Best breeds for newbies?

[BigECarter]

Like you, friendliness was my number 1 criteria. I am in the deep south, so heat hardiness was second. Planning on free ranging so want full size hens to reduce losses to hawks, otherwise I would love to get some silkies. Egg production was towards the end, but I am planning on one or two Easter Eggers, just for the green eggs.

Biggest hurdle for me is DH who now says we need to wait a couple of years before starting our coop. :/

 

[Red Barn Farms]

My brahmas are so darn noisy!!!! Beautiful, but noisy!!!
I love my rhode island reds, Easter eggers, cuckoo marans, barred rocks, d'uccle, Faverolle, Cochin, ect...
The cochin and brahma lay the least amount of eggs. The EE's and RIR's lay everyday and are jumbo sized eggs.
I handle my chicks daily and they are all super friendly and lap chickens! My d'uccle is extremely smart and very aware of her surroundings. A real treat to have and everyones favorite.

I've been wanting to get a few d'uccle but all the local places here no longer have chicks for sale. I don't really want to buy from a hatchery with the 15-25 bird min. thing either.

 

[aoxa]

I've been wanting to get a few d'uccle but all the local places here no longer have chicks for sale. I don't really want to buy from a hatchery with the 15-25 bird min. thing either.

http://www.mypetchicken.com/catalog/Day-Old-Baby-Chicks/Mille-Fleur-dUccle-Bantam-p257.aspx My pet chicken will ship you as little as three or so Though I see they are sold out

 

[Birde]

I've been wanting to get a few d'uccle but all the local places here no longer have chicks for sale. I don't really want to buy from a hatchery with the 15-25 bird min. thing either.

my d'uccle stopped laying. They aren't regular layers.

 

[Nicole01]

I've been wanting to get a few d'uccle but all the local places here no longer have chicks for sale. I don't really want to buy from a hatchery with the 15-25 bird min. thing either.

my d'uccle stopped laying. They aren't regular layers.

I get 5 eggs a week from mine. This has been going on since she started laying last July/August.

 

[Birde]

I get 5 eggs a week from mine. This has been going on since she started laying last July/August.

that's about rite..5 eggs a week when she's laying. I know some hatcheries don't make some breeds available. I keep moving my girl around. That may be why she stopped laying this time. She's my big baby. Actually she is the best trained sweetest bird I have. They're very smart docile birds. Her mate can be a handful but he's very tame also. Every morning I open her cage, I stick my ARM out & she flies out to me. If I have no sleeves I have to balance her. If she doesn't do this she gets no treat. She really doesn't like the other birds. Just me. That is why she is my big baby.