Chicken "terms"

[63Cobra]

Hi,
I am very new don't even have any chickens yet, we are planning a coop now so sorry for what may be "silly" questions but I want to know as much as possible before starting this adventure as much for the sake of the bird's as well as for my family. In the description of the diffrent breeds they use some terms I don't know or understand. What does "well noisy and well quiet" mean ? why not just noisy or quiet. They use the term "well" in many descriptions does it have some signifigance? also the word "bears" is used with calm, and flighty, what is this ? finally they describe a bird as seldom, frequent,average, etc. when it comes to "broodiness" what is this ?. Ultimately and most important we want birds that are kid friendly (we have three) then egg production, finally for "ornamental" purpose. We live in Ca. so climate is not a issue, any help or suggestions are greatly appreciated !!

Thanks

Pete

 

[Illia]

Broodiness is how often the breed will set on and try and hatch their own eggs (the hens are the ones to do this, of course)

Bear means how well it does in confinement (small runs, cages, etc)

Not sure of the well noisy well quiet thing though.


Most breeds out there are kid friendly, and if you get your chickens from a hatchery or feedstore, high chances are they'll lay a lot of eggs and do well in your area.

 

[TK Poultry]

yeah the "well" has no special meaning. If you socialize your birds from a young age they will be kid friendly. If you buy from a breeder a good sign that they are kid friendly birds is if the breeder has kids. I have found that the birds bought from people with kids do better with them. It isn't a culture shock when they get home and there is this "thing" after them. I found this rule to be true for most breeds that I have ever had any contact with. But if you just go get them from a feedstore or a hatchery they will be fine with kids. My chickens just give into the fact that they will be carried around and harrassed at least once a day. I have Ameraucana Large Fowl and Call Ducks. They both are fine with kids. You'll also notice that a rooster looses his masculince once a little girl is carting him around like a doll!

 

[tammyd57]

Pete!
No questions are silly. Plenty of nice people with lots of answers here.
Hmmm, kids, eggs & ornamental. You probably can't go wrong with Easter Eggers (a lot of the time these are sold as Araucanas by hatcheries and feed stores). They come in a wide array of colors, usually lay well, and their eggs come in several colors and shades (which kids just love). Like was mentioned before, about any chicken breed will do well with kids if they are handled early and frequently. You may only want to get pullets, as sometimes roosters aren't compatible with kids. I know, before it's pointed out to me, that a LOT of roosters are great with kids. But some are not, and it only takes a second for a child to be hurt, even with you standing right there. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE roosters.
If you live in a hot area of California, like I do, you might consider a coop with an open or wire covered wall for ventilation. Ventilation is very important in hot weather, as is shade & plenty of water.