What breed to get for kids?

[obieandhisgirls]

i suggest orpingtons they are sooooooo sweet and really good with kids i also would recommend bantam wyandottes they are super chill and mine let you pickkthem up and they sit on your hand some other good breeds are: barred rocks,cochins and Easter eggers your kids would love the blue eggs!

 

[ButtonquailGirl14]

polish are supposed to be grumpy i suggest orpingtons they are sooooooo sweet and really good with kids i also would recommend bantam wyandottes they are super chill and mine let you pickkthem up and they sit on your hand some other good breeds are: barred rocks,cochins and Easter eggers your kids would love the blue eggs!

my Polish is SUPER SWEET! she runs up to the cage when you come and i have only had her 3 days! her previous owners didn't ever even touch her!

 

[sylviethecochin]

Depends what you like. Are you interested in eggs? Many bantams aren't good layers. And some of the ones recommended above go broody, which can be great-- or a pain in the butt if you don't have a rooster or don't want to break them.

If they are meant to be pets--well, Australorps are great, long-lived, and gentle, but if you have a lot of them, it's sort of like having a herd of Angus cattle. "That's Bessie--I think. She might be Daisy...?"

It also depends on how gentle your kids are. I just last autumn sold a lady a pair of OEGBs and two cochin-cross pullets, and her five-year-old daughter loves the tiny chickens. But the daughter is gentle. I know eight-year-olds I wouldn't let touch my chickens.

If I were you, I would get a mix of standard hens, using the possibilities above, but remembering that Orpingtons, Silkies and Wyandottes are the birds recommended if people want broody hens. And by all means get chicks, so long as someone can supervise the kids and just hold the birds for them to pet. Kids do learn to be gentle.

 

[KikiLeigh02]

Toddlers are chickens are so much fun! My Orpingtons, and my Black Australorps do the best with my boys. I like it because they're big enough I don't have to worry about the boys accidentally hurting them (they're too big for them to want to hold) and they're super friendly and curious. They'll come up and get treats out of my three year old's hand.

 

[Mrsamsam]

Thanks everyone for your replies. We went ahead and got 7, 1 week old chicks today. Our new flock consists of 2 silkies, 2 polishes, 1 bantam Wyondette, 1 buff Orpington and 1 light Brahma. The Brahma is a lot bigger than the others so hopefully that doesn’t end up being a problem. So far so good!

 

[itspebbl]

Sounds like you got a great starter flock! Brahmas are big, but super sweet and friendly, so no worries there. (They are good layers too)

 

[varidgerunner]

Games are the friendliest chickens you will find. (Toward their people) And will outlive all the other breeds.