Docile chicken breeds

[lereg]

Hi all! I' new here and wanting to start raising dual purpose chickens in the next month or so. I would like to have a couple hens a piece that lay brown , white, and a different colored egg, ( im thinking easter eggers at the moment). With having grandchildren, it would be preferred if they were docile and not necessarily the type that prefers free ranging. As I know, there are many factors involved, and there's no guarantee for temperament, I would like to know what you all prefer. If it makes any difference, i live in middle/east Tn.

Thanks in advance.

 

[JedJackson]

Dorking, Orpington, Brahma, Cochins, Sussex, Java and Plymouth Rock are the most docile in my experience besides bantams but I am not sure how some of those breeds would do in Tennessee. Cochins especially aren't heat resistant.

 

[Welshies]

Easter eggers generally aren't the best for meat. Most colorful egg layers aren't very large, making them small meat birds, resulting in more bone, grisle, and fat versus meat.
Rhode Island Reds are very good dual purpose birds, laying a large brown egg. They are very large and mature at an average rate, and some hens will brood their chicks for you, while most are productive layers. They are docile if handled a lot at a young age, like most birds.
Orpingtons are a great bird for cold climates, and they are very docile. They are also very pretty, coming in a variety of colors. They mature at an average pace, and are very large making great meat birds. Most hens lay well, usually a brown egg. Some will go broody if allowed to.
Cochins are very popular.
Copper Marans lay a very dark egg, and I believe they are dual purpose.
If you want a colorful layer but a good dual purpose bird, I suggest getting a large, meaty bird like an Orpington (especially if you want a colorful flock), or a RIR, and crossing it with Easter Eggers or Olive Eggers.

 

[Welshies]

Dorking, Orpington, Brahma, Cochins, Sussex, Java and Plymouth Rock are the most docile in my experience besides bantams but I am not sure how some of those breeds would do in Tennessee. Cochins especially aren't heat resistant.

x2 on the Orpington, Cochin, Sussex, and Plymouth Rocks. Rocks are very good brown egg layers. Brahmas are very large and not suggested for a dual purpose bird, they are slow to mature and don't lay well.
Dorkings go very broody very often. If you want eggs, I don't suggest them.

 

[SueT]

Welcome to BYC! Easter eggers are a good choice for colored eggs, and for brown, black sex links are my 5 yr old granddaughters favorite, you'd like Buff Orpingtons they are known as the golden retrievers of the chicken world, not sure about docile dual purpose white egg layers.
Good luck, let us know what you get!
Sue

 

[JedJackson]

Docile white egg layers are few and far between. Houdans are one and Dorkings lay a nice ivory colored egg.

 

[lereg]

I have been contemplating buff Orpingtons and barred rocks, but wasn' sure on the temperament of the rocks. I would also like to try the black sex links as well!! The thing is that they all lay brown eggs.
As for the easter eggers, they may get a pass for the dinner table.
I won' t be able to breed any, due to the neighborhood I live in, but would like a colorful flock!

 

[Welshies]

I have been contemplating buff Orpingtons and barred rocks, but wasn' sure on the temperament of the rocks. I would also like to try the black sex links as well!! The thing is that they all lay brown eggs.
As for the easter eggers, they may get a pass for the dinner table.
I won' t be able to breed any, due to the neighborhood I live in, but would like a colorful flock!

Barred rocks are SUPER docile. I love mine. Like dogs, they are! Black sex links are also very nice I have had them. Why does colored eggs matter so much?
Sussex, orpingtons, WYANDOTTES, all very colorful.
Wyandottes are very beautiful, dual purpose brown egg layers. Multi colored, extremely tame, sometimes broody, and tasty. Lay lots of eggs.

 

[lereg]

I do like the houdans!!

 

[lereg]

The egg color really doesn' matter much, but I just thought it could narrow it down to who actually laid it. For some reason, I thought that Wyandotte were smaller birds.