What is your friendliest Chicken? What breed is it?

[Peeps61]

You're so fortunate that one went broody! That's amazing!

I LOVE my SSH's. They were the first flock we ever had and, yes, they are all very flighty (All 15 of the original flock purchased as day old chicks from Murray McMurray Hatchery, 14 girls and a boy). But... the two that we hatched from them (the broody was a Dark Cornish hen) are much less flighty, one pullet and one cockerel, although still more flighty than our other breeds. We handled them all extensively from the very beginning and they will eat out of my hand and will let me handle them in a confined setting, even getting onto my lap if they are in the mood, but trying to catch them when they are free-ranging is an exercise in futility. Lol! I love the way they look and act, so spirited and quite aloof, but they all come running when they know I have treats.

The original rooster that fathered the two younger SSH was quite aggressive to humans, but the cockerel that came from him is the best guy we have on the place out of the four roos we have. He is on top of everything, going from coop to coop to make sure everything is okay. He's very intelligent, even taking a dozen girls from the original coop and getting them to move into another coop with him with no help from me, I just let him do it because I was so impressed with him. I was totally amazed at how in charge he is. He helps the pullets find a place to lay, he's so gentle with them and takes them to food, very protective of them without being aggressive with us. Best guy we've ever had here. Watches over the place like a watch dog. I could go on and on about how great the SSH breed is, they have impressed me so much. Here are a few of the original flock that we have here.

I have a link in the "Chicken behaviors and egglaying" forum: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/1121761/my-first-unintentional-hatch . This has some pictures of my SSH and her chicks if you are interested in seeing them.

 

[chicksurreal]

I have a link in the "Chicken behaviors and egglaying" forum: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/1121761/my-first-unintentional-hatch . This has some pictures of my SSH and her chicks if you are interested in seeing them.

Thanks! She's beautiful, and the chicks are so cute (of course).

I'm so glad to know that there are Hamburgs out there that will go the full term as broodys. I have one that went a couple of days and then said forget it!

 

[Peeps61]

She stubbornly sat on the nest for the full 21 days or so. She did abandon the nest with the four chicks the day after I noticed them peeking out of her feathers, and she left 4 eggs unhatched. I had another broody, a large cochin, that managed to hatch one white leghorn/polish cross egg out, but she smothered the chick unintentionally. So sad, but it does happen sometimes. Now that the two chicks that survived from this hatch have matured and have turned out to be roosters, perhaps we can try hatching again in the spring!

 

[chicksurreal]

She stubbornly sat on the nest for the full 21 days or so. She did abandon the nest with the four chicks the day after I noticed them peeking out of her feathers, and she left 4 eggs unhatched. I had another broody, a large cochin, that managed to hatch one white leghorn/polish cross egg out, but she smothered the chick unintentionally. So sad, but it does happen sometimes. Now that the two chicks that survived from this hatch have matured and have turned out to be roosters, perhaps we can try hatching again in the spring!

SSH's are usually not that patient, Lol.

It's always a gamble, especially with first time broodies, I had one broody who intentionally killed her chicks as they hatched, I only saved one, needless to say I never let her hatch again. You never know how it will turn out, but I love broody hens. They take on all the work and it usually works out very well.

I have a Dark Cornish girl named Nessie who consistently goes broody twice a year and is a fierce momma hen. She has fought off a bullsnake that went after her eggs (she actually got bit on the head by that snake but ran him off anyway), a squirrel and many other hens who wanted to come into her domain. She's small for a DC, but she makes up for it with her attitude, I always let her have eggs when she's broody. She usually hatches one clutch in Spring, gets them integrated into the flock and wants to go again. Chickens are amazing.

 

[Peeps61]

I agree! I'm hoping one will do it again in the spring. The only thing I don't like is the fact that at least half of them will be roosters! I've got one more than I actually need right now

. I noticed my hens up on the fence the other day. They were roosting up there to avoid the "teenage" roosters stalking on the ground below them. Smart girls!

 

[chicksurreal]

I agree! I'm hoping one will do it again in the spring. The only thing I don't like is the fact that at least half of them will be roosters! I've got one more than I actually need right now

. I noticed my hens up on the fence the other day. They were roosting up there to avoid the "teenage" roosters stalking on the ground below them. Smart girls!

Very smart!

I felt very fortunate that out of the 15 chicks we hatched last year only 3 of them were cockerels. We have over 40 hens, so that was okay, plus they all free range during the day so the girls can do their own thing for a good part of the day. The guys do try to keep them together, but if a girl needs some alone time, she knows how to get it. Chicken life is so amazing and interesting to me, I would just hang out with them all day if I could. Some days I do. Lol!

 

[Kathleen357]

I love my ISA Brown named Bunting she acts shy but loves to be held

 

[sd38-2]

I have 4 ISA browns, 3 are great girls and one is a pain in the butt. My best girl is named rose she loves to be held and love being around my wife and i.

 

[mich9510]

My most friendly chicken is my little black araucana. My son named her Rumpless (not my favorite name). She is rumpless but not tufted. Follows the people around the yard and seems to love being held. She's my lowest in the pecking order but my favorite. She's about 15 weeks old and I'm excited for some pretty blue eggs in a few months.

 

[Kathleen357]

One my ISA Browns is a pain in the butt too!! She sits on her eggs and wont let me get them. I have to get them though because if I dont they will freeze. I spent fifteen minutes trying to get one egg she was sitting on, I finally did but most of my finger were bleeding.