Which of these breeds would you recommend?

[Grandma The Chicken]

Barred rock 100%. They are sweet chickens.
Not in Tony's case, though.

 

[Liz Birdlover]

So is mine! Any accessories i have like a hair tie on my arm, a watch, anything, she gets very mad and starts ripping it off my arm and holding on kicking her feet in the air a bunch of times (like how roosters fight)

If my hair is in a ponytail they'll all try to jump up on my shoulder to get that band! No matter what color band, too. They don't hurt me, it's just hilarious & forces me to take a laugh break in the middle of scooping poop under night perch. Wearing a hood confused them for about a minute...then jumping on top of the hood became the new game. Which of course promptly fell off, so now it was a teamwork game...chicken 1 grabs hood then chicken 2 grabs ponytail! Other remaining hens chase chicken 2 for the coveted ponytail band & Rooster wants to snuggle on my lap. They make me laugh every day.

 

[Liz Birdlover]

I've had a few breeds, all have been sweet with me, or anyone that is around often, but none of them are friendly towards strangers.
All will eat gently from my hand & enjoy gardening with me. All lay eggs, most daily, but as they get older, over 3 to 5 years old, they may lay less often.

Egg colors vary among breeds.


As far as wanting to be pet or hugged, some seem to love it while others just tolerate it.
My snuggle types are...

Australorp - light to medium brown eggs


Brahma - medium shade brown eggs


Buff Orpington - light shade brown eggs


Comet - brown eggs


ISA Brown - brown eggs


Easter Egger (they're Ameracauna mix) blue or green eggs


Copper Maran - deep, dark brown eggs


Red Star - medium brown eggs


The ones that will tolerate me handling them (gotta look all birds over at least weekly to check them over, health check, mites, bumblefoot, etc.) are...

Barred Rock - brown eggs


Rhode Island Red - brown eggs


Wyandotte - pale cream color eggs


I have Roosters, too, & they are wonderful, love their crows, gorgeous feathers, how they dote on & protect their hens. I have lucked out with awesome Roos. Each has a unique personality. My Buff Orpington Roo actually says a loud, drawn out "Wowwwww" whenever he sees a hawk zooming around. I want to record it so bad!

The ISA, Comets & Barred Rocks are fearless foragers, I've had to herd them back closer to me & coop, they like to wander & investigate a Grove of trees...neighbor's lot & where hawks hang out.

My RIRs are the most flighty, but they sure love flying insects & catch & eat them mid air, so I guess being flighty has it's advantages. 2nd flighty are the Australorps & Marans, but all of them will come running when I call to them. I had extra EE & Wyandotte Roos, so the Marans & Australorps have a sweet EE Roo, & the RIRs have a calm, big chunky Wyandotte Roo, it works out well. Buff Roo has the Buff Orpingtons, Comets & ISAs, Orps are calmer & it mostly works except when free ranging, all Buff Orps & Brahma stick together but those ornery Comets & ISAs are both fearless & friendly so I gotta keep an eye on them. So far no hawk catastrophes but they only free range while I'm out there with them.

The only ones that died young were the Red Stars, they were a gift & they were 4 years old when they passed on. I didn't know about the shorter life span, was still fairly new to chickens, so it was very upsetting to lose them at what I thought was a very young age. They just one day acted lethargic, stopped laying, I brought them into the house & enticed them to eat, offering live meal worms, watermelon, etc., but both passed on within 3 weeks. They were very sweet hens, congenial even if another chicken tried to bully or instigate, they'd ignore the bully & just keep preening or doing whatever they were doing, very calm personalities. They refused to engage in petty squabbles, yet no one really messed with them either, never a mark on them, fluffy, huggable, chunky girls they were.

I haven't gotten Speckled Sussex or Polish...yet. I do love the huggable, chunkiness of Brahmas & Wyandottes, they make excellent broody mama's, too.

Everyone else is still goin strong, a mixed age range, but my originals are 7 & 8 years old, laying less, but that's OK with me. They're pets with the egg benefit, not a requirement. They bring me so much joy can't put a price on that.

 

[HenriettaPizzaNolan]

The Comets and ISAs are excellent layers and have nice personalities, but I would only recommend them if you plan to cull them around their second year. Because they are bred to lay daily, it really takes a toll on their reproductive system and the rest of their body. In my experience, my Comets SERIOUSLY suffered from some sort of reproductive issues eventually and I culled them just because I didn't feel it was humane to let them suffer. I did not know any of this before getting the Comets. They really are great personality-wise, but it's only humane to cull them. Chickens are tough and don't show pain until something really bothers them. So they likely suffer from reproductive issues and pain way before we can realize it.


I've never had Leghorns, but I've heard their personalities aren't the best. Great layers though. I LOVE my Barred Rock. She's hilarious! She's quite bossy and also "complains" to me a lot by making this "bwaaaaaaa" noise like she's warning me she's gonna do something bad if I don't give her a snack ASAP lol. She also likes to peer in at me from the back step when I'm inside, hopeful for a treat. I think Barred Rocks are generally spunky like this, from what I've heard. They aren't known for being super sweet and cuddley (but they can be), but they are a great flock addition because they are friendly, have big personalities, and are solid layers. Mine is not aggressive at all. She can sometimes boss the other chickens around a bit and puts the pullets in their place, but she's never excessively rough. Just a good chicken all around. I think she is over 3 years old (idk age because I adopted her from a rescue farm) and she still gives me 4-5 eggs a week.

The one and only, Big Rhonda.

 

[Chicken poppy]

If my hair is in a ponytail they'll all try to jump up on my shoulder to get that band! No matter what color band, too. They don't hurt me, it's just hilarious & forces me to take a laugh break in the middle of scooping poop under night perch. Wearing a hood confused them for about a minute...then jumping on top of the hood became the new game. Which of course promptly fell off, so now it was a teamwork game...chicken 1 grabs hood then chicken 2 grabs ponytail! Other remaining hens chase chicken 2 for the coveted ponytail band & Rooster wants to snuggle on my lap. They make me laugh every day.

They‘re something else for sure!

 

[ShrekDawg]

Did you decide yet? I LOVED my Barred Rock and Leghorn. My Leghorn wasn’t flighty either. She was very friendly and personable. The BR was too. Also both were great layers.

 

[Cierrascoop]

I will say my RIR is my head hen, she's the oldest. And don't put up with my roosters efforts lol but she does get along well with my hens and loves to chat lol. Probably my chattiest girl

 

[pickaflower]

We have had great luck with our Barred Rock- she is such a sweet lady!! Out of the ones you have listed, I think Barred Rock is the way to go!

 

[ChicFil- A]

We are considering adding a couple of more chickens to our flock and are considering breeds that are consistent and great layers (good personality is a bonus). These are the ones we are considering:
-Barred Rock
-White Leghorn
-Isa Brown
-Golden Comet

Which would you recommend?

They would be joining a Rhode Island Red, Buff Orpington, Light Brahma, Wyandotte, Speckled Sussex & Black Australorp.

Good Evening,
Last spring i decided to add some new chicks to my aging flock, as soon they will be 5 years old and will slow on egg production, after reading other posts and some extra information I decided on ISA Red and Barred rock… I’m so impressed with the ISA hens they are prolific layers one hen laid 2 eggs in one day! and their temperament is docile i’m very pleased and recommend ISA.

 

[Missys Chicken Ranch]

Out of the breeds listed I only have experience with Barred Rocks. Mine are good layers and they have great personalities. The leader is sassy though lol.