chicken breeds

[cstirling]

I'm trying to decide what breed of chickens to get. I want something that's quiet, doesn't need a lot of space, but good egg layers. I like the silkie bantams, but they don't sound like they're very good egg layers.

I intend to keep them in a chicken tractor because of my big dog. I also have a small child.

Thank you!

 

[FuzzyCritters]

How much space do you have for chickens? A large breed should have about 10 sq feet of outside space. A bantam can have half that. I recommend Easter Egger bantams. They are tiny, but they lay a lot of large eggs for their size. Mine lay 5-6 eggs per week, even in winter. They come in a lot of colors and are friendly if you socialize them young.

 

[Northwest_Wannabe]

Silkies are NOT good egg layers, plus depending where you're at in the world they can be a LOT of maintenance. I'd love to get a little more info before making suggestions though!

Roughly where in the world are you?
How many chickens are you wanting? Tractors cant hold many chickens...
Are you wanting to buy/order from a hatchery and get them shipped or are you limited to what you'll be able to find at a local feedstore?
Is there anyone local (probably on craigslist) who has chicks?
When you say small are you thinking bantam or just not GIANT, like 6 pounds and under?

 

[Lucy Brown]

If you plan on letting your child touch and play with the chickens i recommend getting buff orpington bantams they do very well with my children and are great layers. They also get along with our family dog( German shepard). I am not sure about the spacing because overcrowding the chickens is not good.

 

[CalBickieMomma]

Don’t get Polish! Suuuuuper cute but not good egg layers and my two girls are the loudest ones in the flock (and the smallest). I swear, they are all feathers and lungs .