BYC Debate Thread- What's The Friendliest Chicken Breed?

[azygous]

Blue Plymouth Rocks. Overwhelmingly affectionate.

 

[kurby22]

Thanks for the tag!

As with others on here, I can only speak from my own experience with the breeds I have owned. But I also selected the breeds I have based on the research I have done on breed friendliness!

If you asked me to pick ONE breed and I had to have all that breed, I would choose Ameraucanas or EEs using Ameraucanas as the blue layer, hands down. I have both large fowl and bantams. 2 LF roosters, 2 LF hens, one LF Americana hen, and 3 bantam mottled Americana chicks and they are ALL just the sweetest and most friendly and personable chickens I have ever owned. All of mine are good with humans, the roosters are good with hens, good with other roosters, and even nice to baby chicks. My Americana hen is so gentle I had to put her with my bantam flock--she runs up to me and wants pets, she likes to sit in my lap and lets me hug her. She is unique though, as she is almost fully blind which I am sure makes her more needy, but she also just has a very mellow way about her.

I would say all of the other breeds I own or have owned are friendly and gentle (Marans, Wellsummer, Orpingtons, Polish, Silkies, banty Cochins, d'Uccles, Wyandottes, bantam light Brahma, Swedish Hedemora, and Olandsk Dwarf chickens). Out of the rest of the breeds the most friendly after the Ameraucanas/Americanas, would be:

Orpingtons - I have or have had Lavender, Mauve, and Silver Laced American and English Orps. My lav Orps were both roosters and while my Lav Orp rooster that I kept was a wonderful boy with me, but he was not very nice to the rest of my family and his brother got rehomed by the people I rehomed him to because he wasn't very nice to them either sadly. My mauve Orp always loves to sit with me and will let me pet her when she's in the mood, she has been a lovely girl since birth. Sweet, docile, mellow, and gets on well with everyone in the flock. My English Orp is also a very sweet, docile and mellow girl but she's a bit more standoffish. She serves as lead hen and I call her "Big Mama". I am trying again with a lavender Orp chick in hopes I get a girl this time, as I do love their sweet and friendly personalities and how well they adapt to a mixed flock.

d'Uccles - I only have one adult mille fleur hen, but also have 2, 5 week old chicks. I have found in general that even super friendly breeds if purchased as pullets or hens tend to be more standoffish with me, and many of my birds are purchased pullets. My MF d'Uccle however, is a very sweet girl that will come and visit me and squats for me and lets me pick her up and pet her. She has never been aggressive to anything or anyone and I just love how gentle she is and that is why I bought hatching eggs to have more. Out of all my bantams I really like their personalities best.

Ranking my other breeds in MY flock from friendliest with humans to least, it would be:

Wellsummer
Wyandotte (always comes to me and sits with me when I visit, but HATES being touched or hugged haha)
Marans (I have a super friendly one that talks to me and follows me, two that are friendly, and 2 that are not and run if you look at them funny)
Polish (still babies, so this is based on 5 weeks of data )
Swedish Hedemora
Silkies (SUPER duper gentle and docile, but very flighty and uninterested in human interactions)
bantam Light Brahma
bantam Cochins
Olandsk Dwarfs (got them as adults that free ranged, super gentle birds the rooster is even very gentle--just SUPER flighty)

In my limited experience, my bantam cochins have been my second most flighty and least friendly birds in my flock. I raised them from day olds and they were handled a fair amount and just have never come around to human attention. The head cochin hen will visit me and peck at me and has a very sassy personality which I do love, but she will take off the second I attempt to touch her. And the other three (2 hens and a roo) will run from me even if I dare to look at them too long haha. I would like to give them another try, since everyone talks about how friendly and wonderful they are...but I am running out of space!

I have not had a mean bird yet, aside from bratty cockerels that are just doing their jobs. I had for a short time, a bunch of young cockerel Marans that I rehomed as they were all obvious boys at 6 weeks old--they were ALL (6 of them) bratty and would charge at me and peck my hands. They weren't mean, just very easily frightened and reactionary in a more aggressive way. Which of course, counters what many say about Marans roosters...but that was just my experience. They were all from the same set of Marans breeders, so it may have just been that their lineage has a bit of an aggressive rooster streak but I didn't wanna keep them (they were gorgeous though). I just knew if they were pecking me at 6 weeks, they would be even worse by 8 months!

I love ALL my babies, but I would say based on numbers owned, Ameraucanas and Orpingtons are my friendliest favorites!

 

[Fluffnut]

I think my Buff Orps are my most friendly by far, but if you're defining 'friendly' as docilely accepting pets silkies are definitely up there. The two Buff Orpingtons I've had both have strong personalities and were the most curious. They were really different though; Mel loved to be cuddled and petted and Sunshine doesn't like to be held but will happily follow me around and jump on my shoulder. She's the most curious, too. A lot of the stuff I've read has listed Buffs as kid-friendly, too, though my nephews like my Brahmas best.

 

[SeaAngler]

All my chickens are freindly I have barred rocks, buff Orpingtons and salmon favorells. My most freindly chicken was my late Dottie she was a barred rock but did not like cuddles so I'd say buff Orpingtons and salmon favorells are some of the freindliest chickens I've ever been around. And I have to agree duccles are really friendly.

 

[microchick]

I'm going to throw a monkey wrench into the debate and say that in a lot of the breeds, it all depends on how you as the flock owner raise them.

I have had Buff Orpingtons where the hens are sweet and gentle but the roosters make Cujo look like a amateur.

I also currently have BBR Old English Game Bantams and Silver Duck Wing OEGBs that are the sweetest, friendliest birds that I have ever owned. I've showered the with gentle and frequent handling and loads of affection and attention.

The end result is a flock of approximately 15 little birds who fly up on my shoulders and arms when I enter their coop and follow me around like little dogs when I'm in the run.

The only bird in my flock that I would put on the unfriendly list are my Egyptian Fayoumis. Friendly? No but they will eat from my hand as long as I don't try to pick them up. They aren't mean. They just want to be left alone and let you know that fact at the top of their lungs if you don't respect that trait in them.

For the most part all of my barnyard crosses are friendly but it all depends on how much work you want to put in with them to make them friendly and of course there is the exception to every rule.

 

[MaeM]

I firmly believe that it all depends on the bird's personality. For example, I have three barred rocks. Hen 1 is cuddly when she is in the mood, Hen 2 doesn't like to be touched and runs away when she sees your intentions. The BR rooster isn't exactly cuddly but he likes to sit near humans and never bit anyone. He doesn't like to be held, but I can squat down and kiss his comb and he won't mind.

My cuddliest ladies are red sex links.

Spoiler: Random pics of RSLs being friendly

And the least friendly chicken I have is a New Hampshire rooster. He is what you would call an a$$h0l3. I was told the opposite about this breed when I got him as a little chick. I guess I just got the one with the anger management problem...

 

[pekin queen]

pekin bantams 100% (aka Cochin bantams)

pekin bantams are a docile breed and mine love cuddles

my pekins all come up to me every morning and cuddle me they are just so cute!

i have only had one (my rooster) who was mean but then i raised a lot moor and none of those roosters where mean so i love this breed so much

i would say my leghorn rooster is not very friendly

i dont know how there would be to much debate on this the friendlyist breed is a pekin/Cochin bantam i have sussex silkies pekin bantams a flock of laying hens a leghorn rooster and we had aracanas (they where mean) welsummers barnvelders and orpingtons
and my answer stands strong

 

[PippinTheChicken]

My WTB is by far my friendliest chicken! She camps out anywhere she can to have a chat. On my leg or on the arm of my chair if I'm sitting with them, or if I'm scooping the poop boards she gets up on the roost and makes sure I'm doing a good job She is very easy to handle and has never given me any problems (except when she was a pullet, she was a bit wild until she started laying )

What's a WTB? She's beautiful

 

[Helanaii]

***slams hand down***
silkies. And Cochins.

i got satins and a silkie chick, and while they are STILL CHICKS—- I’ve never owned chickens that actually come up to you for attention. These babies just want attention, all of it. They’re 5 weeks old now and whenever that door is opened they’re fighting each other for a spot on my lap. Unfortunately they feel more like human children to me than chicken children… so I’m constantly loving on them and picking up after them. ^^’

I’ve owned Cochins and they’re also very sweet babies, they just sat there and let you pick them up. Never fought or caused a fuss when I washed their feet, and could sit on my lap and take a nap inside the house no problem. I miss their soft little clucks.

Breeds I’ve owned:
Jersey giants, buff orps, Sumatra’s, reds, sapphires, andalusians, polish, silkies/satins, leghorns, Cochins, Plymouth, Australorp, americanas.

Now the most UNFRIENDLY chicken breed award goes to the Black Sumatra’s.
flighty, scared of their own shadow, hates everyone, scared of every flock member including the super sweet Cochins, will rub their heads bald on chicken wire in an attempt to escape if they’re stressed.

Just like our pheasants would do. 110% don’t recommend as a family pet.
100% recommend for ornamental flocks.

 

[kurby22]

What's a WTB? She's beautiful

I'm guessing whiting true blue