Newbie , Please help...........Best breed for my family

zookeypr12

In the Brooder
11 Years
Sep 24, 2008
24
0
22
Hello everyone,

I am new to this site. I am in the beginning stages of gathering information on caring for hens.

This is a very informative site and I have come across a great deal of useful info.

I have been logged on for a bit and could probably sit here all day gathering info but I really do have to get to my daily work around here

I was hoping I could get some advice on a breed that would be best for us

I was very excited after reading about the Orpingtons, they sound wonderful....good layers, calm, docile, sounds perfect for my family....... but then I just read that they are extremely noisy:(

Is there a breed that is a good brown egg layer and has the personality of the Orpington without the noise?
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or am I asking for to much lol

thank you
~k
 
Well, all chickens make noise, and can make it very LOUDLY. The myth of the Quiet Chicken has been discussed here on BYC often enough so that I know that my Orp girls are not alone in their disruptive announcement of hawks in the neighborhood.


By the way, welcome to BYC - it's a great, safe place to find answers and meet some really neat people.
 
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Yes, welcome k
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I'm beginning to wonder if size doesn't have nearly everything to do with noise and flightiness.

I'm not very experienced with smaller, lighter breeds but the Orpington hens I had were about the least noisy over the years. Another breed that was very quiet was the Brahmas.

Personally, I don't want the noise but egg production rates fairly high. Black Australorps have filled the bill on several occasions. However, the Aussies I have now are more noisy than their larger Barred Rock litter mates. Except that "Spring" likes to walk around the yard and comment on everything. She is really not inclined to hysteria, however. And, these two BR's seem quite a bit larger than the BR's I had years ago that seemed quite a bit more trouble.

Of course, all of this could have a lot to do with my age and my hearing
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Steve
 
My orpingtons are very, very, quiet. However, I live in a suburb that is not especially chicken freindly, and I want to get along.
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I think a lot has to do with the individual chicken possibly also with the particular lineage. I chose a quiet breed and also watched and handled the chicks often. When I had to decide which ones were the keepers and which would move along to new homes I considered the following.

1 sex (kept pullets only)
2 Gentle calm attitude gets along well with the others no picking or fighting
3 quiet
4 freindly to people

Also my chickens are just pets and they have plenty of space and food so they don't have a lot to fight over.

Chicks will peep a lot if their needs are not met. If they are too cold, or their waterer is full of shavings and they are thirsty.

My advice is to choose pullets of any of the calmer, quieter, breeds that you are attracted to
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(Orpingtons, Cochins, Australorps, Sex links, etc.) and be willing to part with the odd noisy troublemaker.
 
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I have over 150 birds and out of all the breeds I have here my Orpingtons are the quietest. Never really loud and the roosters have a deep low crow. Now my Ameraucanas are a diffrent story. They crow back and forth and back and forth LOL. More of a high pitched crow.I also have a flock of bantam Cochins and Silkies here and seems like there is crowing from their pen all day. Makes me laugh to hear them because they sound like squeaky toys.
 
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