Ameraucana's vs. Welsummers

[ChickensAreSweet]

I'm getting four hens this spring and I'm wondering which breed is the friendliest? They wouldn't be living with a couple of pigeons and I want friendly chickens that are good egg layers and make good pets.

Personally, if they will be living with doves, I would get some nice bantam cochins, silkies, or d'Uccles. They are delightful in personality and won't be so large and intimidating to the pigeons. However, they don't lay well at all. You would be fortunate if they don't go broody constantly. All of those breeds make excellent pets from my experience. The nicest roosters were the cochin ones (d'Uccle roos can be aggressive, and silkie roos vary).

Pigeons can spread canker to chickens so be on the watch for that (waterers clean and so on, I would suppose?). I have no experience with pigeons.

 

[Happy Chooks]

Good Welsummers are not 2 day a week layers. Mine are dependable and lay 5 days a week. Now, with that said, Welsummers are friendly birds (meaning they will come and eat out of your hand) but they are not lap chickens. I'm sure if you work hard enough with treats, you could make them a lap chicken. But they'd rather be on the ground.

Every Ameraucana I've had except 1 have been flightly as heck and not the greatest layers. I got rid of all but my friendly one, but she had a bad day with a bobcat.

 

[Michael OShay]

Good Welsummers are not 2 day a week layers. Mine are dependable and lay 5 days a week.

Sorry for the confusion, but I think you misunderstood my statement. I didn't say that Welsummers laid 2 days per week, I said that Australorps would give 2 more eggs per week per hen than Welsummers. My Welsummers typically laid 3-4 eggs per hen per week; my Australorps 6 eggs per hen per week.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Quote: You asked about OEGBs in the ovation section of my remark (thank you for the ovation!):

I have never had OEGBs but they do seem to be delightful little birds, as I have seen some close up before. I would recommend going over to their thread and asking OEGB fanciers about how they would interact with pigeons. Or going over to the pigeon section and asking what they recommend.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/932845/mixing-birds-chickens-and-pigeons

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/642616/pigeons-and-chicken

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...-about-keeping-pigeons-with-chickens-and-more


Some varying responses in the threads above. You could start your own thread regarding your pigeon's safety if needed. Here are two games threads, the bottom one being for large fowl too:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/276168/hello-and-welcome-to-the-oegb-thread

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/106767/show-off-your-games

 

[Ravynscroft]

I do not know how they would interact with pigeons, but I do have OEGB's and they are amazing! Very friendly, huge personalities, very smart and talk a lot... they are really easy to teach as well... I highly recommend them!