Favorite chicken breed?

[branston]

I have two flocks. One has 8 Silkies that we all absolutely adore! And the other is a mix of 35 Barred Rocks, Holland Rocks, Black Sexlinks, what I think are a Wellsummer Roo and a Wynedotte Roo, Buff Orps, Brahamas, Ameraucanas, Black stars and some that I have no idea! Out of all of them the Buff Orp hens really stand out to me. I have 3 and they are the sweetest hens ever. They run to me when they see me and want to be picked up and petted. Just curious about other people's favorite breeds

 

[kelidei]

Quote:
This is something that I have been thinking about. I am at the point where I have to decide which breeds are going to be my focus. I love my Orps too so they are definitely one I am going to keep... my Orp roo is a real sweetie. I have 4 coops and runs and I want two breeds for each coop. One is strictly Banties... Silkies and Porcelain d'Uccles. I like a visually diverse flock as well as different color eggs. My customers love getting a colorful carton of eggs. I will keep my Easter Eggers but have to decide between my Welsummers and Cuckoo Marans... the Marans are a nice heavy breed... so I am leaning toward them. For white eggs I have Brown Leghorns and Norwegian Jaerhons... I am Norwegian so the Jaerhons won...

....actually they are less flighty than the Leghorns. I have a few years to work it all out since I am slowly shaping my flock as my hens age. But as of right now I have Blue Cochins, Gold Lace Wyandottes, Salmon Favorelles, Black Jersey Giants, Red Stars and Black Stars, and a few Australorps.. plus the ones listed above.... this is going to be hard

 

[Tracydr]

My OEGBs are the tamest out of all the breeds I've tried. They are always so personable, especially the hens. And the roosters always make great flock roosters.

 

[Pinky]

I love leghorns. The white leghorn is my favorite. I personally like the light breeds.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Quote:
This is something that I have been thinking about. I am at the point where I have to decide which breeds are going to be my focus. I love my Orps too so they are definitely one I am going to keep... my Orp roo is a real sweetie. I have 4 coops and runs and I want two breeds for each coop. One is strictly Banties... Silkies and Porcelain d'Uccles. I like a visually diverse flock as well as different color eggs. My customers love getting a colorful carton of eggs. I will keep my Easter Eggers but have to decide between my Welsummers and Cuckoo Marans... the Marans are a nice heavy breed... so I am leaning toward them. For white eggs I have Brown Leghorns and Norwegian Jaerhons... I am Norwegian so the Jaerhons won...

....actually they are less flighty than the Leghorns. I have a few years to work it all out since I am slowly shaping my flock as my hens age. But as of right now I have Blue Cochins, Gold Lace Wyandottes, Salmon Favorelles, Black Jersey Giants, Red Stars and Black Stars, and a few Australorps.. plus the ones listed above.... this is going to be hard

You can see what I have in my signature but I like Jaerhons too. For white eggs I also have black Leghorns, white Minorcas and Anconas. Most egg customers like brown eggs so in the future I'll pare down to Jaerhons (small thrifty bird decent size egg) and Minorcas(large bird and huge eggs).

For brown eggs I really like Jersey Giants (very tame bird and good eating size), Welsummers (mellow and dark eggs) and Black Penedesenca (very dark egg, good eating bird and very predator proof).

Eventually I'll probably only have Black Penedesencas and if possible Cream Legbars.

 

[ozarkmomma]

I have Ameracauna, Marans, and Cochins. My absolute favorite are the Cochins, they are so pretty but they are also docile.

 

[aoxa]

Quote:
This is something that I have been thinking about. I am at the point where I have to decide which breeds are going to be my focus. I love my Orps too so they are definitely one I am going to keep... my Orp roo is a real sweetie. I have 4 coops and runs and I want two breeds for each coop. One is strictly Banties... Silkies and Porcelain d'Uccles. I like a visually diverse flock as well as different color eggs. My customers love getting a colorful carton of eggs. I will keep my Easter Eggers but have to decide between my Welsummers and Cuckoo Marans... the Marans are a nice heavy breed... so I am leaning toward them. For white eggs I have Brown Leghorns and Norwegian Jaerhons... I am Norwegian so the Jaerhons won...

....actually they are less flighty than the Leghorns. I have a few years to work it all out since I am slowly shaping my flock as my hens age. But as of right now I have Blue Cochins, Gold Lace Wyandottes, Salmon Favorelles, Black Jersey Giants, Red Stars and Black Stars, and a few Australorps.. plus the ones listed above.... this is going to be hard

Why can't I get my buff Orpington pullet to love me?!

Someone tell me how to win her over! She screams murder when I try to catch her, and she has YET to eat out of my hand after a month. I love her no matter what, because she is gorgeous.. I'm wondering if the hatchery quality buff orpingtons are friendlier for some reason? My SQ one sure is sassy!

Her favourite food is grapes, but that won't even get her to approach me

 

[Gville_Wellies]

I started out with Welsummers, but LOVE my bantam cochins, they're like little teddy bears. I got them to replace my lovebird after he passed away (RIP Pookie May 2004-Feb 2011). Basically I got the banties because I needed something to hold but couldn't bear to get another parrot and they have been wonderful.

 

[ChicKat]

isn't it interesting how different the favorites are?

Partly it depends on what exactly you want from your chickens. For eggs--and friendliness my gold sexlink is just a treasure. For middle of the road and nice 'yard decor', fairly friendly and good eggs the barred rocks. For drama, the Ideal 236 who is also a great layer....but she's a little bit domineering IMO. Very graceful and striking appearance. For cute and cuddley appearance, the Easter Egger who is just a baby -- and looks like--a little eaglet -- she should be old enough to lay this spring.

Pictures from this forum make the Easter Eggers, Ameraucanas and Black Sexlinks birds that I think are especially pretty. The exotics and less productive birds egg-wise are not appealing to me, as are the really 'strange' birds that breeders have pushed to the extemes. That being said---beware, any particular chicken could appeal to a person and the priorities all shift. :O)

You may have as many different favorites as you have people answering this post.

 

[Arielle]

I, too, think it's interesting the different birds that are favorites! Good thing there are, dare I guess, hundreds to choose from?


Buff Orpingtons are for eye candy; my hatchery girl likes to sit on my leg sometimes.

SPEckled SUssex, again hatchery, love to gobble up bugs while I weed. Sweet girls. Lt Susex was also a favorite: boys called her tidy-whitey, until they found out that was undies! LOL

Love the egg colors of the EE/Ameraucana/OE.

Marans--the boys are gorgeous, mind their own business. ANd the girls will lay an unusual dark reddish-brown egg.


Have a great variety of other LF dual purpose types. But these are my favs.