What breeds of chicks to get, and best way to raise them tame?

[Vermont Poultry]

I currently have 24 birds, looking forward to getting more chicks. Since I live in a considerably cold climate, what are some breeds I should look into, I am looking for some broody breeds, overall friendly, good egg layers, not too shy (although I don't mind having some shy birds), and are winter hardy. I already have RIR's, GLW's, Golden Comets, and Barred Rocks.

My favorite breed out of all of them is probably the Barred Rock or Golden Comet. I will likely be getting more of these breeds, but I would also like to know what are some of your favorite breeds that roughly meet my criteria (must be winter hardy, would be cruel to get a bird that isn't)

Part two of this post is what is the best way to raise chicks, I have raised chicks before but they were not very tame through the process of maturation (they are quite tame now, and will even roost on my arms). I want them to be tame enough to were they feel comfortable around humans and can be picked up. Is the answer as simple as just spend time with them, my last batch I did not spend a whole lot of time with them because I was raising a bunch of separate meat birds at the same time.

Will chicks raised by a broody be wild and scared of humans, or just as tame as the mother? I like the idea of natural reproduction with minimal human intervention, but I would rather not raise completely wild animals, which makes health check ups and other contact difficult. Anyways thanks for any answers you can provide me.

(If you have any beginners tips for raising other poultry and what is most productive, quail, turkey, ducks, etc. I would love to hear what you have to say as I would like to experiment with new species this year.)

 

[The Golden Egg5]

I think a good breed for you would be the Orpington. They are beautiful birds that are generally very gentle and good tempered. They are also good layers of brown eggs and are also dual purpose. The best way to raise good tempered chicks is to spend time with them and teach them that you are not a threat by giving them treats and moving slowly and calmly around them. I have no experience in raising chicks from broody mothers, so I would be no help there. Sorry for not having many answers and have fun with your chicks!!

 

[LittlePip21]

Personally, i love wellsumers. never had any health problems with them, and they lay the most gorgeous speckled brown eggs.
i have two, and they seem very friendly, especially when i spend a lot of time with them. one will even come up to me when i sit in my lawn chair and wait to be placed on my lap. mine seem to do okay in the cold, I'm sure they will be fine if you can have golden comets. mine are around 4 and one is still laying this winter.

about taming chickens, i find that if you handle them a lot, the are very friendly as chicks, then they go through kind of a bratty teenage stage, then when they are older they become tame again. does anyone else have this?

 

[Heron's Nest Farm]

Quote:
I have to agree! I breed Orpingtons and LOVE them! My favorite color is the Chocolate Orpington. I find they are the sweetest, most doicile birds. On top of it they go broody almost every spring so you can hatch! Also, they are heavy featheredso they are great for cold weather. I also love teh Wyandotte. Someone above mentioned the Welsummer and I only have had one. She was wonderful! Gorgeous bird, good forager, and she went broody once raising her chicks to an appropriate age. If you want your birds tame then spend time handleing them a couple times a day. Also, sit with them and let them eat from your hand. When you head out to feed them while they are young only give food from your hand for the first five minutes, then feed them. Good luck!

 

[Vermont Poultry]

Personally, i love wellsumers. never had any health problems with them, and they lay the most gorgeous speckled brown eggs.
i have two, and they seem very friendly, especially when i spend a lot of time with them. one will even come up to me when i sit in my lawn chair and wait to be placed on my lap. mine seem to do okay in the cold, I'm sure they will be fine if you can have golden comets. mine are around 4 and one is still laying this winter.

about taming chickens, i find that if you handle them a lot, the are very friendly as chicks, then they go through kind of a bratty teenage stage, then when they are older they become tame again. does anyone else have this?

Mine went through a stage were they didn't want to be near me, they would run all around and act as wild as guinea fowl. But once they got close to laying eggs they calmed down by about 200%

 

[Vermont Poultry]

Thanks for the answers guys. I have shyed away from Wellsummers because I was told they are a bit of a handful and are quite wild/standoffish.

 

[lazy gardener]

I am in gardening zone 4.5. Breeding my flock to have small combs and produce colorful eggs. I shy away from feather footed birds. Have you checked Henderson's chicken breeds chart? Good place to help you with your goal setting. You might consider Easter Eggers or Ameraucana's. I LOVE Dominiques. They have been among my favorite birds. Beautiful feathering, though not as crisp as the PBR. Nice rose comb, very friendly birds, decent layers, and rep. for going broody, though not overly so. If you want friendly, these birds are a must have. If you are breeding your own birds, almost any non white roo over a barred hen will give you sex linked chicks. Check out the Sex linked information thread.

As for raising chicks, heating pad cave is the best way to brood your chicks. No more heat lamp here, unless I find myself brooding more than 40 chicks at a time. I am also an advocate for fermented feed, and starting chicks off with a plug of sod from your yard during the first 2 weeks to boost their gut flora and immune systems. Check out the articles at the bottom of my signature line.

 

[LadyVictorian]

I was looking for these two requirements myself and what I came down to were these guys here who are cold hardy and friendly. Some breeds go broody fairly often though.

Oprington
Cochin
Bramah
Astraulorp
Wyandotte
Welsummer
Silkie

So far have only owned the silkies...I mean lap chickens and they are super friendly. I have handled them every day since they were home and feed them from my hand to keep them friendly. I brooded them inside the house so they got very use to people being around them and aside from obvious startling events don't run when you go to pick them up unless you count running towards you as running. xD They also love to get into your face.