Hello there, we are just getting ready to start our Backyard chicken adventure!

[Soltis Farm]

Good Afternoon everyone! We are just getting ready to start our chicken adventure. I thought this would be the perfect place to ask for some advice. We live within a village that allows home owners to have chickens. We are going to be limited to 4 or 5 chickens and no rooster. Which is fine because we are looking for "pets" that provide us with eggs. Our ladies will live long pampered lives on the backside of our barn.

I currently have 2 children, ages 13 and 10, and want to make sure that I get a family friendly breed. We also have many nieces and nephews of all age ranges that come over. I don't want to stifle the enthusiasm that they have currently for chickens by getting something aggressive that will scare them or injure them.

Primary goal of having the chickens is to teach our children some further responsibility with animal care and supply eggs to a family of 4. Any suggestions on what breeds?

From my current research I am contemplating:

Polish
Orpington
Silkie
Appenzeller Spitzharben


Thank you in advance for your suggestions!

 

[gamebirdsonly]

Out of the breeds you listed the best egg layer would be the Orps.

 

[Soltis Farm]

Thank you

 

[Mountain Peeps]

Welcome to BYC! Please make yourself at home and we are here to help.

Yes, defiantly get the buff orps. Besides being great layers they are also affectionate, hardy, curious, docile, lap hogs and confinement bearers.

 

[TwoCrows]

Hello there and welcome to BYC!

Mountain Peeps left you with some cute pics of her Orps. I keep Black Australorps which are also Orps and I can atest to the friendliness, being very docile and all around fun pets to have around. They are also very good layers too! So another vote for Orpingtons!!

Enjoy this new adventure you are on and welcome to our flock!

 

[BayBay Peepers]

Another vote for Orps They're sweet,

friendly, lay quite well, and make excellent mothers.


And they're always part of my welcoming committee!

 

[Kelsie2290]

Hello and Welcome To BYC! X5 of the breeds you listed Orps are probably closest to what you want, nice calm temperaments, they are decent layers though rather broody. The Spitz I like, but they tend to be somewhat flighty and are good flyers hard to keep where you want them if you free range at all, decent layers and very pretty. Silkies are friendly little birds, very popular as pets for children, but they are very broody and usually very poor layers. Polish can be spooky and how well they lay really depends on the bloodlines, they and silkies are often a problem in mixed flocks because of their crests being plucked by other birds.

 

[Frindizzle]

from Washington! In our flock we have great people and it is always great to have a new member In our flock, we have no pecking order!

By the way, not saying that you will do anything bad, but no fowl play

Go to reviews, click on chicken breeds, and find Orpington for reviews-- it might help

 

[drumstick diva]

silkies are usually kid favorites, and are known to tolerate being dressed up and pushed in strollers ,etc. They are great layers but, they also don't fly (do jump tho) so less risk of them getting over a fence. Because of their feathered crests and beards their vision is obscured and they often seem dumb. If you don't plan on showing them just carefully cut the feathers shorter around their head and eyes, and BINGO their activity level and IQ jumps up.

Because they aren't flyers they are most susceptible to predator attacks, so need a safe , secure run, they also make great house pets.

Lots of bantam breeds are good with children if handled gently, there are tiny seramas they were bred in Malaysia strictly to be house pets. They accept confinement and enjoy watching tv or video games with their owners. Bantam cochins are also very nice for kids.

PS there is quite a thread on people with housechickens. You may consider them for the kids, and larger, laying breeds for you goals.

 

[gander007]