Good quiet bread for smaller space?

[EmCC]

Hi all,

We have recently moved to a new house that has space for chickens (well, the garden does, not the house!) but it’s not a massive space. We’d like chickens that will be happy being in a coop/run, with sometimes a bit of free roaming.
Also would like them to be reasonable quiet as we have close neighbours. Would like reasonably good layers and friendly as we have a 4 year old.
I have in my head Sussex, don’t know which colour (are there differences in the mentalities across the colours?).

Many thanks!
Emily

 

[crazy4ChickensNducks]

I would go speckled sussex maybe ameraucanas or Easter egger also

 

[EmCC]

I would go speckled sussex

Ooooh good, they are the ones I like!!

 

[feathermaid]

I've heard wonderful things about speckled Sussex and would love to get one someday, but I'm very limited to how many I can have here in town. How many chickens do you plan to get? Have you considered a variety of breeds that will not only have different feather colors, but also give you a colorful egg basket?

Of the girls I've had so far, my Blue Wyandotte and Barred Rock were the quietest overall, just chatty. Both my Buff Orps (past and present) have gone on these loud clucky rants that I envision stir up the whole neighborhood. And one of my Easter Eggers gets squawky at times.

I think any breed will go through some noisy times occasionally, but for the most part, if you stick with hens or pullets, they're going to be quieter than roosters. My daughter was 4 years old when we got our first chicks, and with her (and myself) handling them often, they all turned out very social and friendly. I also raised them using a heating pad instead of a heat lamp which I believe greatly helped their overall development and temperament.

Here's a few links that I found to be very helpful:
Mama Heating Pad
Start Raising Your Chicks Outdoors
Keeping Chickens Without Free Ranging

 

[EmCC]

I think we will only start with 3 or 4 just due to size restrictions for the hutch etc

 

[MelissaRose]

Welcome to BYC!
My silkies are quiet. Well, the hens not the roos they do plenty of crowing. They are also good around kids and look cool. They don't lay to many eggs though, so if you want a lot of eggs, I don't recommend silkies. Also, they go broody. This can be good if you want to hatch chicks. Here is a picture of one of mine so you can see what they look like:

I think they can do pretty well in a small space. My hens are nice to the other chickens.
Personally, I think that any breed can be tamed. Are you planning to raise them from chicks?
Good luck!
MelissaRose

 

[EmCC]

Probably not from chicks as we don’t want Roos. Not to start with anyway!

 

[CoopDeDoo]

Personally, I have found my cochins and faverolles to be my quietest chickens. I've had both LF and bantams of both breeds. They have all also been friendly and easy to handle. Buckeyes also are quiet and handle confinement well - however, they fly better than the other two breeds.

 

[Amer]

Cochins and Wyandottes are very gentle. I have no experience with LF Cochins or Wyandottes though, so people may have different opinions about Wyandottes. My Wyandotte bantams are very quiet, but also not very robust either.

 

[Amer]

Silkies are also a good choice, but may go broody.