What breeds lay the most eggs and are friendly?

[Lainey-chick]

Everything I read says ISA Browns are docile, friendly. Well, mine are not! I have some ISA Browns that are mostly mean to each other and my other breeds. I would like to re-home these bullies and get some more docile chickens. I don’t want all one breed, but would like a mix.

I’d like to get a mix of friendly birds toward each other (would be nice if they were friendly toward me, too) and also lay on a fairly consistent basis 250-300 eggs per year. What are your suggestions?

I found a couple of articles that state Australorpe, Speckled Sussex and Golden Laced Wyandotte are good egg laying breeds that are more docile and friendly. However, I don’t want to just go by what an article states, I want real world examples. Do you find these breeds friendly in your flock?

 

[texsuze]

I've had black australorpes for 13 years and have found them to be mostly friendly and reliable layers. In each 'flock' that I've had over the years, at least one BA has stood out as the friendliest girl. First Jolene, my best buddy who lived to be 9 years old, and now Florence (age 1 yr) who is my 'lap chicken', always wanting to sit in my lap or jump onto my shoulder The next friendliest are the easter eggers, IMHO. They are talkative, sprightly hens! Bertha, my wonderful Little Brown Hen who passed away last year at age 8 and now Blanche, my crossbeak EE who is my Little Brown Shadow! The more time you spend just hanging out with them, the more comfortable they'll be with you.

And birds of a feather DO flock together, so if you want a mix of breeds, try to have at least 3 of each breed so they can have their own comfort group within the larger flock.

 

[TwoCrows]

Definitely Black Australorps, healthy, hardy, great layers. Buff Orpingtons are just as equal, maybe a bit more friendly than the Australorps. Plymouth Barred Rocks are great layers, friendly too. All these breeds can be wonderful lap sitters if you start handling and working with them as chicks.

 

[Lainey-chick]

Sorry, I didn’t word my post correctly or clearly. I mainly want them to be friendly with each other. I have no problem with any of my birds being friendly toward me. Some are more skittish than others, but they are not mean to me and usually flock around my feet when I’m near. The ISA’s are mean to each other and my other chickens! Since I am only familiar with the breeds I already have, and not the breeds I listed, I worded in parenthesis that it would be a plus if they were friendly toward me as well. Hope that makes sense now.

I agree with you all that you must handle them as chicks!

 

[pam buske]

Sorry, I didn’t word my post correctly or clearly. I mainly want them to be friendly with each other. I have no problem with any of my birds being friendly toward me. Some are more skittish than others, but they are not mean to me and usually flock around my feet when I’m near. The ISA’s are mean to each other and my other chickens! Since I am only familiar with the breeds I already have, and not the breeds I listed, I worded in parenthesis that it would be a plus if they were friendly toward me as well. Hope that makes sense now.

I agree with you all that you must handle them as chicks!

Wow I am surprised your ISA is mean. I only have one but she is great chicken. She is always the 1st in line to greet me at the door. I have 9 chickens; 2 ameraucans's, 2 buff's, 2 starlight, 2 golden comets, 1 ISA. they all seem to get along I have never saw them pick on any one chicken. Now all of them every once and a while will see the bow up at each other but that is the extent of it, never attacking. I not as experienced as others out here on what breed is better, but I think I have a pretty tame flock.

 

[CindyK75]

Right now, 2 of my golden sex links have started laying just shy of 18 weeks, early for me from my last flock. I've had 2 Blue Stars (1 died recently) and they lay the most of all mine. My little ones just turned 18 weeks and all are sex links except one barred rock hen is also laying now. She is really friendly and I have one runt BSL named Sweet Pea -- a petite lap chicken & friendly, the others are kind of flighty. BSL haven't started laying yet.

 

[5Australorpasaures]

Our Blk Aus are coming on, 5 and 6 month olds. Even in these 90 degree 90% humidity days we are getting 4- 6 eggs a day from 8 hens and the egg size is increasing. They're friendly enough I guess, even the roo. They're just birds to me, my wife thinks they're special and should have names.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I find that breed is not a good indicator on how they are going to get along with each other. No matter what breed you mention you can find stories on this forum where a hen of that breed was an absolute brute toward other hens or where they got along great. You can find stories where a hen of any specific breed was the dominant hen in the flock or was at the bottom of the pecking order. ISA Browns are bred to be commercial hybrid egg layers and to get along well in the flock together, yet yours is a brute. Yours is a good example of why I don't consider breed to be that important. She has been bred to get along with other hens and yet she does not. Each chicken has its own personality, that personality is part of what makes them such great and fun pets for so many people, but each chicken can be different.

 

[aart]

I find that breed is not a good indicator on how they are going to get along with each other.

Ditto Dat^^^ x100!

Birds behaviors hinges on individuality.
Fighting in the flock might have more to do with the keepers management and/or space the birds have to exist within.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

I find that breed is not a good indicator on how they are going to get along with each other. No matter what breed you mention you can find stories on this forum where a hen of that breed was an absolute brute toward other hens or where they got along great. You can find stories where a hen of any specific breed was the dominant hen in the flock or was at the bottom of the pecking order. ISA Browns are bred to be commercial hybrid egg layers and to get along well in the flock together, yet yours is a brute. Yours is a good example of why I don't consider breed to be that important. She has been bred to get along with other hens and yet she does not. Each chicken has its own personality, that personality is part of what makes them such great and fun pets for so many people, but each chicken can be different.

and @Lainey-chick FWIW, I have SLW, and find them no be:

A) Slow to lay (over 7 mo before onset)
B) Infrequent to lay (maybe 4 eggs in 7 days)
C) Layers of not particularly large eggs (Medium size, pale color, hint of pink in some light)
D) NOT Docile - they are some of my most predator aware birds, and some of my best foragers

Behavior aside, I don't think they are likely to meet your other metrics

Can't speak to the other breeds, and I hav eexperience w/ just a handful of SLW, all from the same hatch, at the same hatchery - hardly a significant sample size.