New to BYC

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CHIARA10

CHIARA10

Chirping
Feb 27, 2015
37
5
54
Hi!
I have been contemplating getting chickens to run and play in our backyard garden for the last year. I missed my chance and decided to go for it after all of the chick orders were in for my area.

This year I plan on going for it!
We have a choice of Leghorn, Plymouth Barred, and Rhode Island Reds. I wanted to try one of each at least (for a total of five to start).
They will be day-old chicks.
I am excited and scared as, quite honestly, I love looking at birds, but their sharp beaks scare me a little! lol
Any advice on which of these three breeds tend to be most like a dog? Of course, I'm interested in the egg-laying, but just as importantly, if not more important, i'm looking for happy chickens who like snuggles. Does this exist?!?!
We work our backyard garden most of the days on summer days, either playing or weeding, or watering, or just plain hanging out.
I plan on lots of handling of our chickens and most of the spring/summer/fall days, they will be loose in the yard (.5 acre) handling our grub situation. :O)

And I did see somewhere about lurkers not signing up for BYC. If I'm honest, I've visited this site, by accident, a few times by result of google searches. Now I don't have to use Google. I can come straight here!



Chiara
 
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Welcome! Those are some good breeds to start with. Leghorns are white egg-laying machines. RIR and BR are good layers of brown eggs as well. Don't be scared of the beaks. It usually doesn't hurt too terribly bad when/if you get pecked. They're really not that sharp either. Each breed does have its characteristics for docility and even temperament, however it really comes down to the individual bird as far as tolerance to being handled. All my birds are tame, will come up to me and eat out of my hand etc. Some will allow me to pick them up without problems, and others will throw a gigantic fit. I will tell you that Leghorns do tend to be flighty and nervous, which makes them good on free range as they are more alert for predators than other breeds. Understand that chickens don't require love and affection the way dogs do, so they don't have that desire for human attention. Just don't get frustrated if you don't get a bird that will fly on your lap to be petted. The more time you spend with your birds, the more used to you they will become. Hopefully you'll get a sweet bird. And remember: they key to chicken's heart is through his/her stomach. We would be happy to answer anymore questions!
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Thank you for your reply!
I forgot to add that we also have Ameraucanas.
I hope at least one of these gals turns out to be like a puppy dog! ;O)
 
Welcome!
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I'm glad you joined our BYC "flock".

If you handle those breeds often as chicks, they should turn out tame. The more handling and socialization, the better off they'll be. White Leghorns can be flighty, so you'll need to especially handle those if you want dog-like chickens. Rhode Island Reds can occasionally be aggressive, especially the roosters (though my Rhode Island Red hen has been perfectly sweet). Barred Rocks are probably going to be the tamest out of those three breeds. Just be sure to handle them all as chicks, and give them treats, too. That should help.

To read about peoples' experience with these breeds, you may want to check out their breed reviews:

Plymouth Rock
Rhode Island
Leghorn

They should all be great layers for you, despite any poor temperaments.
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Welcome to BYC. Glad you decided to our flock. I've had all three of those breeds and I would suggest going with the Barred Rock. Leghorns are the best layers of the three, but they are high strung and flighty. Mine screamed bloody murder whenever I handled them (It's why I don't have Leghorns anymore). Rhode Island Reds are more docile than Leghorns, but are sometimes aggressive (especially the roosters). Barred Rocks are a very hardy, normally calm and docile breed, that you will give lots of large, brown eggs. Over the years, I've only very rarely had an aggressive BR and it was definitely the exception rather than the rule. Please feel free to ask any questions you may have. We are here to help in any way we can. Whichever breed you decide to get, good luck with your flock.
 
Hello and Welcome to BYC! Glad to have you! My favorite breeds for personality are black sexlinks, speckled sussux, and marans. Orpingtons, plymouth rocks, rhode island reds, dominique's and welsummers are also known for their personality's. Hope this helps!
 
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