Best Chickens Breeds

[SueT]

Thank you guys for the help! The final list is: 2 Salmon Faverolles, 2 Barred Plymouth Rocks, 2 Buff Brahmas and 2 Easter Eggers!

sounds great!
(I second twnedt's comment about Wyandottes. Mine was very standoffish. I have read several others say the same.)

 

[JadeFarms]

sounds great!
(I second twnedt's comment about Wyandottes. Mine was very standoffish. I have read several others say the same.)

I agree.

 

[~KH~]

My favorites have been my Buff Orpingtons, EEs, Barred Rock and Black Australorps. I recently rehomed a Salmon Favorelle because she was just too noisy (and constantly making noise) for my urban coop. I don't know if she was an exception, or if Favorelles are noisy birds, but I won't be getting more of them in the future.

 

[keesmom]

Thank you guys for the help! The final list is: 2 Salmon Faverolles, 2 Barred Plymouth Rocks, 2 Buff Brahmas and 2 Easter Eggers!

Rocks come in other colors too if you didn't want barred - white, partridge and buff are easy enough to find. We have whites and they're friendly and great layers of XL eggs.

 

[Pretty Birds]

I highly recommend Speckled Sussex! They are good layers, beautiful, cold hardy, and SO friendly!
Orpingtons and Barred Rocks are good too!

 

[JadeFarms]

I didn’t know you wanted friendly! That’s what I look for! I like my Ayam cemani girl, Jade, she is SUPER smart and is the tamest of them all! My female barred rock was not the brightest (and my roo is the dumbest I’ve had out of all my chickens) but they are very nice! I also LOVE my New Hampshire red, she is very sweet, is as smart as an average chicken, and is not aggressive to other chickens (unless the rooster mounts her). She was the best accident chicken I’ve got!

DO NOT get a Rhode Island Red! They are usually very skittish. I have never had a good silkie of my four, but I know other people have. Actually, my silkie killed my 5 hens!


This is Mystery the NHR:

 

[twendt]

I have "3" 2 week old Barred Rock in the brooder to add to my flock, I'm getting rid of at least 2 of the wyandottes, the SLW are 2yrs old and still laying, I was expecting them to be as friendly and nosey as my reds, but that's not the case. As soon as I approach the SLW they run the other way! When I approach the RIRs they walk up to me to see if I have mealworms or greens. The RIRs also LOVE to help me garden. They are total characters. My avatar is a pic of Daisie my favorite hen, she died at 15 months old.

 

[Chickassan]

Nice list! Buff brahmas and Faverolles are the best, even though it is true they are very noisy.
One that has been overlooked but is very similar to one you've chosen are Dominiques, they look nearly identical to barred rocks but they have a rose comb instead of a single comb.
If you get much cold weather they're a good trade, rose combs are not frostbite prone.
Barred rocks came from Dominiques so you'd still be getting some technically.

Thank you guys for the help! The final list is: 2 Salmon Faverolles, 2 Barred Plymouth Rocks, 2 Buff Brahmas and 2 Easter Eggers!

 

[Willowspirit]

Buff Orpingtons are great cold climate birds. They are very docile/friendly, and good egg layers, too. Wyandottes do well in cooler climates, also. Our two Buff Orpingtons are a couple of lap birds. -will hop up in your lap and sit just like a dog or cat.

I have buff Orpingtons in my av picture. I find them gentle and comical. They are like little Baby Huey’s in a way. My Wyandotte’s are pretty friendly and a bit bold especially the silver laced. I am a complete beginner and these birds have been very easy to raise. They are almost to egg laying age.

 

[Anita Scott]

For a common breed, a barred rock is Very tame and popular, they’re good egg layers and good roosters in my case, another one is the Orpington, they’re pretty chickens and are very popular do usually will do good in the heat and cold (both breeds). Two more good breeds are the Sussex and Cochin, their beautiful chickens, good egg layers, and friendly most of the time. If you are looking to breed any of these chickens, a cochin can sometimes be harder to hatch.

My favorites are the Ayam cemanis, they are not good egg layers, but out of the ones that I have, they are the friendliest and smartest. You can get hatching eggs pretty cheap on eBay.

(I don’t have a picture of my sussexes because they died ago so did my barred Plymouth Rock hen and 2 Orpington hens a few years ago, never had a Cochin, just know about them)
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I have found that barred rock hens are friendly, but the roosters seem to go after kids. I traded my rooster for a barred rock for this reason. My birds free range and the barred rock was used to a yard and disappeared.