Which types of chickens should we get? Breed Recs

[Chickgal22]

So here's the scoop of our future coop. Here's our needs:
-nice with tiny toddlers (2 different breeds min)
-do okay in the heat
-good at egg laying (2 chickens min)
-a colorful egg layer (1 chicken min)
-on the quiet side please!!!!
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We want 5 or 6 chickens in southern Texas.
My husband really wants a Silkie and an Ameracauna (sorry if I spelled it wrong!). Which is totally dandy and all, I'm considering Australorps and maybe some Buff Orpingtons as well in that grouping. What do y'all think?! But I would also like chickens that work as a team with minimal blood shed and I am trying to avoid birds that can be big bullies toward other chickens or get angry at my tiny toddlers! Thank you!!!!

 

[Pghelp]

I've found most of the Easter Eggers and Americauna mutts are rather agreeable and not much for squabbling with others. If I knew a few years ago what I know now, I wouldn't get RIR, Leghorns, or Barred Rocks. Too much jockeying for power. I have a mix of different breeds and I've learned a lot from raising an assortment from chicks. I'm fairly happy with the mix now but when the time comes for new ones I'm going to want to try Marans and Easter Eggers. Full disclosure, that said my favorite girls are my Silver Lakenvelder bantam (reliable layer of small eggs and loves to fly!) and my Orpington (who didn't start laying until 40 weeks and is the least aggressive if all even though she's huge!). What a motley crew!

 

[LateBirdFarms]

Easter Eggers are a beautiful breed for all of those things listed, and they come in as many varieties of feather colour and patterns as they lay! Silkies are wonderfully docile, but can be fragile in little hands, so do be wary. Volume is something you can't exactly count on, that comes down to individual birds and their personalities. Even the so called quiet breeds have their loud mouths! And then there's the egg song...

 

[Chickgal22]

Easter Eggers are a beautiful breed for all of those things listed, and they come in as many varieties of feather colour and patterns as they lay! Silkies are wonderfully docile, but can be fragile in little hands, so do be wary. Volume is something you can't exactly count on, that comes down to individual birds and their personalities. Even the so called quiet breeds have their loud mouths! And then there's the egg song...

Omg love this hahaha

 

[Chickgal22]

I've found most of the Easter Eggers and Americauna mutts are rather agreeable and not much for squabbling with others. If I knew a few years ago what I know now, I wouldn't get RIR, Leghorns, or Barred Rocks. Too much jockeying for power. I have a mix of different breeds and I've learned a lot from raising an assortment from chicks. I'm fairly happy with the mix now but when the time comes for new ones I'm going to want to try Marans and Easter Eggers. Full disclosure, that said my favorite girls are my Silver Lakenvelder bantam (reliable layer of small eggs and loves to fly!) and my Orpington (who didn't start laying until 40 weeks and is the least aggressive if all even though she's huge!). What a motley crew!

This is wonderful thank you so much

 

[HawaiiCoyote]

Orpington breeds are wonderful with toddlers but they are not bred for cranking out eggs so there's that to consider. Blackstar sex links are cuddle bugs and they will lay
you an egg daily in my experience. My easter egger LOVES hugs, so much that sometimes she pecks me to get my attention ( possibly a little to sassy for toddlers.)
Astralorps are great chickens but they will go broody multiple times each year so steer clear from orpingtons and Astralorps if you don't want broody hens. All of them are pretty heat resilient. If you do get an Ameraucana, make sure it is from a breeder and not a hatchery, as most hatchery Ameraucanas have poor genetics ( I just learned this.) Hope this helps!

 

[Pghelp]

This is wonderful thank you so much

Everyone develops their own preferences, I think. One of the delights of having multiple breeds is being able to track who is laying and how often. And there is always a special thrill in seeing one of the blue eggs!

 

[Chickgal22]

Orpington breeds are wonderful with toddlers but they are not bred for cranking out eggs so there's that to consider. Blackstar sex links are cuddle bugs and they will lay
you an egg daily in my experience. My easter egger LOVES hugs, so much that sometimes she pecks me to get my attention ( possibly a little to sassy for toddlers.)
Astralorps are great chickens but they will go broody multiple times each year so steer clear from orpingtons and Astralorps if you don't want broody hens. All of them are pretty heat resilient. If you do get an Ameraucana, make sure it is from a breeder and not a hatchery, as most hatchery Ameraucanas have poor genetics ( I just learned this.) Hope this helps!

We're okay with a little bit of Broodiness! And we're getting our chicks from a breeder!

 

[Cattle dog Mom]

Zero personal experience, but I have read over and over that many people have problems with silkies and "regular" chickens being together. (Silkies can be bullied/beaten up and they can't see well enough to get out of the way.)

 

[LateBirdFarms]

Oh, Lord, some of the sounds that come out of my girls... I had to rehome a favorite Isbar since she had a habit of letting out an alarm call for everything.. I mean, she let us know when the wind blew, the squirrels were out, even when every leaf fell into or near the run! Her sisters are beautifully silent though, amazingly enough. I'd absolutely suggest a brahma for a toddler cuddler if you weren't in real Texas heat! I've never seen a more tolerant chicken in my life than the fair brahmas the younger 4H kids show, they haul them around like teddies! There are so many varieties that you'll have a fantastic time with whichever you choose. My best lap chicken is actually a golden comet, so there's no saying for certain who's going to have the winning personality you'll be looking for and you might just be surprised in the end.