best breed?

[688peterl]

i might get chickens, i need a breed that will be ok with runner ducks, and they have to be cute as babies and adults lol, what is the cutest breed to have?

 

[rebelcowboysnb]

silkies, frizzles or maybe polish?

 

[Ariel301]

"Cute" is rather subjective...a lot of people like the look of silky chickens, while I don't think they are cute at all. Take a look through the 'breeds' section on this website and look at the pictures; there is also a board on the forum about chicken breeds. You should be able to get a pretty good idea of what you like. You can also look at the websites of different hatcheries to see some pictures/illustrations of various breeds and get an idea of their prices too. I don't know that any breed would be better or worse with the ducks, they should learn to get along ok.

 

[rocmoc]

Cute does not equal the Best Breed. I place my Polish at the bottom of my flock. My White Rock & Plymouth Barred Rock have the best personalities & rank high on my list. Then my EE's.

rocmoc n AZ

 

[canada-goose]

Seramas!

 

[chris_m90731]

i agree. i don't find silkies/polish attractive at all. rather garish in my opinion.
but, as the saying goes...'to each his own.'
personally, I've always found rhode island reds, barred rocks, and australorps' sic? (ordering 10 baby chicks next month from:
www.mypetchicken.com)
plus the aforementioned breeds are great layers of big brown eggs.
if you're looking for 'cute,' i'd definitely go with some sort of cochin (fuzzy feet) or frizzies.
and Easter Eggers (aruacanas) are cool looking too, with beards and usually a very unique personality.
anyways, i'm not sure of the egg output of silkies.
but isn't one of the main selling points of owning/raising chickens, their ability to produce eggs?
so, my picks:
RHODE ISLAND REDS;
BARRED ROCKS;
AUSTRALORPS sic?
-all handsome birds

 

[Whisper]

I've had a lot of different breeds in a short time, but our absolute favorite so far is our Buff Brahma. I don't know how well they would do with ducks, however, as they're feather-footed. Very cute chicks, however, and adorably cute as adults (in my opinion.) They are substantial in size, however, so they probably would do well with the larger ducks around.

My Pet Chicken has a breed finder widget, maybe try that? They also have pics of different breeds, so you can see what you think is cute. I know that I keep some chickens for their usefulness, and some I just keep cause I think they're flat out adorable. Heheh.

 

[bibliophile birds]

i'm seconding EEs and Brahmas. my Buff Brahmas have been beautiful since day one and they have wonderful personalities. EEs are more of a crap-shoot when it comes to looks since they are a mix, but 3 of my 5 have turned out GORGEOUS. like, the prettiest birds i have... and they have funny, outgoing personalities for the most part. plus, they lay blue-green eggs! here's pics of my prettiest. the other pretty EE is the black and white splash who's butt you can see in the last picture.

Amelia, my most beautiful EE
10 days old

4 weeks old

8 weeks old

Jane, another EE
6 days old (Jane is the chipmunk in the back. that's Amelia on the perch)

4 weeks old

8 weeks old- the one in the foreground

i think Amelia and Jane must be true sisters. they were the fastest to grow, the first to try everything, and now Jane has that russet color on her as well. i've got to find out what their cross is, because i want hundreds more just like them!

 

[Staceyfeindt]

Buff Orpingtons! Cute and friendly looking and IMO very friendly with other animals. Ours likes our cat.

 

[Mahonri]

While I love the white crested Blue Polish, my favorite for egg color (blue) are Blue Wheaten & Wheaten Ameraucanas... but the pullets do make a lot of noise.

I love how my speckled sussex likes to be held and how pretty my buff orpington is.

If you want eggs, nothing can beat my Black Sex link.. she's only missed one day laying in over two months.

I also have four Easter Eggers that I adore... they lay different shades of blue and green.