Best layer/friendliest breed of chicken?

[coldupnorth]

My Buffs are awesome - great egg layers and just generally sweet.

 

[lowry075]

My BO is firendly and I love her. I have only ever had 1 of any breed though, so I guess I am not much of a breed personality expert. If you go to mypetchicken.com there is a breed selector for people trying to determine what they want in a chicken. It seems pretty accurate.

 

[RoosterGeek]

My ISA Brown (AKA Golden Comets, Sex Link, Red Star) is an amazingly consistent layer and super friendly. We have to watch the car doors and trunk because she will jump in to hang out or just to check things out. That's another aspect - very, very curious!

 

[Aemelia]

My cousin has many different types and she suggested I get Buff Orps (of course they had none). I ended up with a RIR a Production Red and a Silver Laced Wyandotte. My two reds are braver and friendlier than my SLW she is a big chicken who is always trying to get away. I love her for her looks though. My RIR is more standoffish so I'd say the Production Red is the nicest of the ones I have and she isn't anyone's favorite so she gets held less than the other two. The RIR is my 4 year olds chicken and she loves to hold her which the RIR tolerates fine. Mine are 14 weeks now I think. Once you catch ours they all cope just fine with being held.

 

[Judy]

From reading here, I'd say BO or Black Australorps, both of which I've had fair luck with -- they are very similar -- but my friendliest bay far were some plain old Ideal Kraienkoppes, and currently my friendliest is an Ideal Speckled Sussex.

Red/gold comets, production reds, red/black starrs -- these and similar "breeds" are crosses, not true breeds, and thus more unpredictable.

 

[schellie69]

I love my BO Blondie she is my protector when my rooster gets feisty. I love my Black Australorps are sweet also I had one go broody this year and she is a great mommy. I also have black sex link and red sex links, barred rock, bantam EE and I did get 3 Cochin bantams this year. I don't know how they will lay they are still to young,. I think you need to hold your chicks when they are little to help them get used to you. Mine do eat out of my hand and All seem to be great layers. I love that fact that I have different breeds it makes the flock so pretty.

 

[Carolyn]

From my experience the following are great layers and calm and friendly: Golden Comets, Black Australorps, and Rocks (I've had white and barred). California grays were good too. I have BO's calm and friendly but not yet laying. Welsummers are calm, lay beautiful dark brown eggs with speckles and lay about 3-4 eggs per wk on the average. For me Barndevelders are wild but fair layers; I lost all mine because they would fly over the fence and flee to the woods so they did not last long in my predator filled surroundings. RIR hens were great layers but mine were mean as snot to the other hens. My easter egger hen had pretty much the same personality as the RIR (she laid brown eggs) but my roo was a real pet. I don't play with or handle my chickens a lot but I do like them to come up to me when I bring treats and not run away squawking when I approach. Friendliness and resuming dependable laying have not been good traits when I have bought adult hens.

You can look up Henderson's chicken chart on line. He has a list on how good they lay, who lays good thru winter etc. There are exceptions to every breed though.

 

[Terrie Mac]

I have 2 Buff Orpingtons, 2 Rhode Island Reds, and 2 barred Rocks. The Buffs won my heart day one!

 

[silkie101]

if your looking for a good egg layer go with buff orpington but if your looking for chickend]s more pet wise i would go with the cochin bantam

 

[Pele]

I have 4 gold comets, and I am SO happy with them!

They are very mellow, and very quiet birds (unless they are getting close to laying age, it's a loud time of adjustment

)

Since my flock is a majority of Gold Comets, they all kind of get along like a hippie smurf commune. I very very rarely see any pecking order activity. My lead hen is the dominant by some sort of mysterious mutual agreement since I've NEVER seen her peck anyone. She gets to sit down and be preened by 3 or 4 others at a time, like some sort of teenaged girl who leads her clique because she's the prettiest.

This breed is perfect for someone who wants oodles of eggs, and a relaxed flock. It is true that while they are very tame and follow me around for treats, they arn't that cuddly. But that's what my two Cochins are for ^_^.