Friendliest Breeds of my Petted-from-Birth Flock

Outta Here

Songster
May 17, 2021
462
1,669
186
I've had chickens for 40 years, but this is the first time I've tamed them as pets, and now I'm enjoying them immensely! The hard work pays off with a flock who, instead of squawking and scattering at a human hand reaching to pet, actually comes running to seek affection!
To begin, I drove the hour and a half home from the feed store with my new chicks tucked under my shirt for warmth and imprinting. From the day they came home, I started sitting in the cleaned sand of the henhouse petting them. Every day of their lives all of them have climbed all over me for treats, and every morning and night I pet each one on the roost. They are now 8-12 weeks old: 3 Barred Rocks, 2 Leghorns, 3 Rhode Island Reds, 2 Sapphire Gems, 2 Blue Laced Red Wyandottes, 1 Easter Egger, and 1 Barnevelder.
I've put in lots of hours to make pets of them all equally, but the result with each breed has turned out differently: The least friendly is my Barnevelder. She is the only one who still squawks and panics when I reach to pet her on the roost lineup, and though she might dart to eat from my hand with the others, she runs from any petting. She'll be the first I'll sell if I reduce my flock. The next most wary one is my Easter Egger. She's sweet and will hesitantly hop up on my lap for pets but remains a bit nervous. The Leghorns are less flighty than the Barnevelder and EE and will boldly climb onto my lap to beg for a treat and peck my arms and legs a bit aggressively. They will endure pets but are really after the treats. The next friendliest are the Barred Rock, Rhode Island Reds, and Sapphire Gems, in that order, but pretty similar. All of these incredibly calm birds will jump on my lap for a treat and stay to enjoy a short pet. The Sapphire Gems are lowest in the pecking order and are gentler and friendlier than the Barred Rock and RIR.
And then there are the cockerels: My 12-week old (already crowing) Rhode Island Red is a complete sweetheart! He loves being petted and will get off his comfy patio chair to instead jump into my lap to continue his snooze. I'm delighted and hoping he will stay friendly with me. But my gorgeous 8-week-old Barred Rock cockerel never got as friendly as the Barred Rock chicks, and though he will allow petting and even jump into my lap for it, he still bristles like a rooster ready for a fight and acts wary. He doesn't calm down very easily, and he's pushy and precocious with the others, so I think he might be a bad boy when he grows up...
So, the absolute most friendly and affectionate? My Blue Laced Red Wyandottes! Lacy and Winnie will come running whenever I sit and compete with each other to claim my lap for a long cozy nap, head tucked under my arm, enjoying continuous stroking of their exceptional soft and beautiful feathers!
 
Last edited:
Shorter version of a previous post: Since their birth 12 weeks ago, I've spent hours and hours petting all my chicks equally, sitting on the ground to let them hop all over me. By far the friendliest, the only lap nap chickens, are the Blue Laced Red Wyandottes and (surprisingly!) the Rhode Island Red cockerel. Then the next friendliest who will hop on my lap for a pet but not a nap are my very sweet and docile Sapphire Gems. Then, in order of friendliness are the Barred Rocks, Rhode Island Reds, Leghorns, and sweet but shy Easter Egger. The Barnevelder remains skittish, avoids me, and panics if I reach to touch her.
 
Last edited:
Shorter version of a previous post: Since their birth 12 weeks ago, I've spent hours and hours petting all my chicks equally, sitting on the ground to let them hop all over me. By far the friendliest, the only lap nap chickens, are the Blue Laced Red Wyandottes and (surprisingly!) the Rhode Island Red cockerel. Then the next friendliest who will hop on my lap for a pet but not a nap are my very sweet and docile Sapphire Gems. Then, in order of friendliness are the Barred Rocks, Rhode Island Reds, Leghorns, and sweet but shy Easter Egger. The Barnevelder remains skittish, avoids me, and panics if I reach to touch her.
This sounds like a lovely, sweet flock! Thanks for sharing!
And those are all wonderful breeds you have!
 
Sadly, I have to revise my list. My cuddly lap baby, the Rhode Island Red cockerel, started turning aggressive to me without provocation at 15 weeks. See this thread: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/alas-my-rooster-and-i-broke-up.1477198/
Aw man, that is sad. I hope you find the right solution.

We have at least ten roosters, and none of them are super aggressive, but a couple will show you what for once in a blue moon.
And all of ours, except one we rescued, have been handled since they were little, but I guess it really depends on the rooster and breed.
 
Wow-ten roosters! And they all get along. You must have lots of hens, right?
As for my lap baby turned T-rex, it ended up working out very well! I hadn't wanted a RIR rooster (Tractor Supply mistake). I had bought a Barred Rock male chick to try to breed some Rhodebars with my RIR pullets. Then someone on the forum suggested Bielefelders, an auto-sexing breed, very pretty, great layers, and huge, so I bought this magnificent year-old fellow with two pullets off Craigslist. He is super gentle with me and all the pullets, gives them first chance at all treats, sends them scurrying under cover when a hawk comes, and is just gorgeous.
IMG_7011.jpeg

The RIR continued to get nastier, so I gave him to a neighbor who has a huge flock of chickens running free over a couple acres. When I hear crowing from my neighbor's direction, I say, "Hi J.R.! Glad I didn't have to kill you. Glad you're not here, though!"

p.s. I think you are right that aggression depends on the breed and the individual bird. I cuddled the Barred Rock cockerel just as much, but he's not at all aggressive to me. He's pretty precocious, though--jumped on the Bielefelder's back to start a fight, and he's only half his size! Bill makes him shut up his crowing in the morning and stay off the hens, but it will be interesting to see whether I can keep them both when they are the same size....Those two are the most beautiful chickens in my little flock of 15!
 
Shorter version of a previous post: Since their birth 12 weeks ago, I've spent hours and hours petting all my chicks equally, sitting on the ground to let them hop all over me. By far the friendliest, the only lap nap chickens, are the Blue Laced Red Wyandottes and (surprisingly!) the Rhode Island Red cockerel. Then the next friendliest who will hop on my lap for a pet but not a nap are my very sweet and docile Sapphire Gems. Then, in order of friendliness are the Barred Rocks, Rhode Island Reds, Leghorns, and sweet but shy Easter Egger. The Barnevelder remains skittish, avoids me, and panics if I reach to touch her.

I've had chickens for 40 years, but this is the first time I've tamed them as pets, and now I'm enjoying them immensely! The hard work pays off with a flock who, instead of squawking and scattering at a human hand reaching to pet, actually comes running to seek affection!
To begin, I drove the hour and a half home from the feed store with my new chicks tucked under my shirt for warmth and imprinting. From the day they came home, I started sitting in the cleaned sand of the henhouse petting them. Every day of their lives all of them have climbed all over me for treats, and every morning and night I pet each one on the roost. They are now 8-12 weeks old: 3 Barred Rocks, 2 Leghorns, 3 Rhode Island Reds, 2 Sapphire Gems, 2 Blue Laced Red Wyandottes, 1 Easter Egger, and 1 Barnevelder.
I've put in lots of hours to make pets of them all equally, but the result with each breed has turned out differently: The least friendly is my Barnevelder. She is the only one who still squawks and panics when I reach to pet her on the roost lineup, and though she might dart to eat from my hand with the others, she runs from any petting. She'll be the first I'll sell if I reduce my flock. The next most wary one is my Easter Egger. She's sweet and will hesitantly hop up on my lap for pets but remains a bit nervous. The Leghorns are less flighty than the Barnevelder and EE and will boldly climb onto my lap to beg for a treat and peck my arms and legs a bit aggressively. They will endure pets but are really after the treats. The next friendliest are the Barred Rock, Rhode Island Reds, and Sapphire Gems, in that order, but pretty similar. All of these incredibly calm birds will jump on my lap for a treat and stay to enjoy a short pet. The Sapphire Gems are lowest in the pecking order and are gentler and friendlier than the Barred Rock and RIR.
And then there are the cockerels: My 12-week old (already crowing) Rhode Island Red is a complete sweetheart! He loves being petted and will get off his comfy patio chair to instead jump into my lap to continue his snooze. I'm delighted and hoping he will stay friendly with me. But my gorgeous 8-week-old Barred Rock cockerel never got as friendly as the Barred Rock chicks, and though he will allow petting and even jump into my lap for it, he still bristles like a rooster ready for a fight and acts wary. He doesn't calm down very easily, and he's pushy and precocious with the others, so I think he might be a bad boy when he grows up...
So, the absolute most friendly and affectionate? My Blue Laced Red Wyandottes! Lacy and Winnie will come running whenever I sit and compete with each other to claim my lap for a long cozy nap, head tucked under my arm, enjoying continuous stroking of their exceptional soft and beautiful feathers!
P.S. But things can change--I write this two months later: My formerly sweet RIR cockerel started viciously attacking me and had to leave my flock, my RIR pullet became the friendliest, lightly pecking at my feet several times a day to be picked up and given a ride on my shoulder. The Blue Laced Red Wyandotte is still a lap baby, but now the Easter Egger and Leghorn jump to get pets on the roost every morning. And everyone seems to get a little friendlier when they start laying. The Barred Rocks are aloof, the Bielefelders that I got at 12 weeks are terrified of me, and so is the other leghorn I petted from birth. Don't know how to draw any conclusions from all this....
 

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom