Which is the friendliest?

[2by2]

Im new to chickens and Ive narrowed it down to a couple different breeds that Im interested in. Above all I want a friendly and docile breed, but I do have some general requirements...

My requirements in general: able to free range/forage, dont mind being confined in winter, hardy and able to withstand north eastern US winters, and friendly with other breeds and water fowl

These are some of the breeds that seem to fit my requirments and have claims to be friendly/docile, any and all opinions welcome!

Light/Dark Brahmas, White/Buff Orpingtons, Plymouth barred rocks, Silver Laced Wyandottes

 

[Sandbellie]

Orpringtons are great birds. They are very friendly and docile. They are also very winter-hardy.
Cochins are alike in personality also, so you may like them too.

Brahmas are also another great bird. They are adaptable to confinement or free range.

My neighbor has a bunch of Barred's, and they are just the sweetest.

I don't know much about Wyandottes, but people say they are very good birds.

Nice choices!

 

[Sandbellie]

Check out this breed chart. It gives you a TON of info.

http://www.ithaca.edu/staff/jhenderson/chooks/chooks.html

 

[gordonburrito]

Orpingtons are docile but you might have a problem with them in a mixed flock. Our orpington was so docile she would get constantly beat up by the rest of the girls. Those "bully chickens" all got along with each other but the orpington's "milk toast" personality seemed to make her a magnet for beatdown. Plus they're big birds which may or may not be a problem for you. We have a smallish coop, so when we bought our second batch of chicks we decided not to get orpingtons again.

I've also had very bad luck with silver laced wyandottes. The information I've read all said they were docile. I found that that was true to some extent but they were a notch more aggressive than the rest of our flock. I've also read a lot of threads where their egg production were described as good but not on the same level as say a Black Australorp or a Barred Rock. Having said that we went with all high egg production breeds and we have far more eggs than we need.

Of the breeds you've mentioned I like the rocks the best. I find them to be very people friendly and not so milk toast that they take abuse from members of their flock. They are also good egg layers. I've never had a Brahma but I've head great things about them but they may be a bit big for our flock.....I'd still like to try one at some point.

 

[jerseygirl1]

My vote - barred rocks
My buff orps, run the other way screaming when they see me coming

 

[cabincrazyone]

Quote:
I'm a newbie also, so I'll be interested in this thread. I'm in a city in NE Minnesota and can have only 5 hens. My needs are dual purpose, good layers, not broody, cold hardy, and friendly with folks and other breeds. Best fits in my order of preference is RIR, Barred Rock, Ameraucanas or EEs (mostly for the blue eggs), and orpingtons. My choice is looking like 2 RIR, 2BR, and 2 EEs (2+2+2=5).

I'm planning on ordering them from the local feed store which means an order of all pullets will be 4 roos and 2 pullets. lol. Therefore I'm intrigued by the thought of getting 6 black sex links instead. What I want to know is how friendly are they? I've seen positive and negative remarks about that.

 

[Long Last Farm]

I know they are not an actual breed, but my EE's are the friendliest, hardiest, best free rangers, most curious and very adaptable of my birds--I have BLRW's, cuckoo marans, New Hampshires, and wellies. The only birds i would not get again are the BLRW's--their personalities are good, but they are not consistent egg layer( at least mine are not). Plus, they are larger and eat more! My EE's have been laying virtually every day, even in the cold. Plus, they are funny--comical! And I get an assortment of egg colors from the EE's ---green, bluish, olive, and even pink!

 

[rcentner]

I dont have any orpingtons

My barred rocks are cool...they dont really like the cold and stay inside more than the other birds (but my white rocks go out no matter how cold/snowy). They are a little more assertive than my other birds too. My BR roo is very kind and puts up with 3 other roos (and unfortunatly 5 cockerals right now).

I really love my BLR wyandottes..they dont mind the cold/snow, never have to worry about frostbite on the combs (but the roos waddles are big). I really can't say if the silver laced have the same temperment. my wyandotte hen has gone broody and was a good mama.

my BR's have never gone broody although I thought they would.

my brahma's are very cold hardy and just as assertive as the BR's if not more, I dont have a roo in this breed. they will be out with the white rocks everyday irregardless of the temps

If I had to pick...(besides orp's)
1) BR's
2) Wyandotte (#2 cause the BR's lay more and dont go broody)
3) Brahma (seem to be a little fiesty in comparison)

 

[obaan1]

I have all of the breeds that you are considering plus the Easter Eggers, black sex-linked (and more). If you are going to have a small flock, get one or two of each. This will enable you to tell them apart easily and you can see how their different personalites mesh with yours. If this turns into a life long hobby, you'll be able to make informed decisions of what else to add or subtract from the flock based on living with them. No guarantees that this won't be truly addicting. You can't go wrong with any of your choices. They all lay beautiful eggs, play well with each other, and can handle your climate zone. Enjoy each stage of their growth and you'll do well.

 

[Carrie Lynn]

Speckled Sussex