friendly chickens

[goldenchic]

which breed r the friendliest for children ?

 

[Cloverleaf Farm]

My son uses a silkie pullet for 4H showmanshp, she is the best! Are you wanting bantam or large fowl? Just for around-the-yard kind of friendly, or for alot of handling kind of friendly??

 

[goldenchic]

probably bantams i already have 2 glw pullets and cockerel but would eventually like to add to my flock LOL. i have grand children and want 2 be able to let them out in the garden without fear of being pecked at.the ones i've got eat out u hand but have never been picked up there 12 wks not sure how they would react

 

[lilchick]

Most breeds the hen will be tamer and easier than a rooster.... I have buff orph. red star and a few turken hens and they will follow my grandson around like puppies.

 

[lauralou]

Personally, I've never had a mean hen. The ones that aren't friendly just don't want to be held.

Roosters are a different story entirely! Be cautious of any rooster around small children.

 

[CTChick]

I have a porcelain D'uccle rooster who is an absolute doll - my youngest children (age 5 and 10) love him. I bring him into the house occaisionally - his big booted feet are a riot. I am looking for a hen for him, can only imagine she will be sweet too - it is supposedly a hallmark of the breed. Note: I saw there were hatching eggs available on BYC !!!

Laura

 

[southerngamebirds1]

my brahmas are very gentle, even around my kids.....for smaller size my silkies are friendly. the only prob i have ever had was a polish roo, i got rid of him quick.

 

[kathyinmo]

Delawares are soooo friendly! I love them.

I've heard cochins are slow, calm, and children carry them around. I don't know, because I've never been around one ... but I read that somewhere.

 

[Chicken Crazy12]

I have six standard cochins and a 2 year old grandson . They mix well. He goes over and pets them on the back when I turn them out in the back yard....

 

[DTchickens]

Friendliest for children is hard to say, there are good and bad in every breed. Some of the most gentle breeds i hear of commonly would be - Silkies, Australorps, Seramas, Dutch, Rose Comb, Black Australorps, d'Uccle's, Wyandottes, Sumatra, and old english game bantams.

Some of the friendliest birds i've met personally, would be a black rose comb hen i had, black australorps and silkies. My OEGB's are great little guys, but some can be testy too though not heard of very often. I have to say though, Shamos are the gentlest birds i have ever seen, the stag (cockerel) i recently got will follow me around, let me reach down and pick him up, hold him as much as i want, and even reach down and pet him while he just stands there.. Never bites or anything and doesn't even know me that well yet honestly.

I'd say let your child (or if you're a child?) look at a few breeds and see what they like best, because you can get a gentle breed but if it's not one they really like or one they prefer other breeds over then they probably wouldn't enjoy it as much.. Everyone has their tastes, like i prefer games because of their personalities, people prefer silkies for the fluffiness and gentle nature, people prefer heavy/heritage breeds for their egg laying abilities etc etc..

Most of the breeds i listed can be found in bantam forms, so birds like the Shamos if you happened to be interested in them, or birds like the Australorps, Orpingtons, Cochins etc. That you would prefer a bantam instead of a large fowl because of how big they can be and difficult to handle for small children, look into them. Do your research so you can know the breeds you want through-and-through.

-Daniel