Reviews by Banriona

I have two of these that were purchased four weeks ago with two Delawares and 2 Brahmas. This is my first time with chickens so take my review with a grain of salt. I also have a very small pool for comparison. Moreover these two were sold to me as "Ameraucanas" but from everything I've read and seen on this site - I'm thinking not so much. Esp. since they were bought at a feed store ridiculously cheap.

Of the six birds and three breeds these two are way up there in looks. One especially has the most stunning eyes. They are both crazy smart for chickens too. Always the very first to figure things out. First on the brooder roost, first - and highest - in the coop roost. The only two that figured out that the wire under them in fact led to the inside of the brooder and away from me and my camera. They're the only ones who've figured out how to escape their makeshift run (not sure this is a good thing). Thus ends everything nice I have to say about them. Well, they do run pretty dang fast too. Especially if I'm trying to get anywhere near them. They will come up and investigate me if I sit very still and quiet - but if I move they take off like a shot to the other end of the room. I have been handling these guys every single day for the last four weeks and they are the only two of my six that I have to herd into a corner in order to pick them up to move them from the brooder where they spend the nights and the coop where they spend the days. They are the only two who wont eat out of my hand. They are the meanest of the bunch too. In fact, they are the only ones with any mean behaviors at all. One is far worse than the other and is quickly working her way down from future layer to future dinner. Turns out naming her "Winner Winner" was more apt than I thought. The other EE seems to be mellowing down a bit now that they have more space in the coop during the day, but is still not what I would call "friendly" towards people. She's a touch easier to catch than her counterpart, but is still among the last two to be rounded up. I haven't had any real aggression though - just a lot of pushiness. Any time there's a squabble chances are good one of the EE's is involved - or both.

Don't appear to be particularly inclined toward foraging either - which is important when you're trying to raise chickens on a tight budget. They also tend to hog the feed dishes, but the flip side is they are so cautious about me and anything that comes out of my hands that they are usually the last to get any "treats" I give out.

I would not recommend these guys as far as personality goes - and have no frame of reference on their laying abilities as of yet. Unless they lay an egg a day or mellow considerably with age I doubt I would bother keeping them again. Will be nice to have some color in my egg basket though, and they do make a nice aesthetically pleasing addition to the flock. Not exactly a cuddly pet, but will mill around you so long as they don't think you notice. They do seem to be doing better with the larger space of the coop during the day so maybe if they were free rangers or had plenty of space to run in they would be more personable with the other chickens.

Weighing my review first by stating that mine are only 4 weeks old, and they are my first chickens. That being said, they were purchased with 2 Light Brahmas and 2 Easter Eggers (2 Delawares). Of the six birds, they are the middle of the line personality wise. So far they are more shy than my Brahmas but still easily handled, eat out of my hand and are generally friendly. They are terrified of my two small boys though (2 and 4) but then so am I sometimes. They were adorable little yellow fluff balls when they first came home at 2 days old - and are quickly maturing into well feathered white birds. I have to say though - they aren't overly impressive in the looks department. They are just kinda plain jane. Your basic plain, white chicken with just a touch of black. I did manage to get two who look pretty different from each other (one is all white with a hint of black coming in at the tip of her wing feathers) and the other looks like she was passing by as someone jumped in a puddle of black ink and she got splattered. These two are a little quirky, but pretty easily picked on by my EE's. One of the two is more outgoing than the other and will occasionally initiate a chest bumping session with one of my Brahmas, but then immediately backs down. I can easily see these two at the bottom of the pecking order. They will let you hold them, but even with handling them every day, and sitting in their coop with them for extended periods of the day letting them pick at my feet I still have to work at catching and holding them. They are easily startled, but not skittish. Cautious, but not exactly timid. They tend to stand back and examine something from a distance long before approaching it. They do eat out of my hand though, and generally don't take too long to investigate things. Definitely not the brightest bulbs in the brooder either. They seem to always be the last to figure things out.

All said and done I can see myself raising more of these guys, but not my favorite breed to date. They are a good starter breed, and someone may have better luck if they don't have small toddler/preschool children around to terrorize the poor things. (Ever read or watch "Of Mice and Men"? They just want to squeeze them and hold them and love them...)

These are my first batch of chickens. I started with three separate breeds - 2 Light Brahmas, 2 Delawares and 2 Easter Eggers. Of the six the Brahmas were immediately my favorites. They are the most adorable. They are definitely the most friendly and the sweetest. This is important since I have two small boys. The girls are coming up on four weeks old, and the Brahmas are the only ones that will allow the boys (2 and 4 years old) to pet them without having to have me chase them down and hold them. They are the first two to investigate new things - they were the first to use the roost in the brooder, the first out of the box when I let them outside the first time and they are almost always the first to try out any new treats I toss in the brooder. I have been trying to do photo documentation of their growth each week for future reference, but the Brahmas would rather take a nap on my hand than stand and be photographed. One of the two frequently falls asleep in my hand or on my knee when I sit with them in the coop. They are both extremely gentle with the other chickens, tolerant of being picked on but don't let the others walk all over them either. When they're in the run, they're the ones that spend the most time foraging and testing out what's edible (which is apparently everything) and what isn't. All in all, they seem to be exactly what I was looking for in a chicken. Too early to tell how good of layers they'll be but so far I'm happy with them - and am planning on increasing the number of Brahmas in my flock as soon as finances allow for more birds (or I "accidentally forget" to collect eggs and they "accidentally" get hatched).

One potential con: They have shown a natural propensity for being good diggers. For me, this is a bonus as it saves me time in the garden digging and turning the compost but for a more suburban setting it could prove an annoyance as a 10-12lb bird can make a pretty big hole.

All in all, I wholeheartedly recommend Brahmas - esp. if it's your first flock or if you have small children.