2 years ago I bought some red sex link chickens, which were great egg layers, but they're mean as sin, peck everybody else in sight. This year I want to buy more egg layers, but I dont want mean chickens. So I would really appreciate some suggestions for both white and brown egg layers that produce lotsa eggs, and aren't mean, please. Thanks! Ang
*different* red sexlinks, maybe? Seriously, I think yours are atypical. Depends on the souce, try getting them from a known friendly line. Pat
I have yet to have a mean hen. But I really liked my Barred Rock hen that I had. She was a sweetie. BTW, nice name.
Barred Rocks, hands down. Then, if you don't mind an occasional broody, Buff Orps are great, too. The Barred Rocks are more aware and curious, in general, at least the ones I've had. I have a brooder full of chicks just hatched, and 10 out of the 19 are Barred Rocks. I stick my hand down and the BRs come running from all corners to check me out while the others hang back some.
I have Barred Rocks, who are friendly in the 'we will follow you around and beg for treats but don't think you can touch us' sort of way. Granted, I bought them as 17wk old pullets so they were not used to much human intervention. My NH Reds are docile and sweet, they're from Mt Healthy hatchery. I raised them from babies. Some of them like to be held and petted and some not, but none of them are 'mean'. Not even Elvis my roo. He is protective, but not mean. He ran at me the other day for the first time and I swatted him with a glove and he ran off and pouted. Good luck on your new chickens.
I bought the sex links in Farm King as babies. At the time, I didnt notice where they got their chicks from but a little while later I saw they had a sign up saying their chickens came from Welps, out of Iowa. I'll go look for pics of the orpingtons and barred rocks (think i know what they look like lol). I watched one of my sexlinks attack a barred holland hen, and i slipped a rubber band around her leg, then i seen her attack another hen the next day, so I chopped her head off and we ate her. That was the only chicken I've ever killed out of my flock. After that, some of the pecking died down, but when I tried to integrate some silkie roos into my coop, the sex links nearly killed one, and never would allow them to be in the coop. I'm wanting to keep a mixed flock of standards and banties this year, so am looking for "nice" standard sized layers. ang
My black sex-links have been the sweetest birds. I have had good luck with Barred Rocks and I do have one RIR and Australorp that are both sweet as can be. My EE's have been good layers, but they are all pretty snippy. Oh and I love my La Fleche girls, they are rather shy, but they are great in the flock and are supposed to lay as well as BR and Wyandottes...even though I really couldn't tell you since winter hit before they started laying. They are gorgeous as well.
I've got 4 red sex-links that are very good girls, all of them came as 17 week old started pullets. I've never seen them even get irritated or try to protect themselves from my daughter's attempts to treat them like dogs. It may be that the one's you got came from poor quality breeding stock. Don't give up on red sex-links as a whole. How are you trying to introduce new birds into the flock? Maybe there are things to try that might help make the adjustment easier.