Best chicks for laying and family friendly

[Greenacres Chickens]

We are planning on getting some chicks soon. We want to get hens that will lay frequently but friendly and calm and lay a larger egg. We have had Rhode Island Reds in the past and have found that they were very aggressive to each other and really didn't want to be touched. We are going to make sure that they are held a lot so they will get used to us. We think that the Barred Rock or Plymouth Rock my be a good choice. Are there any other breeds we should consider? We definately want on Aracauna too!

 

[ginormous chicken]

Silkies do well with kids. So do cochins for that matter. My d'uccles are really friendly with the young ones and they love their feathered feet. But if you want production variety birds, I find wyandottes are friendly with kids not as agressive as RIR.

 

[Judy]

Those are good choices. For the most part, it's a matter of the individual chicken's personality, and how and how much they are handled as young chicks. My friendliest is a Speckled Sussex. Orpingtons tend to be docile and easy to handle.

 

[LupinLaneChickens]

We have two Buff Orpington Hens that lay well and are very docile and follow us around the yard. Our two wyandottes are just a little bit higher maintenance and tend to act a little more snotty than the Orpingtons. We also have three silkies and they are friendly as well but seem to have a lot of health issues (could just be mine though!) and they dont lay very well. Also, I would suggest getting a breed that isnt feather footed, we keep our coop and yard very clean and they still seem to find a way to get their feet all dirty and break the feathers. I am still new to all this, but have been learning that the more common, older breeds seem to have less health issues and are the most stable, correct me if i'm wrong though and good luck!

 

[Hillbilly Hen]

Delawares are the kind of "get on your lap friendly" chicken and lay very well. Our Black Australorps are also very friendly.

 

[azygous]

I have Brahmas, Cochins, Wyandottes, and Ameraucanas. For egg laying acumen and friendliness and personality, my Ameraucanas score highest in all categories. Mine are hatchery birds, by the way.

 

[Jen F]

I have basically only had Barred Rocks. The hens are sweet and nosy.

Only 1 hen to go broody in about 3 years. I haven't had good luck with the roos though. Out of about 6 roos that I've had, only one hasn't tried to flog me.

I don't like being bent over in the yard and have a roo crawl up my back flogging me!! They have been very healthy though.

I have 1 Black Australorp roo that has been nice. No hens.

I have 2 SL wyandotte hens that I got when they were about 2 months old, and these seem very nervous and stay to themselves. It could be that they weren't raised together like the others.?

Good Luck!

 

[BANTAMWYANDOTTE]

My Experiance with my chickens:
ALL MY HEAVY BREED EGG LAYER CHICKENS ARE HATCHERY BIRDS.

I would suggest either Wyndotte's or Red Sex-Link. Either Golden Comet or Red Star. My Golden Comet hens are very friendly and wonderful egg layers that lay around six eggs a week a piece. The eggs are also larger than my RIR or Black Giant eggs. I have a Silver Laced Wyandotte that also lays six eggs a week (smaller) and is very friendly!

Black Giants and Easter Eggers are also very friendly with my young nephew. The Black hens follow him around and my Easter Egger Rooster plays with him. However, the Black Giant lay less than my Golden Comets. And with Easter Eggers , unless you buy Ameraucana's from a breeder, you really can't guess how they will lay. (A pure bred Ameraucana is considered to have low to medium egg production while EE's are medium to high) Easter Eggers on the other hand are usually are good egg layer because they are simply an Ameraucana bred to a Heavy Breed egg layer like the Leghorn or the Production Red. The hatcheries do this so their EE's produce more colored (green, pink, blue) eggs than the true Ameraucana.

My Barred and White Rock hens were both shy and flighty. My sussex was friendly but the worst egg producer I have ever had (one egg every three days)

STAY AWAY FROM LEGHORNS AND PRODUCTION REDS. Most red hens (RIR, New Hampshire or Production Red) in my experiance are very agressive even thoug theses are among the best of the brown egg layers. Leghorns are the best overall egg layer period but they are flighty.

I would look at this chart to help me decide.......

https://www.backyardchickens.com/breeds/breed-chart

 

[txhomegrown]

My Cochins are the friendliest chickens I have ever had. The roo likes to be held and carried around. They are not the best layers I have ever had, but they are sweeties. Barred Rocks are pretty laid back too. I have a bunch of EE chicks I hatched and have handled from day one that are about 3 weeks old and they seem like they are going to be pretty friendly too. My 2 Yokohamas are kind of flighty, but they will sit in my hand and let me pet them. I don't expect much in the way of eggs from them though. One little Cochin/Brahma roo and the one RIR that turned out to be a roo as well are mean as hell already, but I am sure they will taste fine if they don't settle down.

 

[Moochie]

My mutts are pretty friendly.. Brahma crosses and an andalusian cross. I have 2 buff orps, both really sweet.

How did you guys get friendly cochins?!? Tell me your secrets..
Seriously, had em' since small pullet size. All they did was run away from me, even when I had treats they cautiously pecked the worms from my hand. I pick one up and it screams like I'm killing it. Then the other cochins observed, froze and watched while I tried to calm down the one I held, then all went into a corner. I didn't know what I was doing wrong. I wanted them to fly onto my lap and my head just like my mutts did..

I have 1 friendly barred rock. My EE, SLW, turkens, and random chickens are skiddish. Best layers.. My cochins are weird when it comes to laying.
My buff orp X brahma cross layed a double yolker before, my production red (who is also a sweetie) lays round brown eggs almost every other day, the brahma crosses lay every other day, my new hampshire reds lay pretty often, the barred rocks lay pretty good (just about everyday, although if you want one get her as a chick and spend time with her). Not sure who makes the biggest eggs.
Beware! Cochins just love to go broody -__- Got 4 hogging up the nest boxes.