPPY CHICKENS= YUMMY EGGS
 
I have had Buff Orpingtons, Barred Rocks, Americauna, Brown Leghorn, Black Sex link, Sliver laced Wyandotte, Cochin, one at a time...because I like to be able to just look up and know which is which, and I can't comment on the Wyandotte...cuz she was taken by a fox one morning, but she was beautiful...Oh and I have a Red Cap now...anyway, The Leghorn is my best and most consistent layer...a little on the nervous bully side, the orpington was a sweety as were BOTH the Barred Rocks and good layers. The Cochin was very docile, but not very bright and moved very slow and never laid her egg in the same place.....a fox got her too... My Americauna's were lovely and good egg layers. The black sex link is laying huge eggs but is a slow molter...so feathers everywhere for a Long time. The red cap is just coming in to egg laying...and I like her very much. I am going to get a few more this spring and I think I will go with an Orpington, Americauna and Wyandotte. I LOVE my chickens.
 
My Jersey Giant is very quiet and very docile. My White Crested Blue Polish hens are also very quiet. :)
 
I would have to say my Black Australorps are my best layers and are docile, quiet birds.

My Barred Rocks are excellent layers and quiet, too, but not quite as friendly.

My WCB Polish hens did not lay very well but were VERY quiet (the roosters are noisy).

My d'Uccle hens are very quiet - only making a sort of chirping sound, but the eggs are not large. However, they're a good size for a bantam egg.

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My second flock was RIR. I only have one left and she is the sweetest little bird. However, the others were just mean. They picked all the feathers off the survivor bird and to this day she is just a little necked bird. She is a great layer even for all the abuse she has gone thru. My third flock was Domenique. They can be loud expecially when they are laying and are a little finicky when the weather changes and it gets cold. But they do lay a very nice large light brown egg. I have a warmer light in the hen house, but once the weather gets cold the egg production drops.
 
I have some Barred Rocks, RIRs, Black Copper Marans, Speckled Sussex, and Ameraucanas. The rocks are whiners. They whine and cackle quite bit. The RIRs I have are quiet but not too friendly. The Ameraucanas are pretty quiet except when they lay an egg. The Sussex are the sweetest bids I have. Not too loud, curious and very friendly. The Marans are very quiet and keep to themselves. Hope that helps.
 
Do you sell your Araucanas? Or where do you get them? I REALLY want some! I live in central Illinois
Illia said:
As a backyard chicken, a layer, a pet, -

My best advice is to go with what you love.
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Don't just follow what common breeds everyone else says, go with what you wish to have. Do extensive studying and you'd be surprised. There's more to the world of chickens than Production Reds, Barred Rocks, Sex-Links, Buff Orpingtons, Australorps, and Easter Eggers. . . . There's Columbian Rocks, Rhode Island Whites, true Ameraucanas, and even Blue Australorps just to name some different colors of the same breed. (except, Ameraucanas and Easter Eggers are not the same)


If I lived in the city and could only have say three hens, I'd choose an Araucana (real one, not an EE) a Polish (preferrably of a neat color) and a Shamo. If I could add to that I'd do a French Marans or another Shamo.
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Why those you might ask?

Because Araucanas are truly awesome looking, very rare, come in some beautiful colors, lay beautiful blue eggs, are great pets, and eat very little for how chunky but small they are.

Polish are also truly awesome looking, especially in neat colors like Tolbunt and Silver Laced, lay nice snow-white eggs, are also super pets, mine are always the most curious and friendly of all, and make wonderful (temporary) house guests!

Shamos are just downright awesome. An awesome and unique appearance like the other two, but very misleading too. They look like raptors out to eat your flesh, but they're the most friendly of breeds out there, it is practically impossible to find a mean one due to extensive breeding against such for hundreds of years, so, they're generally a really, really good "pet" type chicken. Both boys and girls. And you can never get tired of how their faces either scare people or their bodies puzzle people.


So, it's always in yourself, what do YOU like?
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Buff Orpingtons are quiet, docile, lay well, and are pretty to look at. We've had a few different breeds, but the Buffs are my favorites!
 

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