Brahma or Buff Orpington for kids?

[NGT ANGL]

Quote:
ChickenJones - I do have my two silkies in a different coop but only because I got them right at the start of winter and conditions on many fronts just haven't been that great to try and integrate them plus there would be two roos and that probably would not work - with the word "probably" being an understatement! That said, I believe there are many here on BYC who have silkies mixed in with their flocks of multiple breeds and it seems to work just fine! I do have other bantams and standards in the same coop/run and there never seems to be a problem - in fact, the two bantam hens boss the bigger girls around and take no stuff from them! I could easily see a silkie in the house but like you, my DH would flip! My two are outside in the same weather conditions that all the others are and so far, they have done just fine. They are just so sweet, they don't fly, are so cute and personable - I even find my husband will sneak out to their coop and pick Sara up and talk to her! The little eggs I get from her - almost one/day would be the perfect size for your little girl's breakfast too!!!

 

[chickenjones]

Silkies lay eggs too? Cool, my hubby is WAY into earning your keep around here! LOL I wonder how they fair in the heat. We are in North Texas but it still gets pretty darn hot in the summer.


ChickenJones

 

[emmalynn]

I live in the south and have silkies and orps. They can be together but I have them separated for pure eggs. Also my Orp roo is giant sized and I didn't want him trying to breed my little bitty silkies. Both have been handled a lot by my children and make good pets. Feathered feet can get really nasty but silkies are smaller and easier to carry around.

 

[NGT ANGL]

Quote:
Like I said - my little Sara pays her "rent" with almost an egg a day - far surpasses some of the other freeloaders and slackers who aren't as prolific!! As for the heat, emmalynn posted and said she didn't have a problem with hers in the heat. I would think that providing plenty of water and a shady place in the coop or run would minimize heat problems. The runs attached to my coops are bare earth and while, if it is particularly wet and muddy, there are muddy feet on the feather-footed ones (silkies, brahmas, I have bantam cochins also) I have had no real problems on that front yet either!

 

[Mandalina]

my silkie is in with all my other chickies and does just fine

 

[mccaff mama hen]

I can't offer any input on which breed t get, but I just had to comment on the photos. Those pics are so adorable they should be in a calendar or something. Who could look at that and not smile. Your little girl is precious, thanks for sharing.

 

[lildinkem]

My Orps are like puppy dogs. I even have a few who get to run around the house with my 9 dogs and 5 cats. Very social birds. You can't go wrong with either.

 

[bawkbawkbawk]

Your little girl and your rooster are both beautiful!

I have one Light Brahma and one Buff Orpington. I also have an Easter Egger (all are hens) and the EE is by FAR the sweetest, most docile and personable of the three. Not that the other two are flighty or difficult, but the EE is just much more interactive with humans - she seeks us out to ask to be held, whereas the other two just kind of tolerate it. She's also a bit smaller than the other two so it would be easier for a child to manage. I know that personalities vary but in general I have read that EE's are sweet-tempered, plus it's so fun to see what color egg you'll get from each of them!

Good luck!

 

[chickenjones]

mccaff mama hen:

Why thank you- and she does look good on a calendar! I think everyone I make calendars for has a copy.

Oh and its my phone background, and my husbands. You are right. You gotta smile!

ChickenJones

 

[biddyboo]

When my now-grown daughters were six and eight, they begged for chickens. We adopted two hens and a rooster, who became their playmates. I have no memory of how willing the hens were, but pictures show two little girls running down the drive from the coop to the house, each with a Buff Orp hen tucked under an arm. The hens got dressed up in doll clothes, taken for country walks, and were partners in all kinds of play and confidences. They were good companion pets for our girls, never peckish or mean... ~G