Best breed of chicken or pheasant

[pennygirl]

I recently lost my sweet production red to cancer at three years old. She was a sweet heart and always came to me when I was outside while she was free ranging. I am now looking for a new friend and I have been looking at peacock pheasants but they are extremely expensive. Really all I want is a friendly docile breed preferably with a fancy touch. And if you know anything about potty training chickens I would love to know of an easy bird to train.

 

[varidgerunner]

All of the pheasants I have been around have been a little flighty and most are kept penned up. I would encourage you to look into oriental gamefowl. They are usually very laid back and friendly. They are also known to be super long lived for chickens. The main downside is that they are really aggressive to other chickens. If you only had one, this would not be a problem. This is why they are not considered good for beginners. They are really smart, more like having an outdoor parrot than a chicken. If you got a hen she would probably go broody, even without being exposed to a rooster. I know of people that keep them inside, but using a diaper, not sure if you can potty train a chicken, they are programmed to let the chips fall where they may, so to speak. Some people like the Ko Shamos as they are small, but I know of a lady with a full sized O Shamo as a house pet. They are pricey and hard to find just anywhere, but may live for ten or fifteen years so maybe something you would be interested in. I had a Ga Noi that was trained to stay off the carpet and stay on the kitchen tile, he was quite entertaining, very good alarm clock, had to be careful not to play any TV that had a rooster crowing or he would get testy and start kicking his reflection in the dishwasher.

 

[pennygirl]

Thank you
I looked at gamefowl and they are cool looking birds but I have also heard some good things about silver pheasants and they are good in my climate and apparently they will return if they know where food is. Do you know anything about them.

 

[Shadow920]

a cochin is the sweetest breed i've ever had the pleasure of owning. i had two. my hen died but my rooster i have hed for two ears now. he has two inch long spurs but he never uses them. didn't even fight back when m red rooster nearly killed him. at the same time he is probably my toughest. cochins have thick feathers all over. they are a feather footed breed. these feather will protect them from the cold and could save our bird's life. i have two rottweilers who got in m coop and My cochin got away with just a few less neck feathers. they are too heavy to fly. it takes next to no time to tame them, and when you pick them up trust me you will not want to put them down. they are a little on the clumsy side and you should watch out for weight loss if you have big flock because the cochin will be last to get food. i almost lost my cochin to starvation because he can't move as fast as the others. all in all cochins have beauty, brains and just a hint of cuteness even in adulthood. and the chicks____.

Enough said.

 

[pennygirl]

They are so cute and fluffy but don't they get dirt all over they're feet feathers?

 

[Michael OShay]

I'm a chicken person and don't know much about pheasants (never had any) but chicken breeds that have a well deserved reputation for being calm and gentle (good lap pets) include Australorps, Orpingtons, Silkies, Cochins, Brahmas, Sussex, and Faverolles. Of course keep in mind that there can always be an exception with any breed. If high egg production is a priority, Australorps are the best layers on this list. Beauty is a subjective thing and I would suggest looking at pics of these various breeds on google, but in my personal opinion, Salmon Faverolles are the prettiest breed on this list (see the pic below).

http://www.pets4homes.co.uk/images/...n-faverolle-chicks-for-sale-536e147b0238e.JPG

 

[Shadow920]

not to bad actually. i think they work harder at preening.

 

[pennygirl]

Cool