best route to kid-friendly hens?

[sillyovrsilkies]

If you'd like a sweet natured chicken that's great for the family, I'd highly recommend the silkie! Not only do they have a sweet dispostion, but they are considered a "high" broody breed, so you'll easily get a hen that goes broody and will have no problem in hatching & raising her chicks!

 

[NancyinVa]

Thanks for the great advice re breeds, everyone.

Azygous, I couldn't open the picture of your brooder. Would it be possible for you to post a small version of it in a message?

Thanks a lot!
Nancy

 

[SueBaby]

Our chickens are all mutts, so I can't suggest any breeds, but all are nice and friendly. We hatched some and got others as day-olds. I don't see a real difference in their behavior either way. SInce there are not usually roosters to home if you get day-olds I would definitely recommend that route. The absolute key is handling them every day. My kids were 6, 9 and 11 when we got the chicks. We had them in large clear plastic tubs for brooders. We didn't close the top, just set the top askew at first and then used netting when that wasn't enough to keep them in. They never seemed bothered by us reaching down for them, as a matter of fact they usually tried to jump up and onto whoever moved the lid. They loved to be held or to sit on our arms/shoulders. My daughter (who was the 6 year old) had to be taught to only hold them when she was sitting down, but otherwise it was not hard to teach her to be gentle and careful. Now that they are 8+ months old, only one or two will still jump up to sit on me, but none of them have ever pecked at any of us (unless they thought a ring was food). They think of us humans as Treat Givers (which we are), so they are never afraid to be near us and often follow us around. If they get out when I don't want them to, they are pretty easy to "catch". As my neighbor says "those chickens are very well behaved".

Good luck!

 

[chicks4erin]

I know this thread is probably done, but I just saw it and wanted to toss in my thoughts.

In my experience, if it's very friendly, easy-to-handle chickens you want, you need to hand raise them. The most important thing about the brooder in order to achieve this is to have it set up like a kid's doll house. Take a box or tub and put it up on a table. Cut a door into the side, and do all your handling of the chicks from this side access.

Baby chicks have an instinctual fear of being approached from up above. Doing it from the side permits them to see who is attached to the hands reaching for them. This is ideal for small children, or adults with back problems. I usually pull a chair up to the table with the brooder on it and play with my chicks for long periods. I slide my hand into the brooder up to the chick's toes and it will instinctively climb aboard. After a bit, the chicks will climb onto your hand as soon as you stick it in the brooder. They become friendlier as time passes. This is in direct contrast to top-brooder raised chicks who generally become more afraid of being handled as time passes.

As adults these chickens will be extremely tame, and they'll let you pick them up without running away from you. Top-brooder raised chicks will be skittish and usually won't be nearly as tame as side-brooder raised chicks when they reach adulthood.

I go crazy designing my brooders, cutting windows into them, and even joining two or three boxes together with pass-through's cut into adjoining walls for large broods. I add perches and 2 x 4 blocks of wood for playground equipment, and toss in a little "hot tub" of sand for a dirt bath. I can't imagine anything more fun for kids than playing with chicks in such a brooder.

Azygous - I would love to see your brooder set-up, it sounds fantastic. Your link didn't work, can you relink or post a picture. Thanks so much.