Hypothetically-- Could you make a super friendly chicken breed?

[Shadrach]

Well, maybe brave or adventurous is a better word. Like one of these people said, some chicks are more likely to approach a human in their pen than others, and I think that’s more likely to be a friendly bird.

You would be wrong.
This forum is littered with post that go something like this.....

My cockerel just went for me and I don't understand why. He used to love cuddles and I raised him from a chick and I'm so upset.

Or....
My hens used to come to me for food and let me pick them up but now they just hang around my rooster.

Or....
My hen has just gone broody and won't let me pick her up anymore.

I could go on but I'm sure you get the point.

 

[RoostersAreAwesome]

I’m thinking about a chicken that’s just a bit more friendlier than the others. Seeking out interactions with a person rather than ignoring them or running away

That is something that is definitely possible to achieve, as there are already breeds who do have those tendencies.

 

[Shadrach]

Your definition of “friendly” seems to be different than the OP’s definition. I consider a friendly chicken to be one who will hang around/perch on people and/or is fine with being picked up and pet, and I’ve had many chickens who I consider friendly. But, I know that’s not the definition that everyone shares.

Is that because of their genetics or because of your status in that particular group. Easy to test. Go and try to pick up another of the same breed that you have never met before. Do a few thousand and keep notes. Tell me in another life what the result was statistically.

I have had lots of hens and roosters that would let me handle them. It's not because they are friendly, it's more often because I am freindly to them and slowly they come to trust me.

 

[Shadrach]

I'll leave you all to it.

 

[Amelise]

You would be wrong.
This forum is littered with post that go something like this.....

My cockerel just went for me and I don't understand why. He used to love cuddles and I raised him from a chick and I'm so upset.

Or....
My hens used to come to me for food and let me pick them up but now they just hang around my rooster.

Or....
My hen has just gone broody and won't let me pick her up anymore.

I could go on but I'm sure you get the point.

those don’t sound like the kind of birds I would want to breed if I did that project. It’s probably best to wait until the bird is past a year or two to see which ones stay true to their character and would actually be good to breed. I know for sure there are birds that stay freindly after “ puberty”. like some chickens from the Orpington breed.
Also, we have been able to breed out broodiness in some breeds but it’s not like that would be a problem anyways. Dogs ignore their owners around mating seasons and that doesn’t mean that the breed isn’t freindly by nature.

 

[Amelise]

I'll leave you all to it.

Oh, sorry. Bye…

 

[RoostersAreAwesome]

Is that because of their genetics or because of your status in that particular group. Easy to test. Go and try to pick up another of the same breed that you have never met before. Do a few thousand and keep notes. Tell me in another life what the result was statistically.

I have had lots of hens and roosters that would let me handle them. It's not because they are friendly, it's more often because I am freindly to them and slowly they come to trust me.

I have a friend whose flock is what I consider to be friendly to me, a stranger, even though they’re rarely handled. I don’t think the OP wants a chicken that is 100% guaranteed to be super friendly in every circumstance, anyway.

 

[Amelise]

I have a friend whose flock is what I consider to be friendly to me, a stranger, even though they’re rarely handled. I don’t think the OP wants a chicken that is 100% guaranteed to be super friendly in every circumstance, anyway.

I think that Shadrach believes chickens don’t have the ability to be freindly. It seems like he believes something inherent about their nature makes them unable to be companions to humans. ?But I can respectfully disagree on that.

 

[bhaugh]

I’ve been in birds for awhile now not just chickens. The birds most friendly over the years have not been high producing egg layers with studies actually having been done. I breed for temperament as I now have quail and it’s a must for me as high aggression means death to roomies in the pen. But here’s the thing after raising dogs for years. You get a breed of whatever species you have and really like it but want to change certain things about it because as humans we think we know best. By the time we’re done the breed has changed so drastically that what we once loved has long since departed. It’s hard enough to get people to raise birds that are threatened or has actually gone extinct because us humans just needed to tweak something.

Javas are very nice birds calm and good natured. Many birds that are threatened have same good naturedness. Check through the Livestock Conservatory and see if any of those breeds interest you because some of them sure need our help!

 

[Amelise]

I’ve been in birds for awhile now not just chickens. The birds most friendly over the years have not been high producing egg layers with studies actually having been done.

Interesting!

I breed for temperament as I now have quail and it’s a must for me as high aggression means death to roomies in the pen. But here’s the thing after raising dogs for years. You get a breed of whatever species you have and really like it but want to change certain things about it because as humans we think we know best. By the time we’re done the breed has changed so drastically that what we once loved has long since departed. It’s hard enough to get people to raise birds that are threatened or has actually gone extinct because us humans just needed to tweak something.

Javas are very nice birds calm and good natured. Many birds that are threatened have same good naturedness. Check through the Livestock Conservatory and see if any of those breeds interest you because some of them sure need our help!

That’s a great idea. My more realistic ideas on a project to start when I get a bigger flock was maybe working on helping perfect a non-accepted variety (erminette ameraucanas are very pretty) or to help save an uncommon breed. I will certainly do some research on javas. Thanks!
Ps) I was thinking that the temperament of my flock should be fit my liking as long as I don’t breed the outright mean or super flighty birds. But creating an uncommonly completely freindly breed was an interesting idea to me.