Which breed for egg laying but also friendly

[harveyhorses]

I am still waiting for the first egg, but I love my Buff Orps.
I think if I didn't let them free range for a couple of hours every day they would be a lot heavier. What to do in winter?

 

[gettinaclue]

I just got my first egg yesterday from my son's Barred Rock at almost 18 weeks.

For friendliness...I love my Jersey giant, and she's the next that will be laying if her comb and wattles aren't lying to me lol. The (is about a week older than she is)

 

[Catstar68]

Quote:
is that a haiku?

 

[noodleroo]

Buff Orpingtons. Great with children, good egg production and mine are rediculously friendly. We also have black sex links that were rescued birds and tamed down within a week (eating from our hands and jumping in our laps for treats). They are GREAT layers.

 

[mordarlar]

Quote:
Well...they aren't the most consistent of egg layers, they eat too much...though they can be sweet.

I cull pretty aggressively for egg laying and my BOs didn't make it past the first year of production while the rest of the breeds of the same age are still going steady at age 3. When I processed them they were rolling in fat...could explain why they were not ovulating properly.

Hey Beekissed. This is a little off topic but i am wondering, could those things be related to their tendency to go broody?

 

[Tylt33]

I have:

Buff Orpingtons
Buff Brahmas
Dark Brahmas
Silver Laced Wyandottes
Gold Laced Wyandottes

That is the order from friendliest to least friendly. I have handled them daily since they were first hatched. The BOs swarm me when I'm outside gardening, and follow me around. I love them!

 

[Beekissed]

Quote:
Well...they aren't the most consistent of egg layers, they eat too much...though they can be sweet.

I cull pretty aggressively for egg laying and my BOs didn't make it past the first year of production while the rest of the breeds of the same age are still going steady at age 3. When I processed them they were rolling in fat...could explain why they were not ovulating properly.

Hey Beekissed. This is a little off topic but i am wondering, could those things be related to their tendency to go broody?

Could be...I never had one go broody in the year I kept mine. I did notice they were too docile and were squatting for the roos every time approached~as a result, they were the only birds in my flock with bare backs. I thought about it awhile and was thinking that maybe I should lose a roo...then I thought better about it and decided to eliminate the birds that were eating too much, not laying consistently and letting the roos have a ride every time they walked by!

Pretty birds but not right for a working flock like mine.

 

[booker81]

My Red Sex Links are ALWAYS the first to come racing to me, wanting treats, out to free range, check what I'm doing etc. Super inquisitive, not flighty, and very funny. Mine are 16 weeks, no one is laying yet, but they are supposed to be excellent layers. Same as what someone else said - you can almost always count on getting a girl if you want that.

 

[SmittenChicken]

Still no eggs for me yet, but I agree with the others that sex-links are a good bet since you'll know you're getting girls (I'm a first-time chicken owner this year, so I don't have a lot to base my opinions on).
I have Red Stars and Black Stars from McMurray (hand raised) and the Black Stars are definitely my noisiest, feistiest birds. They really don't seem to like me, and start screeching as soon as they hear me open the gate. At 18 weeks now they are pretty much impossible to catch - I'm hoping they'll warm up when they start laying. The Red Stars are pretty mellow but not particularly friendly either. My White Rocks and Speckled Sussex are the most consistently friendly, but I think it really depends on the individual bird and not always the breed.

You might consider getting a mixed flock, then you can find out what your personal favorites are (and it's easier to tell who's who!). I looked through this chart a lot when I was picking my breeds: https://www.backyardchickens.com/breeds/breed-chart.

You might also look at how they handle hot/cold temperatures depending on your location, so that you can be sure to get eggs all summer and winter. I think sex links are a really good bet for that also.

 

[mordarlar]

Quote:
Thanks for replying. : ) I was wondering because i working on planning out flock utility for future self sufficiency. We are still pretty new to keeping chickens. I was hoping to keep a few buff Orps for hatching out. I was hoping to have some layers close to the house and some good foragers, pastured with a few head of livestock, for additional parasite control. The buff orpingtons, i was hoping would serve as nanny chickens. Sorry to hear that none of yours went broody. : /