Help choosing Breeds

[Gray Farms]

Easter Eggers, Wyandottes, Sussex, Turkins, Orloffs

 

[nicalandia]

Black Sexlinks, they are healthy and good layers due to hybrid vigor and should be as friendly as both of their parent line(BR, RIR).

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Well since you live in a very hot area, I recommend Mediterranean class breeds. They are very productive, heat hardy and while most don't consider them friendly, if handled enough growing up, they can become lap pets.
Meds are Leghorns, Anconas, Minorcas, Buttercups, Catalanas, Andalusians, White Faced Black Spanish, Penedesencas, Empordanesas,
Many of the friendly breeds people will recommend here tend to suffer in heat.
Following are two excellent breed selection charts.
http://www.albc-usa.org/documents/chickenbreedcomparison.pdf
http://www.sagehenfarmlodi.com/chooks/chooks.html

 

[Brahma Chicken5000]

Leghorns, Brahmas, Andalusians, Welsummers, Dominiques, & Orpingtons are all good egglayers and great pets. Easter Eggers for the most part are good egg layers.

 

[animallover2019]

Hello, I am new to raising chickens and am really only in the research and planning phase. I would like to find a few breeds that are excellent egg layers but that are really good as pets as well (very friendly and don’t mind being handled). I would really appreciate any input you can give.

Thanks,
Stacy

my chickens that are tame and lay well are dominique ( sometimes a little skittish but amazing egg layer ), wyndotte chickens are amazing layers and not too skittish, salmon faverolls are so tame and amazing layers, silver grey dorkings are SO SO SO SO tame and amazing egg layers, blue americanas are tame and amazing layers plus their eggs are bright blue!!, delawares are amazing layers and tame. they also start laying pretty young, creme leggbars can be skittish but can also be so tame and are amazing egg layers plus there eggs are bright blue as well!!

 

[Acre4Me]

Well since you live in a very hot area, I recommend Mediterranean class breeds. They are very productive, heat hardy and while most don't consider them friendly, if handled enough growing up, they can become lap pets.
Meds are Leghorns, Anconas, Minorcas, Buttercups, Catalanas, Andalusians, White Faced Black Spanish, Penedesencas, Empordanesas,
Many of the friendly breeds people will recommend here tend to suffer in heat.
Following are two excellent breed selection charts.
http://www.albc-usa.org/documents/chickenbreedcomparison.pdf
http://www.sagehenfarmlodi.com/chooks/chooks.html

Exactly what I was going to comment. In FL, stay AWAY from heavily feathered breeds. You should research these Med breeds and see if any fit your interests. Friendly? Most pullets get much friendlier as they start to lay, so don’t get too worried if your chicks scatter or aren’t cuddly, bc chickens are prey animals and hard wired to avoid death. They will become friendlier as they age. There are a few breeds that never tend towards cuddly, but each one is an individual and you’ll find what suits you.

For me, our EE are friendly, quirky, lay green eggs of varying shades. They aren’t the best layers, but they aren’t Leghorns (known to be excellent layers but tend towards skittish their whole lives). Our Plymouth Rocks are good layers, and vary in their level of interaction and friendliness - we have White Plymouth Rocks and Barred Plymouth Rocks.

Good luck in your search!

 

[cluckmecoop7]

Buff Orpington's are SO pretty and lay great eggs. They are also one of the friendliest breeds of chickens! I love my three!
Here is a picture of one:

 

[cluckmecoop7]

(She's not full grown yet.)

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Lol, I'm afraid all these answers are going to make it harder rather than easier, to make your choice, lol! But the advice about heat,-tolerant breeds is excellent.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

To make life easier and chicken keeping much more pleasurable, one must start their short list by beginning with breeds that are adaptable to one's climate.