Reviews by Jersey101

We initially had two, Henrietta and Harriet, unfortunately Henrietta was a bit of a wonderer and got hit by a car It was a real blow as they made a lovely pair. Would recommend to anyone who allows their birds to free range - these are tough birds, they are more likely to attack a predator than run from it (especially if they have chicks or eggs to think about). They are great protectors for any flock as their alarm call is LOUD and they always seem to be on the watch, even the hens. having never had males I can't say for sure, but I suspect they would be fiercely protective of their hens.

Handling early is a must as I can see how their wary nature could make them aggressive to humans if not shown that they are no threat.

My grandfather and uncle have both had these but I never would - the cockerels and hens with eggs or chicks can be very aggressive and because of their size can do real damage if they want to - my uncle would bring a dustbin lid or a broom handle whenever he went to collect eggs, always wore boots after one pecked a puncture wound into his leg and no longer keeps any since having a child last year.
My grandfather's one scared me so much as a child I wouldn't walk past his cage on my own and he used to feed and water it by hooking the containers with a broom! Even then it would sometimes attack the broom handle!

EDIT:For some reason I couldn't comment or reply but I wanted to add, these were years apart, from different auctions, eggs, and breeders. My grandfather's one shamo was when I was just beyond toddling and I'm 18 now. My uncle has kept them for a few years (he loves them for some reason) but like I said, they scared him too and he wasn't going to risk having them going after his daughter when she started walking, given what they did to him as a fully grown adult!

I have kept pure modern game and currently have three modern game/black bearded Belgian crosses, but I have found that they are a lot less tame than any of my other small breed chickens. I have one that no matter what I do is terrified of me, despite the fact I raised her from a chick, her brother and mother both being a lot easier to handle (though never being picked up out of choice). Still, I loved my grandad's modern game as a small child, I would recommend them as a good breed if you have small children and/or not a great deal of space.

These chickens are beautiful, tame as anything, lay gorgeous tasting tiny little eggs (perfect hard boiled and put in a salad!). I've had about ten or more al together, and they have remained my favourite since I brought my first one home at the age of about 9. They are perfect for children- reasonably low maintenance, funny little 'chickenalities', and just pet sized, so nice and easy to handle. The maddest and wildest of them are easily tamed through food and cuddles, and both hens and cockerels love to be handled! I have one currently that actually runs into my hands when I call her.
If your looking to breed chickens though I haven't had much luck from belgians as far as chicks are concerned - I think it's something to do with how tame they are, they seem to lose the urge to go broody. When they do though they make great mothers - very protective.
The only problem they have is cold - they don't do well with it, so keep them warm through winter!

We have a gorgeous salmon faverolle girl (Gwendolyn) she is an absolute beauty, her cockerel loves her to bits (he's a cross, but he has the lovely eyes and extra toes that mean he may well have some faverolle in him himself). She's also the only chicken we have who can do simple tricks!

Loved my little Silkie so much, she was adorable, if a little nervous. She was completely bonkers and one of the daftest chickens ever but that just made us laugh. I did notice though that many of her breed (her included) have a genetic problem causing their toes to develop badly - she had clubbed feet, with others it's less serious - wonky or curled toes- but it's something to look out for if you're buying chicks.

We kept Rhodes for years - about four generations all stemming from the first pair we had. Found them to be good layers, beautiful chickens, and friendly. They all had definite 'chickenalities' but none were ever mean. The cockerels lived quite well together if they were brought up together, though they did tend to over-tread their poor hens, so eventually we didn't get any more roos. The hens were happier without them.
The Roos also all went lame or lost their ability to walk completely in their old age - probably due to the amount of weight they have to carry, they are big boys. They wouldn't suffer very long though, and we're tame enough they let us carry them round the garden at this point to keep them comfortable.
The hens were always fine though, difficult to stress out - even surviving multiple dog attacks from a neighbours badly kept Labrador!
Though I did notice they do not take kindly to new chickens - the pecking will only last a couple of days (less when the new hen is submissive) but they always ensure a tight pecking order, if you only have one RIR living with other breeds, you can bet she'll be top dog.