Best breed for child's pet and egg laying (in a small space)?

[Henrietta23]

I've had 4 Red Sex Links that of all the varieties I have had were the friendliest. And great layers too.

 

[blue90292]

my 5 year old doesn't like standards since they're usually too heavy and if they decided they don't want to be in his arms for any particular reason, they end up accidentally hurting him more than the bantams.

he definitely enjoys the small birds and they don't intimidate him. i know that's not a great suggestion since you're looking for egg layers, but for starters, you may want to look into bantams. he loves silkies, but he loves the frizzled cochins more. of course, his favorite is the polish but they can get a little skittish because they can't see you coming and when you approach them, they're like "whoa, where'd you come from". but that's his favorite breed. he also loves the mille fleur d'uccles, and sebrites are another favorite of his. one of the fellow texas members mentioned how great nankins are. his will come right up to him and sit on his lap without any coaxing.

 

[SeaChick]

Our criteria for choosing our girls was similar to yours: suburban small yard, maximum 6 hens, wanted very friendly hens (my daughter was 10 when we got our chicks) and we also wanted excellent egg production and winter hardiness.

Our list narrowed down to:
buff orpington
barred (plymouth) rock
black australorp
red or black sex-link
silver laced wyandotte
rhode island red

The feed store messed up and we didn't get the BO. Since we hand-raised these from chicks and played with them A LOT, they are all extremely friendly. I would say that our barred Rock is the most docile, easily hadled. The Australorp and the sex link are the most out-going and curious. The wyandotte hangs back but is very calm when hadled. We had to re-home the RIR (and it sounds like she's doing so well, Angie... that's so wonderful to hear!!) because she started really pecking the others for some reason, and we then adopted a mature buff orpington and an easter egger. Both these girls are less friendly, sinply because they weren't handled a lot as youngsters, I believe. The BO is coming around, though, and the EE lays such beautiful eggs that we put up with her crankiness!

Basically, I think that if you pick any of these breeds (or silkies, which are adorable but won't lay big eggs) and hand-raise them, you'll be happy. Just avoid breeds that are described as flighty, aloof or unfriendly. Here are some links with breed characteristics, below. Andmber that reed is no guarantee... they're individuals so just as one black labrador puppy might not be as friendly as another, its the same with chickens.

http://www.mypetchicken.com/breedQuestions.aspx

http://www.ithaca.edu/staff/jhenderson/chooks/chooks.html

Have fun!!!!!!! Chicks and chickens are so much fun!
Stacey

 

[AGinPA]

This is great info! Thanks to everyone for your input. Does anyone know about the Star breed? I read that they lay especially well in winter and are friendly and gentle.

Thanks.

SeaChick - any thoughts you want to share about keeping chickens in a small suburban yard?

 

[hypnofrogstevie]

I have for red star or red sex link. They are sweet, gentle and lay throughout the winter. I know you wont regret having these girls in your yard. I am hoping my buff orps will be as sweet as can be but you will always have a scitz

 

[chicken crazy]

Buff Orps, Brahmas, ausrtalorps however the key for your area is to find Bantam chickens as they have all the attributes of the breed but they are a smaller version and thus would work better with your situation.

 

[chicken crazy]

The red or black stars are excellent layers but I find that they lack personality. Some wont mind being handled if you do from a youn age. They are a hybrid bird and strictly egg laying machines while the ones I mentioned before are pure breeds that will lay a good amount of eggs but are more fun as a pet.

 

[Keleka]

Bantam Salmon Faverolle. Others mentioned are also nice such as rhe Buff Orp, Barred Rock, RIR, etc. I have never seen a chicken like our faverolle.

It is my daughter's that she picked out and is great. This hen thinks she's a house chicken and is so docile that we have to keep her in the garage away from the larger birds. You wouldn't believe it, but this hen never wants to be set down. She will sit on your shoulder, head, arm, etc., perched just like a hawk. I still need to get a picture, but she rides on the handlebars of my daughter's tricycle around the block with her.

I forgot to mention that she lays an egg everyday also.

 

[AtRendeAcres]

As you can see we all have our favorites!

So to add to the confusion I put my vote in for:
Buff Brahma
ANY Plymouth Rock (I have Buff)
Cochin

I put this in order because this is how they line up to sit on my lap!
As soon as I turn over the box they are there!!!

Cochin is at the bottom because he doesn't like to be pushy!

pick a breed that is friendly & the more time you spend with them the more affectionate they will be!

 

[Backyard Buddies]

I agree that if you start with a friendly breed and handle them a lot, it'll go a long way toward them being friendly when full grown.

Like you, we are raising our gals in a small backyard (25' X 64') and are limited by city code to just a few. We went to the local feed store and the kids selected 2 RIRs and an EE. The kids were involved in the process from the very beginning, from reading Gail Damerow's "Your Chickens: A Kid's Guide to Raising and Showing" to painting the coop and helping to build the run, to daily chicken chores.

From the moment we brought them home, the kids have been involved in their care so they're very comfortable around the girls and vice versa. Of our three, the EE is the least friendly, but amazingly she LOVES our 12 year old son. He can carry her anywhere and she just snuggles with him. She'll let our 10 year old daughter carry her as well, but I think he's her favorite.

The girls will be 2 years old in late March and the kids have never grown tired of them. I hope that whatever girls you choose, they'll be as much as an asset to your family as our girls have been to our home.

Edited to add: I also keep a chicken calendar. To answer the egg laying question. From point of lay to one full year later, one RIR laid 307 eggs, one RIR laid 301 eggs, and the EE laid 214. That's OK that Elsie the EE isn't the best layer. . . She's soooo pretty!