what breed is best?

[Chicks Galore3]

Ok. I can't decide which breed(s) to get. I'll post the options i have and you can (please) suggest ones you have either personal experience with or just plain old know what is best. I am wanting ten chickens, so two chickens EACH of five breeds.
Thanks SOOOOOOOOOOOOO much for the input!

Barred Rock
Black Australorp
Production Red
Gold Star
Black sex link
White Rock
Buff Orpington
and
Silver laced Wyandotte ( I really like these...pretty breed!)

Oh, and i (well my parents...) want breeds that are docile and good egg layers and I want good friends in them.

 

[FloridaChick1]

I am a newbie with 8 chickens 6 wks to 14 weeks, but I can tell you what my breeder's favorites are... He like Australorps, great layers, very docile, and quiet. His wife likes the Barred Rocks, great layers, quiet and docile. My sister's friend has Buff Orpingtons and LOVES them. She has 3 in her backyard and she hugs them everyday

I have 2 Australorps and they are gorgeous with the green sheen on their feathers, and are more outgoing than the other chickens I have. I have a couple of Cochins, (Lemon Blue and Millie Fleur) they are the sweetest and most affectionate. They jump on my arm and chatter to me. I think the Cochins have the most entertaining personality. I would get more of them if I could. Also have 2 Wheaton Marans, beautiful and very quiet/shy'ish, much more calm and seem to be non-aggressive towards new flock members. My youngest two are a Barred Rock and Golden Laced Wyandotte at about 6-7 weeks. I love both gold and silver wyandottes but only gold was available at my breeders. I can't wait for the eggs to roll. Good luck on picking out your flock!

We wanted chickens to be our pets, not just outside chickens. I chose all my birds based on temperment, egg laying, egg color, and fun to have pets.

 

[Chicks Galore3]

and THANKS for being a newbie you sure know alot!

 

[RGBistro]

I like seeing a "rainbow" of chickens in my yard, so I vote for - red (productions), buff (orpington), black (australorp), barred (rock) and.... the wyandottes!

Kim

P.S. My buff orpington is my favorite.

 

[WhiteMountainsRanch]

After being on here for over a year now and having experienced my own chickens I always suggest for the new chicken owner to just buy a "rainbow package" of a mix of birds (like the brown egg layer rainbow package from a hatchery).

This is because I started out with Silver Laced Wyandottes which were my faorite after many months of researching, but after owning them (and many other breeds) my favorites have now changed and I like chickens I never thought I would have!

 

[FloridaChick1]

Rainbow, I should have added that to my post

I like having different colors and sizes, makes it very easy to tell them apart and the eggs will look different too. So if there is a problem with a bird it won't be hard to remember which one it is. Can people tell each chicken apart if they have 10 or 20 of the same breed?

 

[Eggcessive]

I got all sorts of breeds last spring to see what kinds we liked best. My favorites are barred rocks, salmon faverolles, welsummers, partridge rocks, mille fleurs, silkies, and new hampshires. My least favorites are wyandottes, anconas, campines, and golden lakenvelders.

 

[Chicks Galore3]

Thanks bunches! My list as of right now:
Wyandottes (still my favorite)
Black Australops (pretty)
Gold Star (my bff likes these)
Production Red
and
Buff orpingtons


A good color mix, eh?!

 

[Chemguy]

Welocome! I think you'll find that 'best' depends on a person's own ideas and inclinations. In the end, only you can decide. The breeds that you've listed are all fine breeds. Keep in mind that, even within a breed, behavior will vary. I think of orpingtons as the golden retriever of chickens. You'll likely find them to be a friendly, calm and loyal bird. But, in my flock, there is one that just will not allow a human to get near.

There's a good tool on this site to help you identify a breed based on common characteristics. It's here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/products/category/chicken-breeds. Look in the left-hand margin, check the boxes and submit. Pete

P.S. I haven't used the tool following the site update. I assume it works. If not, drop the admins a line here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/f/3/byc-website-forum-feedback-announcements.

 

[debid]

Thanks bunches! My list as of right now:
Wyandottes (still my favorite)
Black Australops (pretty)
Gold Star (my bff likes these)
Production Red
and
Buff orpingtons


A good color mix, eh?!

Yes, but they're all brown layers! I love having some Easter Eggers in my group. Not only for their quirky good looks but for those blue-green eggs! I went mostly by egg colors so Welsummers for the dark and speckled, Easter Eggers, and a couple of more typical brown layers (Australorp, Speckled Sussex, and Dominique). My egg bin is drop-dead gorgeous and I can tell everyone apart easily (even the 3 Wellies because they have some differences if you know what to look for). ;-)

I know, not helping.