Your opinion Best Backyard chicken breeds? free range, friendly, docile, good egg layers and color

[auntsuzie1946]

Hi,
I'm new to raising chickens, and I've just recently hatched some barred plymouth rocks!
However I want to have a few different breeds to have egg color variety (Cream, blue, brown, green etc.).
They'll be living in my back yard, free ranging and would ideally like them to be super friendly, docile (not pick fights and peck one another) and good egg layers.

Are they're any breeds you could recommend? Could you recommend a few ones that work well together and also have different egg coloring?
For example a brown layer, a dark chocolate layer, a blue layer, a green layer, a white layer etc?

Are they're any breeds you wouldn't recommend for a beginner and someone living in a mild cold climate (the UK)?

Many thanks,
I really appreciate any help and advice!
Connie

I love my Wellsummers. Good layers and very friendly and smart!

 

[slawluv]

Hi,
I'm new to raising chickens, and I've just recently hatched some barred plymouth rocks!
However I want to have a few different breeds to have egg color variety (Cream, blue, brown, green etc.).
They'll be living in my back yard, free ranging and would ideally like them to be super friendly, docile (not pick fights and peck one another) and good egg layers.

Are they're any breeds you could recommend? Could you recommend a few ones that work well together and also have different egg coloring?
For example a brown layer, a dark chocolate layer, a blue layer, a green layer, a white layer etc?

Are they're any breeds you wouldn't recommend for a beginner and someone living in a mild cold climate (the UK)?

Many thanks,
I really appreciate any help and advice!
Connie

Hi, I have a had a lot of different breeds and by far my most reliable egg layer is a 7.5 year old americauna (blue-green). She is friendly and talks as much as the other girls. I also have a cuckoo maran (brown) who is very reliable. I've found that leghorns( white) are also very reliable. My girls all have the run of the yard and sleep in the shed. Good luck on your new adventure!

 

[kathy r]

Hi,
I'm new to raising chickens, and I've just recently hatched some barred plymouth rocks!
However I want to have a few different breeds to have egg color variety (Cream, blue, brown, green etc.).
They'll be living in my back yard, free ranging and would ideally like them to be super friendly, docile (not pick fights and peck one another) and good egg layers.

Are they're any breeds you could recommend? Could you recommend a few ones that work well together and also have different egg coloring?
For example a brown layer, a dark chocolate layer, a blue layer, a green layer, a white layer etc?

Are they're any breeds you wouldn't recommend for a beginner and someone living in a mild cold climate (the UK)?

Many thanks,
I really appreciate any help and advice!
Connie

I have have 9 chickens and 8 different breeds. I LOVE my Salmon Favorelle. She is a sweet and friendly bird that lays small cream eggs. I also like my Araucana. She lays beautiful blue green eggs and lays more now than she did when she was young (She’s 3 now). She is a bit aloof, not as nice as my SF or my Buff Orpington. My Black Australorpe is a very friendly good layer who lays large deep brown eggs and my speckled Sussex lays light brown eggs and is very sweet. I go for temperament in my flock first. They all get along well and are easy to handle.

 

[bsb2325]

Hi,
I'm new to raising chickens, and I've just recently hatched some barred plymouth rocks!
However I want to have a few different breeds to have egg color variety (Cream, blue, brown, green etc.).
They'll be living in my back yard, free ranging and would ideally like them to be super friendly, docile (not pick fights and peck one another) and good egg layers.

Are they're any breeds you could recommend? Could you recommend a few ones that work well together and also have different egg coloring?
For example a brown layer, a dark chocolate layer, a blue layer, a green layer, a white layer etc?

Are they're any breeds you wouldn't recommend for a beginner and someone living in a mild cold climate (the UK)?

Many thanks,
I really appreciate any help and advice!
Connie

If your free ranging your chickens I would suggest you try adding some jungle fowl. https://chickens.fandom.com/wiki/Red_jungle_fowl
They are sold in straight runs so your zoning must allow for roosters but the roosters protect the flock. They are also great foragers, eating not much commercial feed and good for tick control. Also they do breed pretty easily so your flock can keep going.

 

[cmom]

My Leghorns and my Rhode Island Whites are my best layers, but all of my birds are good layers.

 

[Chkntender]

Hi,
I'm new to raising chickens, and I've just recently hatched some barred plymouth rocks!
However I want to have a few different breeds to have egg color variety (Cream, blue, brown, green etc.).
They'll be living in my back yard, free ranging and would ideally like them to be super friendly, docile (not pick fights and peck one another) and good egg layers.

Are they're any breeds you could recommend? Could you recommend a few ones that work well together and also have different egg coloring?
For example a brown layer, a dark chocolate layer, a blue layer, a green layer, a white layer etc?

Are they're any breeds you wouldn't recommend for a beginner and someone living in a mild cold climate (the UK)?

Many thanks,
I really appreciate any help and advice!
Connie

I have 7 different chickens, all different breeds. I free range mine in our back yard, and so far no instances of danger (they did get in the carport roof for a bit, but we fenced it off). I love my speckled Sussex, she’s my friendliest and the top of the pecking order. My buff Orpington, New Hampshire red and Easter Egger are also all friendly. I also have a barred Plymouth Rock, a gold laced Wyandotte and a white crested polish. Good layers, but all a bit skiddish. But all together a good mix and great layers. There are several other breeds I would like to try in the future, so just do some research and find a few fun breeds! I love my chickens, I had no idea what fun they could be!

 

[connieconnie]

I love my Wellsummers. Good layers and very friendly and smart!

Just looked them up and their feathering is gorgeous!

 

[connieconnie]

Hi, I have a had a lot of different breeds and by far my most reliable egg layer is a 7.5 year old americauna (blue-green). She is friendly and talks as much as the other girls. I also have a cuckoo maran (brown) who is very reliable. I've found that leghorns( white) are also very reliable. My girls all have the run of the yard and sleep in the shed. Good luck on your new adventure!

Thank you! That's amazing that she's laying reliably all the was to 7.5 your birds must be so happy! I thinking of doing approx 3 different breeds of chickens as well. Sadly the americauna is so difficult to find in the uk the marans and leghorns are more available so hopefully will be able to hatch a few!

 

[connieconnie]

I have have 9 chickens and 8 different breeds. I LOVE my Salmon Favorelle. She is a sweet and friendly bird that lays small cream eggs. I also like my Araucana. She lays beautiful blue green eggs and lays more now than she did when she was young (She’s 3 now). She is a bit aloof, not as nice as my SF or my Buff Orpington. My Black Australorpe is a very friendly good layer who lays large deep brown eggs and my speckled Sussex lays light brown eggs and is very sweet. I go for temperament in my flock first. They all get along well and are easy to handle.

Haven't heard of the salmon favorelle till now, will definitely go research them now Thank you for all the suggestions and their egg coloration! Really clear post

I'm definitely trying to pick for temperament, but as some people have pointed out to me, there are variations within in each breed. And I think that having the variations in egg color, like in your flock, is beautiful, as well as useful for identifying which chicken is laying and which has problems.

 

[Folly's place]

Salmon Favorelles are beautiful, sweet birds! They tend to be less pushy than some, so might be at the bottom of the pecking order in a mixed flock. Definitely not a good mix with really pushy birds, like the red sex-links that you don't seem to have in the UK.
I don't have any now, but did for years, and like them very much.
Mary