I'm wondering what people's favorite chicken breeds are and why. I'm thinking more along the lines of personality/color, etc for a small egg flock, not commerical production.
So far I have found my silkie hen to be a hoot. She is so funny looking, and broody!
My experience with Silver Laced Wyandottes has been mixed. They are really chatty, but kind of bitchy! My bantam SLW is extremely skittish.
Barred Rocks seem to be all around sweet tempered.
I've also got a golden brahma, a black sex-link, a buff orpington and two white brahma pullets. Of those, the buff orpington seems to have the most personality.
What do other people think?
Informal Survey: Favorite Breeds
I really don't think different breeds' personalities are uniform, and my own experience is limited, so I'll only say that my friendliest hen to date has been a Rhode Island Red, my friendliest rooster a Black Australorp, and my most skittish the Golden Laced Wyandottes.
We have barred rocks, 2 golden sebright, 1 ameraucana / easter egger, 1 leghorn, 5 white-crested black polish, and some mutts.
Leghorns have a reputation of being antisocial. I hand picked mine at the store, so I made sure to pick the one that had not been involved in any fights. She was the only one without open wounds. She's shy, but, she fits right in with the barred rock group.
My barred rocks are the alphas. They are confident, yet not aggressive. I call my barred rock hens "the fat girls" because they "throw their weight around, LOL. The rooster, Screebert, is all you could want in a rooster. He was hand raised by me, which I believe made him extra thoughtful and curious. He's a very smart and brave chicken.
The sebright hens are high-strung, and chronically broody. I think they're nuts.
I like the polish cresteds the best. They are disabled because their "hair" blocks their vision. Mine are extremely tame. One of the hens likes to hop on my shoulders when I say her name. They are the quietest chickens that I have.
Here's Screebert:
(He had just tipped over a flower pot while perching on the rail.).
This message was edited Jul 29, 2006 12:23 PM
This message was edited Jul 29, 2006 12:25 PM
Over the years I've had Ancona's, White & Brown Leghorns, White rocks, New Hampshires, RI Reds, Red-sex links, SL Wyandottes and the golden Wyandottes. The newest one's the babies are Dominiques, SL and Golden Wyandottes and Buff Orps.
My favorites by far are the Dominiques, their so tame. My favorite pullet in the brood (a dominique) is named Tootie. She'll jump right into my hand and try to climb up my arm. She was the sassiest and friendlist of them. But, all the Doms I have are by far the best tempered. A tie for second favs, the Buff orps, love their curious persona, they're pretty friendly too, and red-sex links are really nice personalitied. The most skitish ones I've had are the SL Wyandottes (though some are very friendly) and Ancona's. The meanest rooster I've had was a crippled New Hampshire and leghorns.
Pictured below is one of my baby Buffs named Lynnie and one of the Golden Wyandottes (mine are really sweet)
This message was edited Jul 29, 2006 7:16 PM
This is too priceless! To hear everyones feelings about their chickens!
Rofl!
I love the comment about the RIR being so fat, they throw their weight around!
Sebrites are nuts! Love that comment.
Polish crested are disabled? do they get SSI?
My RIR used to hang with me while I sat on the porch,sometimes, I would
grab one and put it in my lap. None of them walked up for love.
I would love for my Dominiques to sit in my lap. They are so sweet. curious
and quiet. The Giants are funny and at the slightest sound of someone
who has found somethin to eat, they will come running from all over the
darn farm. The best runners btw, are the cornish rock crosses, i love the
way their heads go from side to side as they run along. such intent!!! such
focus! They jump up (hysterical to watch) to catch little moths, and bugs
in the air or on little bushes.
I don't like "white" chickens, I associate them with the leghorns, fast, and
wiley coyote like, so thats what we get for meat birds.
My rooster, Mr. Bocker, is very nice. He is big, sweet, not full of himself,
and doesn't make a pest of himself either. He is a watchful rooster.
Yesterday, I saw a few chickens poking around outside, these girls are
still young, they were born in April. Anyhow, I spotted a hawk, and I gave
a 'SQUAK SQUACK" type of call, and the girls ran immediately into the
barn. Thats the first time I ever did that, it was very satisfying to know that
the chickens listen to me.
I would like a few Buff Orpingtons. None of my girls are broody. myolder
hen, Mrs. Bocker, laid a clutch of about 20 eggs, but never sat, never
did anything. So, if I want more Dominiques, I will have to incubate them
in the house it seems. anyone have different techniques to getting the
dominiques to set?
regards,
sheri
Hey
Polish arn't disabled
They are just........sight and intelligence challenged
OK ....so they walk and run into things.......
They just have blonde moments......LOL
I have tons of Polish,also Sumatras
But the ones I keep as pets ,even though they are not show quality are Cochins and Brahama's
I just love their personalities........
Oh this is so fun. We're all chicken crazy :) I just love my silkie, even though she is so bitchy to all the new chickens.
I had a roo who was half silkie and half naked neck turken. He was so ugly! and he turned so mean!
I love it when chickens look at you out of one eye at a time, if you are too close! LOL!
Here's a picture of our Dearly Departed Rooster Medusa ( name changed to M'Duder when we learned the truth) channelling Fabio. See his combs blowing in the wind.
Here is an arty picture of my silkies.
I have 6 ameraucanas, 2 golden laced wyandottes, 2 rose crested brown leghorns, and 2 cuckoo marans. ..all pullets.
I got them as day old chicks and literally have spent hours a day with them to keep them tame.
Well, the nicest and sweetest are my cuckoo marans, brown leghorn, and one ameraucana I call Isis. Now, all of my birds are "friendly" and will eat from your hands or fly up onto your shoulder, but the marans,leghorn, and the ameraucana actually like your company and will fall asleep in your lap.
The leghorn prefers my husband for some reason, even though I have given 100% of their care.
My wyandottes are skittish and I have one other brown leghorn called lumpy that does not like to behandled at all. She is not a people bird at all.
There personalities are amazing...and none of them are stupid. They have all learned quickly to come when called...they respond to two different whistles..one for food and one for going in for the night.
Everyday after I'm done with working, I go into the chicken coop, have a Coke, and chill o ut with the chickens. I love em.
Georgie,
Glad to know that I'm not the only one. I go in and just watch them and sit with the chicks. It seriously destresses me. I love them.
I have had more fun reading all your posts about your chickens. ;) It's so interesting to learn about the different breeds and their personalities. Makes me want some chicks.
Lin
Georgie, I'm that same way. Here is a picture of my three bantam brahmas and my bantam silver laced wyandotte. They are more skittish. I got them as pullets and they weren't handled much before I got them. They are all good girls tho! :)
Hi Everyone,
I have found my 3 light Brahmas to be less tolerant of the other hens. They are 1 1/2yr old and have always been very chatty. One of my barred rocks, 'Bogey-Jo' is so full of herself, she is quite pushy to the others. The older ones will peck the 'teenagers',( as my 7 yr old calls them) if they get too close to the feed pail/water. It seems, in my flock, the Buff Orpingtons have the best mannerisms in general except 'Queeny' (appropriately named). She is the alpha and doesn't let anyone forget it. The 3 other quiet ones seem to be the silkies, polish (x one rooster who was very vocal all day long) and black australorpes. The Australorps, 'Laverne and Shirley' are very curious, quiet and easily contented. I enjoy the cochins. They're like little puff balls with legs, enjoy a good scratch and are quiet. I'm envious of those of you that have a hen or 2 that will fly up on your arm. Mine come running when I walk out the backdoor, but mainly for food. We had a White Rock that was skittish/noisy as well as Minorcas. Good bug catchers, poor pets. Our Speckled Sussex, Suzie, is pretty quiet, a good forager, and curious. We have 2 araucaunas. Misfit and Madona. Madona keeps flying out of the pen. She's gold w silver tipped feathers and gets nervous when she finds herself out of the pen by herself, then she keeps squalking to get back in. Duh. I don't have a favorite per sea. Next year I will probably try to get more polish, silkies, cochins and black austraulorpes. I ended up with mostly roosters from the straight runs so may have to find someone nearby to split the pullet orders. Anyone around Denver area??? Great to hear all of the stories.