Any advice on deciding between these breeds?

[JedJackson]

There are really no guarantees with any breed because temperament has as much to do with the individual as the breed. I've heard of mean, bullying individuals of all of those you listed, except maybe Faverolles. But since your birds are older and part of an established flock, I think you should be pretty safe with any of those breeds.

Another to consider is Brahma bantams. They are the largest bantam breed and are good layers, but don't eat you out of house and home like the large ones do.

 

[Happy hen lover]

Beilefelders are HUGE compared to other ones. Like 10# Huge . I have a sweet black Australorp but she's broody. I like the Faverolles ( I was browsing my hatchery catalog today)

 

[Tervuren]

I have a Bielefelder (Nettie) and she is big, but at the very bottom of the pecking order. She is very laid back and good with other chickens. My Legbar had crop surgery a few months ago, and Nettie was her 'eating coach.' She was great at getting her flockmate to eat up, cuddled up to her at night in the hospital pen in the garage, and never tried to take advantage to move up in the hierarchy. She's a lap chicken, but isn't super fond of being handled. That said she still doesn't put up a huge fuss considering her size. I would highly reccomend a Bielefelder! Also, they're autosexing, so you can't get an accidental boy. I also have an Australorp (Amelia), she's not quite as sweet as Nettie, but she causes no drama in the flock, and likes to follow me around. She is also easy to handle.
Both Amelia and Nettie are handling the current frigid weather here well. It's getting down to the coldest so far tonight (2F). I'm worried, but Nettie, especially, seems quite comfy.

 

[Cynthia12]

Thank you! I really like the look of the Blue-Laced Red Wyandottes, but if they will bully our other chickens we'll choose a different breed. I appreciate your input!

My Wyondotts we're never bullies. . Australorps are usually pretty mellow. I think you could get different opinions, as any chicken can become ... Bossy. Not really bullies. There's usually a pecking order.

 

[saysfaa]

Australorps, based on mine and what I have read.

 

[Iluveggers]

We have a mixed flock of 24, and have had no bullies emerge. Off of your list, we have Australorp (which have emerged as the most tolerant of all the breeds, they mix with everyone), and Wyandotte (who have been super friendly with people).
Our barred rocks are the most people friendly of my flock and wait for us to sit with them so they can jump up for a cuddle. I am in upstate NY also!
Wondering how your feathered feet have done in the snow/mud as I am interested in a Faverolle next year. Also curious of your thoughts on temperament of your SF & Speckled Sussex! (If you don’t mind!)

 

[Silkie Princess]

Hello everyone. We are looking to order some chicks to add to our flock next year. We currently have 2 Speckled Sussex, 2 Silkies and 1 Salmon Faverolle. Everyone gets along well and we never see anyone getting picked on. They are extremely affectionate with us and our young children. We know that these breeds tend to be low on the pecking order, so we do not want to purchase any breeds that may pick on them.

We are looking to order a variety of 6 female chicks from the list below. I've done research about family friendly, affectionate breeds that are not aggressive to others or are low on the pecking order. We live in upstate New York so we need breeds that tolerate cold weather. We do not care about looks and egg production. Our main concern is how friendly they are with one another and with people. We have introduced chicken breeds before and with a slow integration the above breeds had no issues with one another. We are leaning towards another Salmon Faverolle (ours has the sweetest temperament), Cochin, Buff Orpingtons and Bielefelder.

If anyone has personal experience with any of these breeds, we'd greatly appreciate any input! Unfortunately we can't purchase sexed Silkies, and after our only experience with an extremely aggressive cockerel, we're hesitant to buy unsexed.

1. Ameracauna
2. Bielefelder
3. Black Australorp
4. Brahmas
5. Buff Orpington
6. Cochin
7. Salmon Faverolles
8. Wyandottes (Love the Blue Laced Red Wyandotte, but heard they can be aggressive with other breeds?)

Thank you all in advance for any input you can provide!

Bantam Cochins are an amazing choice. Very family friendly

 

[SpicyDisaster]

There are really no guarantees with any breed because temperament has as much to do with the individual as the breed. I've heard of mean, bullying individuals of all of those you listed, except maybe Faverolles.

Very much this! We have two Black Australorps we will be rehoming in the spring as they are just bullies without a cause. They are solid middle of the flock and anyone below them is chased away from their vicinity, even going as far as 3 feet out of the way to chase them if they are just seen.

Our two Blue Laced Red Wyandottes are in the top 5 of the pecking order and they don't bully. They are the greediest for treats and have taken to jumping onto my arm to make sure they get some (or the plate if I'm holding one). They will peck at times though it's not frequent and the others aren't terrified of them on sight (like the BAs above).

Out of your list, I'd probably suggest Buff Orpingtons from our experience. They hold the top pecking order spots in our flock yet get along with everyone. They will even step in between bullying pullets to stop the nonsense.

Those are the only three I have experience with though so I can't vouch for the other breeds.

 

[Rabes87]

We have a mixed flock of 24, and have had no bullies emerge. Off of your list, we have Australorp (which have emerged as the most tolerant of all the breeds, they mix with everyone), and Wyandotte (who have been super friendly with people).
Our barred rocks are the most people friendly of my flock and wait for us to sit with them so they can jump up for a cuddle. I am in upstate NY also!
Wondering how your feathered feet have done in the snow/mud as I am interested in a Faverolle next year. Also curious of your thoughts on temperament of your SF & Speckled Sussex! (If you don’t mind!)

I'm glad to hear some positives about the Wynadottes! We ended up ordering 2 Bielefelders, 1 Buff Orpington, 2 Blue Cochins and 1 Salmon Faverolle for this year to add to our flock. We want to order them in small quantities in order to have more time to socialize each chick. I think in the future we'll try to add Wyandottes, Australorps and Brahmas to our flock. I'm also going to look into barred rocks as well - how are they with other breeds if you don't mind me asking?

I cannot recommend a Salmon Faverolle enough. Our Salmon Faverolle, Sparky, is the most docile chicken I've ever met. She loves to be with people and will follow us around, always curious as to what we are doing. She is almost comical. I have never seen her peck another chicken, which may be a problem if a SF is ever put with a more dominant breed (luckily it sounds like you have a very nice flock that has no bullies). She has also never pecked us either. She's been doing great in the snow, although none of our girls will probably come out the next few days with the snowstorm headed our way. Stay safe and warm!

We purchased our Speckled Sussex when they were about 4.5 months old. They aren't as socialized as our other girls, but over time they have become extremely sweet and friendly. They are ones that I have never seen bully, but will peck back if someone pecks them enough times. They never instigate though. We had a Speckled Sussex pullet that we lost a few months ago, and she was a sweetheart. We carried her everywhere and she was a lap chicken. I find this breed to be stunning with their contrast in coloring. Again, a wonderful breed that I would easily purchase again. Feel free to message me if you have any other questions

 

[Iluveggers]

I'm glad to hear some positives about the Wynadottes! We ended up ordering 2 Bielefelders, 1 Buff Orpington, 2 Blue Cochins and 1 Salmon Faverolle for this year to add to our flock. We want to order them in small quantities in order to have more time to socialize each chick. I think in the future we'll try to add Wyandottes, Australorps and Brahmas to our flock. I'm also going to look into barred rocks as well - how are they with other breeds if you don't mind me asking?

I cannot recommend a Salmon Faverolle enough. Our Salmon Faverolle, Sparky, is the most docile chicken I've ever met. She loves to be with people and will follow us around, always curious as to what we are doing. She is almost comical. I have never seen her peck another chicken, which may be a problem if a SF is ever put with a more dominant breed (luckily it sounds like you have a very nice flock that has no bullies). She has also never pecked us either. She's been doing great in the snow, although none of our girls will probably come out the next few days with the snowstorm headed our way. Stay safe and warm!

We purchased our Speckled Sussex when they were about 4.5 months old. They aren't as socialized as our other girls, but over time they have become extremely sweet and friendly. They are ones that I have never seen bully, but will peck back if someone pecks them enough times. They never instigate though. We had a Speckled Sussex pullet that we lost a few months ago, and she was a sweetheart. We carried her everywhere and she was a lap chicken. I find this breed to be stunning with their contrast in coloring. Again, a wonderful breed that I would easily purchase again. Feel free to message me if you have any other questions

Ok you convinced me! Favorelles officially on my list for this year! Eggs are light/white, right? And probably a speckled Sussex too…lol! I ordered Lavender Orpington and Blue Laced Red Wyandotte, I’ll let you know how they turn out! (Wonder if you are close to me…pm me and we can see!)

Our barred rocks get along with every other bird! Honestly, there are no problems at all with any of them. I haven’t fully figured out what the pecking order is, there’s an occasional peck when someone tries to take someone else’s tray away from them but that’s it. And one of my barred rocks will wait for me to put my chair in the run, immediately jump in my lap, fluff her feathers, and proceed to take a nap. Every. Single. Time.