Looking for new chickens, need help

[pins2danes]

Hello everyone!
I'm extremely new to chickens (I have one small Rhode Island Red mix I'm told) and want to get a few more but I would like for them to have a few specific qualities and I didn't know how else to sort through all the amazing breeds of chickens other than to come here and ask I mostly just lurk around here and read as much as I can and everything is so helpful and at times overwhelming because I just want to be the best chicken owner of the happiest little chickies. Ok so anyways I live in Arizona where temps can reach well over 110 degrees in the summer with of course very little rain though when it does rain it can pour. So I need chickens that can withstand heat nicely (of course I'm going to do everything I can to keep the girls cooler by using misters, blocks of ice, fans if I have to, etc but it would be best if they could take the heat too. I also love my chicken Beverly a ton, she is extremely friendly, I can pick her up and hold her, she follows me around, comes when I call (sometimes...we're still working on that) and eats out of my hand, she's also extreme submissive and has a top cauterized beak so she can't defend herself and I have to make a special mash every day for her to eat otherwise she mostly just throws her food around as if she were normal and could eat it from the ground, which sadly she can't so these new girls need to also be friendly and since Beverly is small I need them to also be small so they don't pick on her if possible (I only have her now because her past flock would peck her so badly she would bleed on her neck and she's still trying to grow back feathers there several months later). And lastly (I think) I would like it to be easily sexed at a very young age so I can get it used to my ways (such as holding them, checking them for injuries/bugs often, etc). I'm not an egg eater so I don't care how prolific they are at laying or what color/size the eggs are and I would never eat them so they don't need to be a meat bird, I just want friends for Beverly and fun friendly chickens as pets to watch around my yard (i do free range Beverly when I'm home so I'd like them not to by flyers or jumpers if possible so they don't go to neighbor yards where there are dogs in all) So to sum up this long post (didn't mean to go off on rants) I'm looking for heat tolerant, people and Beverly friendly, sexed at a very young age, small, generally ground chickens other than roosting at night so they stay into yard when free ranging not trying to fly to neighbor yards and I think that's it. If these chickens do exist I would appreciate some breeds thrown out there to do more Research on to find out if they would be a good fit I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks and have a great day!

 

[Chicks Galore3]

Try cochins or brahmas, (Bantam or Standard) They are an ornamental breed, which means they look pretty but not meant for eggs or meat. They are extremely friendly! Standard chickens will not be able to fly as well compared to bantams because of their weight. If you don't want them to fly you could always clip their wings - a pain free, easy thing to do so they can't fly as well. This has advantages and disadvantages - Adv. Are that they can't fly over fences - Disadv. is that if a predator does try and get them, they can't get away as well.

 

[pins2danes]

Thank you for the info chicks galore3! I don't think I would ever have thought about smaller chickens being able to fly easier, silly me but of course that makes sense! I will have to look into both those breeds more for sure. I may not be an egg person but my family and friends are sure appreciating the ones Beverly produces which are extremely large considering her smaller size :-o

 

[flockofbantams]

I was thinking cochin too but I can't remember how heat tolerant they are.(I need to research that again). I was also going to say silkie or frizzle b/c they are friendly and not flyers so you will need to make sure there night time roost are low enough for them to hop up on.

 

[pins2danes]

I have ALWAYS wanted a silkie, I saw one years ago and have been obsessed ever since I'm just worried I'll end up with a bunch of roosters that i will already be too attached to to give up but I can't have roosters in my area I was looking at different breeds on here while trying to remember what my feed store generally has in stock but I like the review on the Orpingtons though I'm not sure how easy they are to find or if they are sexable at an early age

 

[flockofbantams]

Yea I was trying to remember what else I was going to say but it was that u can't sex then at a young age.
Just an idea but sense u already have a grown hen why don't u get hens. That way u can get the silkie and or others.
Also I know black sexlinks also known as white stars (I think) you can sex from a day old. The roosters will have a white spot on the top of there head and the hens won't or should I say cockerel/pullet.
Also black sexlinks at least the ones I have always been around have been very friendly birds and I think heat tolerate as well.

 

[flockofbantams]

Idk anything about orpingtons sorry

 

[pins2danes]

I wouldn't mind adult hens I just want them to be handleable and figured if I got babies I could get them used to handling easier but I guess if someone was trying to rehome already friendly hens I'm sure that would work I'll look into that. Thank you

 

[flockofbantams]

Adults can be tamed pretty easy as long as they are a friendlier type breed. Silkie cochin frizzle. Just takes a little time but give them tasty treats so they associate you with something good to eat and handle them daily and the experience I've had they useually tame right up.
Hope I helped don't feel like I did much. Good luck!

 

[pins2danes]

You really did help, I'm extremely new to chickens and know almost nothing about them. I only got my Beverly a couple months ago now from a coworker who didn't want her to keep getting bullied by his others and she wasn't laying eggs but was too friendly for him to get rid of so when I mentioned I planned on getting chickens at some point he had me meet her and it's love, she even Kaye's her first egg in almost 2 years just 5 days after I got her, but she's getting lonely I think so I would love more plus she's so incredibly entertaining to watch anything she does so I really appreciate all the feedback I'm getting here and I think I'll look into adults of the above mentioned birds and see where that takes me!