Best chickens to start with.

[Lucy_R]

Slowly gathering info about this chicken thing, and now I'm wondering about chicken breeds. Ideally, I would like very docile, social, quieter chickens. I want them to do well with children. They have to do well in winter, and I want them to be great layers. After reading about different breeds, it seems that three that fit well into these expectations are the Australorp, Plymouth Rock, and Star. Am I right? Is there others that are also good choices?

 

[joe17]

I dont know about the cold hardyness but opringtons and rhode island reds are great layers and mine were always friendly. Just dont get a rir roo. Ohh and you cant go wrong with a few silkies!

Most docile birds ever!

 

[Lotsapaints]

There are many breeds that would fit your description you need to keep looking at pictures for what strikes your fancy....Most any kind of Plymouth Rocks would do my Partridge Rocks are really starting to lay well and they were not the friendliest chickens to start I now have several hens that have become quite nice

My favorite breed so far are my Delawares they are super friendly good large egg layers and very entertaining here they are sunbathing when young

I really like my Cuckoo Marans so much I've decided to try and breed the Golden Cuckoos mine are excellent layers the Rooster I have is a regal gentleman who takes very good care of his hens

All Roosters crow and all hens make noise too sometimes I'm sure my hen laid a watermelon for all the racket they make or maybe a golden one but alas it just looked like a regular egg to me

 

[joletabey]

Delawares- I have several that like to sit in your lap and snuggle. Good egg layers, seem to do OK in the cold, but I kept a light bulb on in the coop as they were young stock this last winter.

 

[jarcoo0153]

Quote:
My RIR rooster was very mean! we ended up eating him, but they do taste really good!

 

[dirtsaver]

Quote:
My RIR rooster was very mean! we ended up eating him, but they do taste really good!

Hmmm.....I hear they taste like chicken!

Sorry, I just couldn't resist that!

Larry

 

[speckledhen]

You can't go wrong with Barred Rocks, Delawares, or Buff Orpingtons. All are good layers and very friendly (naturally, there are exceptions to everything). Some swear by Cochins and Silkies, but some go broody quite often.

 

[dirtsaver]

Quote:
We have Buff Orpingtons, Black Australorps and two Silver Laced Wyandottes. Of those, The Orpingtons are without a doubt the most fantastic sweetest girls we've ever seen. They are also listed as good cold hardy birds and do produce lots of nice big brown eggs. The Australorps are fairly tame and eat from my hand but are a little bit skittish compared to the Orpingtons but are also cold hardy and one of the most prolific layers of all breeds.

The Wyandottes..... not a breed we'll be getting any more of. All these chickens were raised together but the Wyandottes just never seemed to blend into the flock and are not at all friendly,although one of them has finally started taking bread from my hand(at 20 weeks old).

So...... for the criteria you've laid out, I think you'd be very happy with the Buff Orpingtons.

 

[flgardengirl]

Orpingtons are nice and friendly. The biggest love sponges I own are the Blue Ameraucanas. Even the roos want to be loved lol. The hens fight over who gets to sit on my lap and one lays her head on my shoulder when I pet her. I have to pry another hen off of me when I leave the pen. When I enter the pen I pick her up right away because if I don't she will fly up on my shoulder anyways lol. She is like a ragdoll once I pick her up and just goes to sleep in my arms.

 

[Frecklely]

Orpingtons are what you will most likely be very satisfied with, some others are the Brahma, and cochin.