I think A Chicken Owner hit it pretty well.
I've raised groups of 20+ in a brooder before, and while there are usually a few friendly chicks in the bunch, with that many you lose a lot of the friendliness. If you raise only 3 or 4 in a brooder, you can get some very friendly pet chickens, if that's what you want.
I've let broody hens raise many, many more for me over the years, and that is by far my preference. My broodies are almost all good foragers, and will teach the babies how to find food (I usually free-range my flocks). They also protect them from the others and they integrate well into the flock. They become good mothers themselves. They learn to put themselves up at night. They watch for predators and know how and when to hide or run from them, and so on. And I don't have to do all the work! No worries about temperature, lighting, or something going wrong while I'm away from home. I've even had some very friendly chicks come from broody-raised clutches, but I will admit that's rare. I've had some that would fly up and want to land on my arm while I'm taking care of the chicken yard though. Treats tend to go a LONG way toward taming chickens, if that's what you want.
A good mama hen is worth her weight in gold, and I've had lots of good ones!
I love my silkie and silkie crosses, but I think my silkies are not that typical. They aggressively protect their chicks (when the goats, etc. get too close) and also lay very well.
I've raised groups of 20+ in a brooder before, and while there are usually a few friendly chicks in the bunch, with that many you lose a lot of the friendliness. If you raise only 3 or 4 in a brooder, you can get some very friendly pet chickens, if that's what you want.
I've let broody hens raise many, many more for me over the years, and that is by far my preference. My broodies are almost all good foragers, and will teach the babies how to find food (I usually free-range my flocks). They also protect them from the others and they integrate well into the flock. They become good mothers themselves. They learn to put themselves up at night. They watch for predators and know how and when to hide or run from them, and so on. And I don't have to do all the work! No worries about temperature, lighting, or something going wrong while I'm away from home. I've even had some very friendly chicks come from broody-raised clutches, but I will admit that's rare. I've had some that would fly up and want to land on my arm while I'm taking care of the chicken yard though. Treats tend to go a LONG way toward taming chickens, if that's what you want.
A good mama hen is worth her weight in gold, and I've had lots of good ones!
I love my silkie and silkie crosses, but I think my silkies are not that typical. They aggressively protect their chicks (when the goats, etc. get too close) and also lay very well.
