new chicken

[Daniel]

I am new to the raising of chickens. Wondering what kind of breed is the most kid friendly and easy to take care of. Also, does it matter how many chickens to have (one or two?) or does it matter?
Thanks for your time and information!

 

[Yankeechick]

You should get at least two. That's what I hear anyway and it makes sense.

 

[Daniel]

Thanks for the information.

We wanted to get about 4. Don't know what kind of breeds though. Do you know anything about brahmas?

 

[Whirlwind]

Yep chickens are not loners they need to be with other chickens. But 2 or 3 is ok. I really think 3 is a good number to start with. There are lots of kid friendly chickens. It depends on what you want your chickens for. If you want eggs, meat or both. If you want egg layers I would recomend Golden comets or one of the sex-link chickens. The more attention you give them the friendlier they will be.

It also depends on where you live how hot, or cold it gets there.

Oh 4 even better. You might want to build your coop/run bigger than for 4 cause chickens are like lays potato chips. YOU JUST KEEP WANTING MORE.

 

[Daniel]

This is Dan's mom replying- I tried telling my husband and son that chickens are addicting... I am trying to convince them to make the coop bigger than you need or with the ability to expand. We live in northern Utah, about 1 hour north of Salt Lake. We get hot and cold. My son is even thinking on showing the chickens for 4H and fairs. All the information we can get would be helpful.

 

[chickiepoo]

Good advice on the "chickens are addicting". They are much more entertaining than I ever imagined.
It looks like you just joined today. I can't give you advice about breeds of chickens, but if you spend some time reading on these pages you will learn a lot!
If you are interested in showing chickens, I would go to some shows and check them out and talk to chicken owners there as well.
Good luck!

 

[joebwe25]

Same here. You want to at least Get 2, if you get one he/she will get bored.
Buff orpingtons are pretty friendly, I think.
all my chickens are friendly (my signature has their breeds).
Have fun!

 

[hollyclyff]

Our friendliest are our Dominique and Buff Orpington. They're both lap chickens.

 

[herechickchick]

I agree that chickens are addicting and addressing that at the beginning is crucial in the planning of the coop and enclosed run. There are so many wonderful breeds my favorite are the Blue Andalusian, mine are very sweet and very people friendly despite the tales of them being flighty and hard to handle. Also if you are looking to show an unusual breed like the Andalusian is sure to get you some attention. I have some buff Brahmas in my brooder, too small to make any real judgment on their personality yet but they are feathering out nicely.

Good Luck

Here are some photos of the Andalusian from feathersite

 

[Colonel Sanders]

Buff Orpingtons are gentle.