Your choices for docile bantam breeds??

[Eleanore]

I have never raised bantams, until now...my 17 one-week-old babies are doing fantastic!! The more I research bantams, the more I see that I want!!! What are your favorite breeds that are gentle/docile and beautiful at the same time?? Thanks for your input, I just love this forum

 

[N&MSchroeder]

Cochin pullets!

 

[RustyHen]

Cochins sweet, very intelligent, funny

 

[NottinghamChicks]

Quote:
By far, hands down, the female Quail d'Anvers is the absolute friendliest Bantam. Cochin Bantams are definately right up there also. I also really love my little Dutch roo. he is the tiniest sweetest boy ever!

 

[Oneacre Homestead]

Oh I am so glad... I have six bantam Cochins I am raising to be pets for my daughter. My first bantams and I wanted really docile ones...

 

[Blue]

My bantam Cochin hen is very sweet and docile. I used to have a bantam Cochin roo, however, who turned into a little ankle sneak attacker. I've always heard how nice and laid back cochins are, but my little rooster sure wasn't. I'm expecting some large breed cochins (straight run) soon, and hopefully, the roosters will be more in character with everything I'd read about them.

I think I'm actually more partial to Old English Game bantams, especially the Quail. The hen I used to have was the sweetest little bantam ever and would fly up on my shoulder when I went out to their coop, and she would squawk at me to give her treats. Unfortunately, she was taken by a predator while free-ranging early this spring, and chicken math being what it is, I now have 2 replacement chicks growing (which have turned out to be a female and a male, so I now have a Quail pair, so that I may be over-run with Quail OEGBs by this time next year!

). OEGB roosters are kind of hit or miss in the docile department; some are great; some are temperamental (like my current black-tailed red rooster), and some are just all-out mean, but I definitely vote for the hens for docile (and fun) breeds with which to work.

 

[Cetawin]

I love all my bantams they are all sweet docile birds. I have silkies, d'uccle and a pen of sweeties which is a Serama roo and 2 OEGB girls. Wonderful birds. I love my giant cochins and think the bantams would be just as great.

 

[DancingHen]

I have silkies, bantam cochins and d'uccles right now. All three breeds are very sweet and docile. But I think the sweetest of these are my d'uccles. They are very freindly, curious and seem to really enjoy being carried around and talked to. I also have bantam brahmas, and they hate it when I pick them up.

 

[Animalian]

out of my chooks when it comes to:
Being Gentle
- feeding out of your hand the RIR is the gentlest, the Faverolle the roughest.
- being caught the Faverolle and the D'uccle don't even try to run or flap, I just scoop them up easy.
- 'cuddliness' the Faverolle will sit on my lap for the longest

The RIR always runs up first but that could just be because she's the leader.

Being Docile
- the RIR is very bright so reacts to things but won't panic at the slightest movement.
- the Faverolle is rather dopey, so very calm, but it also makes me think she would've been eaten by now without the RIR to follow!
- the Plymouth Rock is bright, but when she does decide to run she REALLY panics and runs into walls or straight into the dog or something...
- The D'uccle will walk away, she tends to make more noise than movement if anything stresses her.

Appearances
D'uccle - cute beard and feathered feet, come in LOTS of colours and are small even for a bantam so good for kids
Faverolle - bearded, here we can only get the salmon colour (pretty!), feathered feet, skin looks grey/blue. Fluffiest butt!!
RIR - rich mahogany colour, very shiny, clean yellow legs
Plymouth Rock - quite a few colours (mines silver pencilled), clean yellow legs

Also the Faverolle and the Plymouth Rock are my best talkers, I have wonderful conversations with them every day

 

[EweSheep]

Faverolles and Orpingtons.