What breeds??

[FathertoFeathers]

Im thinking about getting some chickens to go with my 6 ducks. What breeds are great at laying? What breeds are usually fairly docile? What breeds are usually quiet? What are your favorite breeds and why? Thanks for your help and good luck to you and your flock!

 

[KZN Chicken farmer]

Brahmas and Australops

 

[gunslinger33]

Bielefelder checks all those boxes. They are by far the friendliest breed I have. They lay the largest eggs of my breeds and lay consistently.

My Orps are friendly and consistent layers but much smaller eggs than my Biels.

My Brahmas lay a medium egg and are also friendly. Their negative is the poopy feather feet.

My SLW is available free of charge because she is unapproachable. She is very skittish.

My Partridge Rock is a nice bird. She is medium sized and very quiet. She hasn’t started to lay yet so I don’t have any input on egg size or volume.

My OE (Marans / EE cross) is a solid bird. Good layer and quiet. She gets along with everyone. Not overly flighty.


Most of our birds are easy to walk up and pick up except for the SLW.

I would also look into Jersey Giants. I have heard good things about them.

We have 3 roosters 2 Orp and a Biel. They all three are easy to pick up and non aggressive The Biel is the most approachable. One of my Orps will try to bluff so you will move out of his way but it never works with me. In general I would keep all of our breeds except of my Wyandotte.

 

[GuineaFowling]

Each bird is unique and how friendly they’ll be depends on how you’ve handled them as chicks. My current flock is all very friendly save for one bird who is skittish (she wasn’t handled as often as a chick). My favorites are Marans, ameraucana, olive eggers, and lavender Orpingtons.
My Orpington is the quietest and barely makes a sound even while during her egg call. The others aren’t as noisy as leghorns and faverolles (constant screaming over best boxes and egg laying) I’ve had in the past but they’re not as quiet as my orp.

 

[PirateGirl]

When you say "go with" your ducks, do you plan on housing them together? I would not expect the chickens and ducks to bond with each other and form a flock. They may or may not ever tolerate each other and be able to live together in the same enclosure. If you have a drake, he could pose a serious physical threat to your chickens in breeding season.

I agree in that my Bielefelder is by far the friendliest of my assorted chickens, lays the largest eggs the most consistently, also she is the only one willing to stand up to the ducks when needed. She is also possibly my largest chicken.

Larger breeds of chickens will be less likely to be harmed by a bully duck and better able to defend themselves.

 

[Evelyn Walker]

I love New Hampshires or Production/Rhode Island Reds. Lots of huge eggs, and a friendly bird to match. My girls are usually quiet, unless they just laid an egg. Not sure how they'd be with ducks, though.