Breeds great with kids? Brahma Bantams?? Advice wanted!

[arwmommy]

Hello everyone!

Chicken newbie here, and we are REALLY excited for some new baby chicks, but since we can't have a ton, I want to make sure we get the right kind! I have 2 children, aged 4 and 8 and we are really going to be treating them more like "pets who really help the compost pile"

We are only thinking our yard (and neighbors) can handle like 5 hens, but are undecided about what breed to get.

We have decided that we for sure want BANTAMS, and have been told that Brahmas are gentle and friendly with children, which is exactly what we are looking for. Anyone with advice for us? Are your Brahmas gentle and patient? Is there another breed that you think would be fabulous??

Thanks so much!

Leanna

 

[sudolph]

Leanna, chickens are wonderful pets for children, but you will have to handle them a lot as chicks to tame them down from the start, which will probably come naturally with young children. My favorite hen, ever, was a little red bantam, I know not what breed, who was the best mommy, and hatched a set of guineas for me, which was a feat because guineas incubate in 26-28 days, not 21 as a chicken. But she was steadfast, and by the time this clutch was hatched, she would let me walk up to her in the chicken yard and pick her up. We were great friends.

One thing to consider is bantam roosters can be a little fiesty, but my favorite rooster ever was a rumpless Americana bantam (or something). He was protective of his girls, respectful of humans, and could beat up any standard rooster alive.

After having lost these two to dogs, I am now raising Wyandotte bantams because I like the way the look and they are reportedly docile, also.

Buff orpingtons are docile, but I don't know if there is a banam variety. Cochins are also very friendly and make a beautiful chortleing kind of cluck.

Hope this helps. I have found the breed charts online that describe the nature of these varieties to be accurate. You might research there and trust what they say. It is true that leghorns of all colors are aloof.

sudolph

 

[Picco]

I have never owned bantam brahmas but my friendliest hen ever was a standard light brahma hen named Cindy. She was more like a dog, she follwed me around constantly and really enjoyed attention. Brahmas are very calm and docile and I assume the same goes for the banties. I think bantam brahmas would be a great choice. To make sure you get the best results brood you chicks in small numbers inside and handle them all the time. The standards are good layers of light brown eggs, even in the winter. I highly reccomend them!

There are other bantam breeds that in my experience have been really friendly:

Cochin bantams; friendly, calm, my rooster is very well behaved. Hens go broody all the time. Good layers of brown eggs

Silkies; friendly and go broody all the time. Poor layers of white or tinted eggs (becasue they are broody ALL the time.

Belgian d'Uccles (mille fleur); friendly, unusual, beautiful, good for broodiness. Moderate layers of tinted (cream color) eggs

Japanese bantams; beautiful, unusual, make good mothers and are really small. Good layers of white eggs.

 

[Scott]

I currently have 5 brahmas and 6 cochins. My decision to go with these two breeds was due to their reputation for having good temperments. I can say, however, that my cochins are much more friendly and tame than my brahmas. My brahmas will eat from my hand, but they do not enjoy being picked up at all. In contrast to the brahmas, my cochins seem to genuinely enjoy human contact. The cochin hens well readily step into my hand when held out. They will occasionaly fly from my hand to my shoulder to get a better view of their surroundings. My experience with cochins is that they are very calm, docile, and easily tamed. From my limited experience with them, I think they would make ideal pets for children. The brahmas will take more work to get them tame. As with most animals, patience is key. I'm *still* working to win my brahmas over.

- Scott

 

[CarriBrown]

I've had great luck with bantam Cochins. They are hardy little girls, and they are friendly and lay well for me.
I also have a Millie Fleur d'uccle who doesn't like to be held, but will follow you around the yard.

 

[arwmommy]

Thanks for the advice, I am going to look into Cochins!! They sound great! Any more advide appreciated!

 

[meagain]

I have opringtons, brahmas and wyandottes, all standard and I would have to say that so far the brahmas are much more docile than the others I have but I haven't really had a problem with any of them.

 

[chikincrazee]

Nankins are wonderful pets..they lay well and raise their young as a community....they just become friendly and in having them you are preserving a critical listed heritage breed of poultry...my son loves his and we also have silkies which he has played with since he was 2....the nankin roos also are very docile so no worries about them attacking your children...check them out... Backyard Poultry has a good article on them in its archives....Chris