Best Pet Breeds for kids?

[Eggcellent Adventure]

We are going to be going to a tail gate chick sale next weekend. Looking forward to it! New to chicks and having a great time with our baby red stars. Just curious for those more experienced chick owners, what do you think are the best breeds for pets? We are going to add some chicks to our red stars and were trying to decide which ones. My daughter is very excited about Jersey Giants (they will have some there) and I've read they are friendly. Any other breed suggestions for new chicks? Any Jersey Giant experience?

Sorry in advance if this post is in the wrong section, I didn't see a breed section in the index, but still learning my way around the forum!

 

[Bi0s]

when we lived in fla 3 years ago i had a few jersey giants they was very sweet and gentel son picked them up all the time i like that breed alot for sure

 

[JulieNKC]

I don't have any jersey giants. My BO's are very friendly, and they are big enough to be pretty durable. Not sure how old your daughter is, mine are 6, 18mo, and 2mo. My oldest loves my silkies, and they are very calm and good with her, although I am afraid the little kids will squish them. All the chickens will let my kids pet them and come up to them in the coop, outside the silkies are the only ones they can catch.

 

[Eggcellent Adventure]

Great pic

! I've heard fantastic things about silkies! My kids are 10, 9 and 4 so should be ok ages with most chickens. We only have a 4 foot fence, so I was worried the silkies might be more prone to fly out to our grumpy neighbors yard

. They are so cute though!!

 

[DixieChickie]

WAtch your red stars then...my 5 red stars walk up and size up a fence and then up and over. Luckily my neighbors LOOOOVE my chickens and even call them over when they find bugs. My RSs are extremely sweet, they love to be carried around and follow us all around. As soon as I can find some more, I will be adding to them. They gave me some yummy eggs their first year, so many I was givng some away to my neighbor(s). I have a baby frizzle, that I got yesterday, and it just runs flapping up the front of my shirt to snuggle in the crook of my neck, peeping softly.

 

[JulieNKC]

I don't believe my silkies can fly. Their wing feathers are silkie/shredded. The highest I've seen them get is about a foot off the ground to get to the nest box.

It took them 3 months to even venture out of the coop, lol.

 

[greytmommy]

LOOOVE that pic with your daughter and the silkies!

my kids are 7 and 3....but i run an inhome daycare too (with 3 other kids). so I REALLY looked for good "pet" chickens. From what I read Cochins and Silkies were a good choice. We have 10 baby chicks now (our first) and we have 2 cochins, 2 maybe bantam cochins and 3 silkies (along w/ a few others). the cochins and silkies you can tell are already a LOT more docile than my Easter Eggers and the Plymoth Rock.

 

[Eggcellent Adventure]

I might have to look into silkies. I was thinking because they were small/light weight they would fly, but now that you told me they don't fly - it makes sense with those feathers!

Great to know! I'm still learning And yes, also will have to keep an eye on our red stars. I set up the coop as far away as possible from our neighbor.

 

[kfchickenlady]

I just got really into silkies this year, still have my beautiful laying flock, but those silkies are so easy to deal with! they dont do anything but loll around, dont fly, mine think they are adventurous to hop up onto a railroad tie! The kids are attracted to all that soft feathering,too.
love the pic w/ the little girl too!

 

[hennyannie]

My BOs are so tame with the kids, but they have these three bantams that I believe are OEGB, that are also great.