What Chicken Breeds Are The Friendliest In Your Flock?

[alexa009]

I have a question to all chicken keepers out there. Which chickens did you have best experience with being good natured around people? This doesn't just include breeds but hybrids as well. I would like everyone's opinion.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I've had quite a few Friendly birds. They all seem to be different breeds though. Buff Orpington, welsummer, Cochin, marans, and a single polish.

I don't really handle my chicks much so those they choose to follow me around are more intelligent I think. They know where the goodies come from.

 

[TheBeardie]

It really depends on the bird itself. Out of my bantams, the single lavender OEGB is the most friendly, the silver duckwing OEGBs are also pretty friendly. The porcelain d'uccles avoid me and the black tailed white Japanese bantam also avoids me.

My standard girls can be any mix of Speckled Sussex, BBS Copper Marans, Ameraucanas, Olive Eggers, EEs, Leghorns, Red Sexlink and Salmon Faverolles.

Most are friendly, but the assumed salmon Faverolles mix is quite skittish and so are two BBS Copper Marans/EE mixes.

 

[BantyChooks]

Sultan x EE, Chanteclers, and OEGBs. In that order.

The first bird, Sultan x EE, is really one of a kind. She stood out from day one as the most naturally docile bird I have ever come across. Practically any bird can be a lap pet with socialization, but she didn't require any at all. She is not unintelligent like I've found many other "tolerant" birds to be, which is even nicer. Note that this is not an endorsement of her cross as a whole, as she had a full or half sibling hatched around the same time that was nuts. Beautiful bird... just a few bricks shy of a chimney.

To me, "friendly" is a broad term that can mean multiple things. My definition involves how cooperative they are when restrained, how much I can handle them when they are unrestrained, and how many relaxed behaviors they show when in my presence, i.e. preening, sleeping, or yawning when standing on my lap.

 

[Kessel23]

The most friendly chicken I had was an OEGB, second was silkies. The least friendly I have owned is egyptian fayoumi, my pullets have a more extreme reaction to being touched by a human than my peafowl do. They act a lot like untamed guinea fowl. Sound like they are being killed when you pick them up. They are still my favorite breed, if my flock was destroyed I would start over with just egyptians.

 

[Firefoot]

My Speckled Sussex and Salmon Faverolles were the friendliest I've had and sadly both died, one to a fox and one to Marek's. They were the first of the group to hop in my lap for food and would follow me around the yard. The Faverolles would let me pick her up pretty easily and would hang out on my shoulder. When she was sick and required house-care, she LOVED being bathed and blow dried. She would talk to me constantly, and I really felt like it was TO me because she looked directly at me and sometimes her chirps sounded like questions. Ugh, I miss her.

The Sussex would follow me around even if I was outside the run, she'd walk along the inside with me. She was really sweet with the other birds and had a very calm vibe. I would like to get another SS.

My original girls are a RIR, a SLW, and a barred rock and none of them are overly friendly. The SLW is by far the most feral chicken I've owned. She will flap and bite and flail like I'm killing her if I need to pick her up -- I've had her for nearly all of her 3 years.

The Ameraucanas, even though they're super timid, are completely relaxed once I pick them up. If I encounter them in the coop, they are totally chill with me petting them and not at all bothered that I'm there.

If I were to start over, I'd get Speckled Sussexes, a couple EEs and Ameraucanas, and a couple Faverolles. What a lovely, sweet flock that would be.

 

[L1sa]

It's a difficult one to answer. When I just had ISA Browns a couple of those were super friendly to me, but when I increased the flock with different breeds, they were horrible to the newcomers.

Things I have noticed:

My Ameraucana is the most intelligent bird I've ever had, she works things out really fast and when she looks at you, she looks you right in the eye, it's a little disconcerting! But she is also super friendly and will jump up on my lap (or my shoulder if I'm squatting low enough!)

My Silkies are the thickest birds I've ever had, but the hen is quite skittish and runs away from people and other birds. The Roos were quite aggressive until I asserted my dominance over them, but I wouldn't say that I've found Silkies to be super friendly!

Barred Plymouth Rocks, one of my girls is lovely and friendly and the other one is not very pleasant, in fact she's a total bitch to any of the younger ones.

Polish, utterly terrified of everything and anything that moves, totally skittish.

Buff Orps they're still a bit young for me to make any comment yet, they're only 12 weeks, but I think they have potential to be a friendly breed.

 

[Chick-N-Fun]

My EEs...all 3 and then my Buff Brahma.

 

[want2know]

This is Sesame our Barred Rock Babe. She is by far the most friendly in our flock, she is also the largest. If we open the back door she will come in and jump up on my desk, walk around my computer.
This is Ruffles, our Bantam Cochin, she is very friendly also, here are Sesame and Ruffles coming to call at the back door. They are both very comfortable in the house.

 

[alexa009]

This is Sesame our Barred Rock Babe.View attachment 1667857 She is by far the most friendly in our flock, she is also the largest. If we open the back door she will come in and jump up on my desk, walk around my computer.
This is Ruffles, our Bantam Cochin, she is very friendly also, here are Sesame and Ruffles coming to call at the back door. View attachment 1667870 They are both very comfortable in the house.
View attachment 1667882

She is lovely! Barred Rocks have been an excellent experience in my flock as well. Both them and the Delawares are sweet natured around people.