Friendly breeds?

[HappyClucker7]

Australorps and cochins are very friendly.

 

[Mogul Moonshine]

Haha i had barred rock before, they dont really seem to like me that much.

Mine is the nice out of 20 birds all different breeds

 

[Lucy Brown]

 

[IdealisticRoo]

Easter eggers are some of the friendliest and most inquisitive birds I have had!
The thrill of green and blue eggs never ends!

 

[Lucy Brown]

quick question on how to introduce new breeds to the flock?

 

[feather13]

We've always had mixed flocks and they're a lot of fun. I agree with all the breeds mentioned previously and would add: Black Sex Links/Black Stars, Rhode Island Reds, Phoenixes, and Crevecoeurs. Our two Black Sex Links/Black Stars and one Rhode Island Red are champ egg layers and act like puppies. If they even suspect we're in our sunroom they come running really fast and love to be held and given treats. They are funny, greedy, friendly and curious. We integrated these three with their brooder mates and two adult hens. I think they would be good breeds to add to already existing flocks, but imagine they could be bullies if there hadn't been elders to keep them in place.

Our two Phoenix are absolute sweethearts... really calm and inquisitive. Crevecoeurs can be quite friendly and docile, too.

 

[feather13]

quick question on how to introduce new breeds to the flock?

There's all sorts of great advice on BYC about how to do this and sometimes it's conflicting. I don't think it matters so much that you're adding new breeds (unless you are adding some bantams), but that you're introducing new birds to your established flock. That's where the tension might come in. I also think if you introduce a larger group of chicks (like 5+ since you already have four hens), integration might be easier.

Are you planning to get day-old chicks and raise them in a brooder? We raise our chicks in a brooder and in a coop far from the other "adult" coop until they feather out.

Last summer we integrated thirteen feathered out chicks with our two remaining hens. We just took them down right after dark and put them in the coop. During the day we let them free range under supervision. It was a super easy transition. The new chickens sleep far from the two hens, but they all get a long great. The two hens are definitely in charge, but no one gets picked on.

 

[BDutch]

I have friendly and curious Dutch. Love them. Good mothers for breeding purposes, that way you don't have trouble introducing new chickens/ other breeds. The roosters are really beautiful. But most people don’t want them bc they are so small and lay small eggs (30 g) with a stop in winter. And possibly they don’t mix wel with normal sized chickens

 

[CNJ]

If you have an established flock with a pecking order, introducing new chickens will be a challenge. Also, young cockerels like to challenge their human handlers when their hormones start to kick in. However, they transform back into friendly chicken after you beat them into submission.
I raised Buff Orpingtons, Cuckoo Lemon Orpingtons, Australorps, Jersey Giants, Barbeziuex, and Bresse chickens. They all about the same, I think it depends on how you raise them as chicks. Personally, I have more affinity with Bresse chickens.........and the worst is Barbeziuex., I have a hard time catching them, they behave like wild chickens.

I have three different age groups of chickens, in three separate pens. I let them out at different times, but throw scratch around the older chickens cage, so they get to know each other. I won't put them together until they ready to lay eggs.

 

[Lucy Brown]

If you have an established flock with a pecking order, introducing new chickens will be a challenge. Also, young cockerels like to challenge their human handlers when their hormones start to kick in. However, they transform back into friendly chicken after you beat them into submission.
I raised Buff Orpingtons, Cuckoo Lemon Orpingtons, Australorps, Jersey Giants, Barbeziuex, and Bresse chickens. They all about the same, I think it depends on how you raise them as chicks. Personally, I have more affinity with Bresse chickens.........and the worst is Barbeziuex., I have a hard time catching them, they behave like wild chickens.

I have three different age groups of chickens, in three separate pens. I let them out at different times, but throw scratch around the older chickens cage, so they get to know each other. I won't put them together until they ready to lay eggs.

I agree its gonna be hard to introduce new ones since they already have a pecking order. I am going to try to move a smaller pen next to it and let them get to know each other before putting them inside. I was worried since one of the neighbor's hens came over and they started fighting with our hens.