Breed for New Chicken owner?

[bibliophile birds]

the only bantams i have are Silkies. my whole flock is only 8 weeks (today!), so i can't really comment on egg laying or noise level of older birds, but i love love love my Brahmas, EEs and Silkies. my friendliest are all cockerels (at least i think) but my little pullets are sweet too.

i don't notice the Silkies getting any dirtier than the others. their first rainy day outside, the Silkies and the Brahmas foot feathers were a bit muddy, but they cleaned themselves up as soon as it was dry. my little Silkie cockerel, Hansel, is a loud mouth, but it's because he wants me to hold him all the time! he's sooo cuddly. his sister, Gretel, pays me no attention and is quite and adorable.

my EEs don't want to be held, but they follow me around and are complete clowns. my favorite, Emerson, keeps knocking the lid off the feeder and climbing inside... only to get stuck with his butt up in the air. it's a total riot.

if you really just want chickens as pets and aren't overly concerned with getting eggs, the d'Uccles should be good, as well as their cousins the d'Anvers. i don't have any of these, but i'm planning to get some of both in the Spring.

another breed i'm really interested in are Faverolles. they can be a little tricky to find, but it's not impossible. they have a bantam variety, and are supposed to be wonderful winter layers, so you could get eggs year round.

 

[cmom]

I did a lot of research before I got my chicks.

Gail Damerow's 'Storey's Guide to Chickens' is an excellent resource, as well as this web site which is an excellent source of information.

These sites are especially helpful in selecting breeds.
http://www.mypetchicken.com/breedQuestions.aspx
Henderson's Chicken Breed Chart
http://www.feathersite.com/Poultry/BRKPoultryPage.html

Here are a couple of good links on raising baby chicks.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/raising-chickens-basics.php
https://www.backyardchickens.com/LC-first60days.html

Also here are some other good sites, info and more good links.
http://www.mypetchicken.com/aboutChickens.aspx
https://www.backyardchickens.com/lcenter.html
https://www.backyardchickens.com/coopdesigns.html
https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=2593-Treats_Chart

Good luck and have fun.

 

[naturegrrl]

I have two buff brahmas (standard sized); one is a very quick, quiet layer (in fact she doesn't say much at all in any case, just some soft squeaky bawks when I show up with treats); and the other needs to parade around the house "singing" for about 30 minutes to an hour, looking increasingly desperate, before she finally retires to a nest box and does her thing.

My third chicken is a buckeye, and she talks *constantly* (and sometimes loudly, though she also has the most endearing little whistle-squeak).
Our coop is over a base that is half dirt and half cement; we put about 4-6 inches of play sand down, and it's been a great floor for the run - not only is it much softer, but *much* easier to clean (just get a litter scoop from the pet store). We use ground corn stalks for bedding in the henhouse - also easy to clean up, and warmer than sand in the winter.
Good luck and have fun with your urban flock!

 

[Chickie'sMoma]

i have bantam salmon faverolles that have been very friendly and they can be sexed at an earlier age because of their feather coloring. the problem is that you can't seem to find the bantam chicks at any hatcheries. you can get the standard size at most hatcheries though. their egg song wasn't as loud as i was expecting and it doesn't seem to last long. i have one in the house who's been laying this past week so DH knows what it sounds like now.

my cochins are nice but i have only heard one of my girls doing the egg song so far and she was loud, my other girl should be laying soon. i have a bantam brahma and a couple of standards and both are very friendly and seem quiet when it comes to the egg song. my one full silkie isn't laying or crowing yet but seems to be a cutie. the other i have that is a mix of silkie and cochin is a sweet if not shy little fluff ball. i have not had an egg out of her yet, so i don't know how loud her egg song may be. my 1 d'uccle is such a sweet little lady, very quiet, curious though, but very fearful of the larger girls i have. make sure to get other birds that are around the same size with them.

when it comes to the foot feathering you want to make sure they don't go running through mud or they will always look dirty if they are a light color. but mine seem to groom constantly when they are not foraging for food or chasing each other around.

also, where you live in a condo association, you might want to check to be sure they don't have any ordinances against having chickens.

 

[bibliophile birds]

Chickie'sMoma :

i have bantam salmon faverolles

alright, bring out the pictures!​

 

[bibliophile birds]

Quote:
i've never ordered from mypetchicken.com, but i know they are popular because of their low order requirements. if you decide that you'd really rather have standards but can't order 25 like most hatcheries require, check around with members on here. many people hatch chicks and sell them. or someone near you might even be able to split an order with you. BYCers are great resources for these things.

 

[claud]

Quote:
My Golden Laced Wyandotte is the most quiet bird I have. She also lays a perfect, large egg that never has any meatspots like my other hens often do.

 

[laceynoelle]

Maybe you can try Rhode Island Reds. Those are the most awseome breed to start with! the first time i had them, i was seven.

 

[sewchick]

Personally I like the the giant blue cochins the best out of the different breeds I have had. I have had red sex link , Silkies , Black copper marans , Bantam, EE's , they are all loud except the giant blue cochins. They are friendly. I can bring them in the house and they will let me pet them. Very subdued chickens. The male does not crow....yet. Not sure what the pullet will sound like when she starts laying. They seem to all holler when they lay.