Best breed for a first timer?

Go with any "basic" breed you can pick up at a feed store. Orphingtons, delawares, EEs, brahmas, sex-links, barred rocks. None of these go broody too often--occasionally, but not all the time.

Pretty much all chooks will let you snuggle them, but it depends on their individual personality, and how much you handle them as chicks. Also, all chickens will go through the "THE TREAT BRINGER IS SCARY!!!" stage in their teenager-dom. This usually goes away once they start laying.

 

EE

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=273489

and WELCOME TO BYC!!!!

 

Australorps! They're super laid back and lay gynormous eggs almost daily!

 

I would say sex-links, mine are very quiet gentle girls. I have a couple of EE's that seem to be more aggressive, at least so far, but they are only 3 weeks old. They may mellow with age. Good luck! Have fun! oh and btw

 

sussex chickens are good. Also hybrids are good too

 

Among my chicks, the most laid back are Marans and Orpingtons. They don't care what I do with them... don't mind holding, kissing, petting, etc... I think orpingtons will lay more eggs than Marans and will be bigger too.

 

I'm new to the chicken flock too and I got a large batch of different breeds from a local breeder - she gave me everything she had in the incubator. They are about 10 weeks old now and are showing some pretty distinct personalities. I have Welsummers, Cochins, EEs, Ameraucanas, Cuckoo Marans and one Polish. The Marans are the calmest of the bunch but seem to get picked on a lot by the others. The Welsummers are very friendly and even the pullets will come sit on my lap. With the others's only the roos do that. The Cochins are so cute and soft and fun to watch, but I don't thinnk thier eggs will be very big. The EEs are the most interesting to look at such a variety of color! They handle horses and cats OK, but I don't know about dogs. I think they are all great, but the only one I will stay away from in the future is the Polish. The one I have is very skittish and doesn't want to be part of a free range flock.

 

I'm new, too, and have a Production Red that is skiddish and dumb as a doornail (see my thread from yesterday), a leghorn that was supposed to be an Ameraucana that is flighty but a good girl overall - and so pretty, and a Barred Rock that I just love. She is the least afraid of me, the most inquisitive and spunky of the bunch. I am waiting on an Ameraucana and Marans now. They haven't started laying yet, but so far they have been healthy and easy to take care of.