I have about 10 other chickens who are happy and healthy. She was kinda a filler chicken to ship a duck. I knew what breed she was but had read they could be ok. But wow she got huge fast!
They can be managed to slow their development but that has to be done from the very beginning and is often only successful in a minimal extension of life with questionable results in the quality of that longer life
It is not that sex-links are not friendly, it is that they sometimes die young, just like a Cornish-x. Then owners like the poster here are sad.I will say that we've had Isa Brown hybrid layers and they were very personable.
Most of our flock consists of English and few American Orpingtons, EE, slw, Speckled Sussex, silkies, cream legbar, and oegb with miscellaneous other breeds in small numbers. We're also adding buckeyes but they're not in with the main flock yet. Soon though. I hope they do well.
Other breeds include cuckoo Marans, deleware, Salmon favorelles, sebright, barred rocks(the jury is still out on them), Dominiques, brahmas, a few mixes, I'm sure I'm forgetting a breed or two lol
I really like our orps and they make great pets. EE, Speckled Sussex, Marans, Favorelles, brahmas, silkies and legbars all do pretty well if handled regularly and gently growing up.
Some breeds like people more than others. Some of my very friendliest birds are my oegb, but of course they're tiny and not the best layers.
I have a few super friendly EE and some not as friendly, they're okay with people and frankly still maturing.
I have found most EE have a phase where they think you're the devil and then they settle when they start laying. Lol.
This also depends on their space and if they feel trapped or not. Our birds always settle down much more when finally moved out of the grow outs.
Whoops sorry this was so long lol once I start talking chicken I can't seem to stop.
Don't tell DH2B that I admitted to that lol I'll never hear the end of it.
That's the only breed of chicken the place I got my duck has.
You took what you could get. Now, you have some good experience -- we have all learned from experience!
Sadly, chickens do not live long lives, but production breeds and hybrids live very short lives. An old school traditional breed can live 9-12 years, and keep laying some, too. As others here mentioned, they just want pets, not high production of eggs for 2 years and replace their hens. Some of the rarer heritage breeds would be perfect for such an owner, who only wants a few and to make good pets. That is why I think an Orpington, or even a non-production strain Rhode Island Red, would be a good choice for a person like @Redhotrb. They lay pretty well, and I have heard of some heritage RI Red living for over 10 years. That I why I keep parrots, my little cockatiel lived for 23 years, and Dylan is 23 years old now, with a life expectancy of 50-80 years. She could out-live me, many parrots out-live their owners. There are rescue places for parrots, and such a pet would be great if you would not like to repeat an early death of a loved one. But, it is a lifetime commitment to get a parrot, one a lot of people probably can't really make.
Sadly, chickens do not live long lives, but production breeds and hybrids live very short lives. An old school traditional breed can live 9-12 years, and keep laying some, too. As others here mentioned, they just want pets, not high production of eggs for 2 years and replace their hens. Some of the rarer heritage breeds would be perfect for such an owner, who only wants a few and to make good pets. That is why I think an Orpington, or even a non-production strain Rhode Island Red, would be a good choice for a person like @Redhotrb. They lay pretty well, and I have heard of some heritage RI Red living for over 10 years. That I why I keep parrots, my little cockatiel lived for 23 years, and Dylan is 23 years old now, with a life expectancy of 50-80 years. She could out-live me, many parrots out-live their owners. There are rescue places for parrots, and such a pet would be great if you would not like to repeat an early death of a loved one. But, it is a lifetime commitment to get a parrot, one a lot of people probably can't really make.
