What's your favorite breed & why?

[Stefankeyes]

What's all your favortite chicken breeds and why? Mine has to be my cream legbar. Her socialness as well as all the funny little sounds she makes. She makes the funnest of whining/ moaning sounds I've ever heard come from a chicken. Like she's a grumpy girl! I keep trying to video her making her whining sounds but every time the camera is out she becomes silent lol
Here's a little (old) photo of her and her BF at the time. Will update soon

 

[Callender Girl]

Every new chicken breed I get is my favorite, at least for a while.

But, my all-time favorite is the Cochin. I have full-sized girls and Bantam Cochins -- more Cochins than any other chickens in my flocks. They are beautiful, extremely friendly and each has personality-plus.

I fell in love with Cochins the first time I met them. We were camping in Canada, near a farm. Every morning, a few Cochin girls would approach our tent where they loved to peer into our cooler and see what we were planning for breakfast.

The downside for me is that Cochins go broody so easily. It's been impossible to break Isabelle of her broodiness. But. unlike every other girl I've ever dealt with, she doesn't shriek at me or try to peck when I pick her up and move her. It's more like quiet resignation that she's being dislodged. She's always a sweet pile of honey-colored feathers!

 

[saysfaa]

Black australorp because they are easy. Easy being: low drama with other chickens, with people, with changes in the coop, and so on. And they are beautiful.

Brown leghorns because they are such a contrast. One is very much like the black australorps. The other very reactive. She does a lot of dashing about investigating anything new or, if there is nothing new, then anything that she might have overlooked. I expect she is a trial to the others. So far, they all seem to deal with it well enough but it does emphasize how much I like low drama. For a year or so, I've had half a mind to give her to my friends who have a massive pasture for their chickens. I enjoy her reactiveness but know it isn't the best fit for my setup. I don't want to send her alone and don't to send anyone else so she stays so far.

The breed is still a favorite because it is exactly what I would want if I could have the free ranging set up I would rather have.

 

[Sally PB]

My Australorps are nice, quiet, mostly calm girls. I also have one Orpington, and a Chantecler rooster. I have no idea if a mix will be great, okay, or less than ideal, but I think I'll find out next spring when I hatch eggs (Orpington goes broody).

But if I buy chicks for her instead, they will most likely be Australorps.

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

I love my naked neck turkens. I have lots of other breeds but these guys are consistently just good chickens. Good temperament, decent layers, healthy and get along with everyone. And they get bonus points for looks haha

 

[HollowOfWisps]

So far Maran, Orpington, Sussex and Welsummer have been my favorites for standard breeds. For bantams I absolutely adore my little Porcelain D'uccle and my red Cochin bantam. All my chickens are friendly, but those breeds have just stood out to me compared to the other breeds that I have had in the past and present.

 

[Jewelschick]

So far Maran, Orpington, Sussex and Welsummer have been my favorites for standard breeds. For bantams I absolutely adore my little Porcelain D'uccle and my red Cochin bantam. All my chickens are friendly, but those breeds have just stood out to me compared to the other breeds that I have had in the past and present.

I’m still fairly new to raising chickens. Only about 1 1/2 yrs in but I adored my 4 sapphire gems. Not a recognized breed I know but they had so much personality. Also they were my first flock so that made them extra special. The down side was they were rather dominant and very mean to the new pullets I introduced. Sadly they were killed by a predator in July. My 2 barred rocks were in a different coop and were unharmed so now they are my “big girls” even though they aren’t even a year old (the rest of my flock are still pullets). I adore them too and although they don’t have as big of personalities as the gems, they are absolute sweethearts. I’m very glad they’re my top gals as I have added several new pullets recently, they put them in their place but are not overly aggressive.

I’m still figuring out this forum. I meant to reply to the thread.

 

[3KillerBs]

I'm in the process of whittling down my flock to just my favorites.

#1 are my Blue Australorps. I got them by accident as a substitute for the Delawares I'd planned to buy when the farm store didn't get the Delawares they'd ordered. Keeping them over the past couple years I've decided that they exactly fit my mental concept of the word "chicken".

As I said in my thread, the fact that almost everything in their SOP is "medium" doesn't make them ordinary.

Instead, it makes them archetypical -- the model around which all other chickens vary.

They're calm, but not sluggish and active, but not flighty.

#2, for personality and laying capacity, are my California Whites. I don't think I'd want an entire flock of them making mischief, but you have to respect the only hen smart enough to fly back into a pen she flew out of. What's not to love about 65g white eggs 28 days out of 30 the first year and 5-6 days out of 7 the second year?

#3 are the French Cuckoo Marans. They're my lowest-drama flock members and I'm a sucker for feathered feet.

 

[kurby22]

I have to split mine between large fowl and bantams. I absolutely love my LF Ameraucanas. I have had roosters and pullets and they are all friendly, gorgeous, lay pretty blue eggs, the roosters are so sweet and nice, and every one I’ve owned will sit with me and watch football I have loved all the breeds I have (BCM marans, Orpingtons, Polish, Wyandottes, EEs, Salmon Faverolles and Russian Orloffs), but Ameraucanas are my top LF favorite.

As for bantams, I’d say 100% loved my porcelain d’Uccles. They actively searched me out for love and attention whenever I was outside and just full of personality. When I can—I plan to get more…I lost both of mine to worms The close second though are my bantam EEs that are 1/2 Ameraucana and 1/2 OEGB. They are the most wonderful personalities and also actively want to see me and be with me. I mean how do you NOT just love those little faces?!?