BYC Debate Thread- What's The Friendliest Chicken Breed?

[Krysea79]

So we have four breeds of bantams. We have Polish, Bantam Cochins, Seramas and Silkies.

Of these three.....our snuggliest Chickens have to be the POLISH....and the least snuggly are the COCHINS. That being said, we only have hens and we have a much larger sample of Polish!

A few of my polish girls have even learned their names! They love to come running for their treats and we have one polish girl that thinks she should live inside.

All of that being said....I think one of the reasons that the polish are so easy is because they just can't see at all lol. Our one Polish that has good vision because of how her crest was formed can be a PITA if she does not want to be caught or does not want to go back in the coop at night.

Of our bantam cochins...we had one sweet sweet girl. She did not let us pick her up quite as much as the polish. However, she was just a sweetheart. Unfortunately we found her dead in the coop...no injuries...no sour crop or egg binding. I am thinking she must have just had a week heart. She was 2 years old. Her sister has always been grumpy...I think she hates me because she had an eye infection as a baby and I had to take her out to treat her. She only likes me when I have treats!

As far as the silkies....these birds are so much fun. We had one silkie that would probably tie for the sweetest bird we have ever known. She was not scared of anyone and loved to be held and cuddled. However, her lack of fear was to her demise and we lost her to a racoon.

The Seramas are also pretty special. We have one that is super sweet and one that is stand offish. The one that is sweet will fly up to our hand to get treats.

However, I just always come back to my Polish. They honestly can not be beat....great egg layers and awesome personalities. In the end I know it comes down to the bird...but almost all of our Polish girls are just awesome.

Not sure if this helps and this was all just our experience.

 

[CrazyChicken Lady]

Oh and for my 3rd breed probably Buffs them and Sussex’s are super sweet as well.

 

[Bird fanatic]

Probably true of every bird actually! All of my chicks get the same amount of love and attention when young, but then some just are more aloof than others. Though I do not have any mean birds.
Mean birds get rehomed…

Yea true, the first roo we had attacked us..... straight to the soup, he was a barred rock, I've had 4 barred rock roos and all were very mean but one, only the hens are sweet, only one barred rock roo was nice but he wasn't a pure barred rock he was mixed.with a Brahma he got eaten by an owl though

 

[cluckmecoop7]

What is the friendliest chicken breed(s)?
(Buff) Orpington's, for sure!
Why do you think this?
I had 3 Buff Orpington's in my very first flock of chickens. The breed always stood out from the others, even at the very beginning. They were the ones that would come up to you and curiously tilt their heads. They always came into the coop when you would collect eggs as if to ask "Whatcha doin' in here?". They loved attention, treats, and had the funniest personalities! They were calm, goofy, and even came when I called! I've never owned another breed that was anywhere like that.
What evidence can back you up? Threads? Articles?
This is a fun article to read all about the qualities of Buff Orpington's!
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/buff-orpingtons-chicken-breed-information-pictures.47741/ You can also find lots of threads with titles like "Buff Orpington Lovers", etc.
What is your experience with this breed(s)?
I've had 7 BO's in the last 4 years. They all have had the same sort of friendly, calm, and quirky personalities. They stand out from my other chickens and always happen to be a family favorite.
What breeds are not very friendly? Why?
In my experience, Wyandotte's. I also had 3 Wyandotte's in my first flock and they are basically the opposite of a Orpington and I don't recommend them as pets. Flighty, skittish, and very very hard to catch.
Anything else
I recommend Orpington's if you want a friendly flock, or if you have kids that are involved with the chickens!

 

[MandaRae]

So far from my flock my Gold Laced Wyandotte are the friendliest they will hop up on the picnic table bench and sit next to me for pets.
My Speckled Sussex also will follow me everywhere.

 

[Bird fanatic]

What is the friendliest chicken breed(s)?
(Buff) Orpington's, for sure!
Why do you think this?
I had 3 Buff Orpington's in my very first flock of chickens. The breed always stood out from the others, even at the very beginning. They were the ones that would come up to you and curiously tilt their heads. They always came into the coop when you would collect eggs as if to ask "Whatcha doin' in here?". They loved attention, treats, and had the funniest personalities! They were calm, goofy, and even came when I called! I've never owned another breed that was anywhere like that.
What evidence can back you up? Threads? Articles?
This is a fun article to read all about the qualities of Buff Orpington's!
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/buff-orpingtons-chicken-breed-information-pictures.47741/ You can also find lots of threads with titles like "Buff Orpington Lovers", etc.
What is your experience with this breed(s)?
I've had 7 BO's in the last 4 years. They all have had the same sort of friendly, calm, and quirky personalities. They stand out from my other chickens and always happen to be a family favorite.
What breeds are not very friendly? Why?
In my experience, Wyandotte's. I also had 3 Wyandotte's in my first flock and they are basically the opposite of a Orpington and I don't recommend them as pets. Flighty, skittish, and very very hard to catch.
Anything else
I recommend Orpington's if you want a friendly flock, or if you have kids that are involved with the chickens!
View attachment 3068276

I've just bought 6 of these, used to have one got huge one of my nicest birds!

 

[U_Stormcrow]

I.... haven't a clue.
Honestly, not much of a breed fan, and friendliness is not a trait I'm selecting for in my culling project. Not seeking aggression either. "Predator Awareness" is the behavioural trait I most value.

 

[eveliens]

I have very limited experience and anadotal but my sebright is extremely friendly, dog-like with people and constantly tries to break into the house. The breed pages I read before purchasing the breed said they are "clever and mischievous." I'd say that's pretty accurate for my hen - she's a pain but loves to follow you around and interact. Sebrights also like to pick fights according to the breed pages, and that has been my experience as well. Our yard is now squirrel free LOL.

I'd say the most docile and cuddly is the Japanese bantam. They are pretty chill and don't mind touching/cuddling/handling. Even when my hen was broody and when she had chicks I could handle her without issue. This is pretty in-line with the breed page description.

My other hen is a d'uccle and frankly she's a brat. I'm not a fan and won't be getting anymore of the breed. She likes to bully the other hens and her new thing is pecking my leg pretty hard when she wants something. Very noisy and screams a lot! She's people-interactive and will fly to your arm or let you pick her up but is not a cuddler. Supposidely, they are a quiet, friendly breed, so mine might be an outlier. Although idk the rooster was similar before I sold him.

Also have limited experience with rocks and RIR. They're fine. I don't really see a lot of personality in the rocks and they're kind of skittish. The RIR is pretty bright and friendly but not overly cuddly.

 

[Acre4Me]

Salmon Faverolles don’t run away, are very chill birds. So, I think they might have a spot here. However, we tried SF from 3 separate lines, but had to get rid of them bc they were too chill for our mixed flock, and kept getting picked on, and wouldn’t even walk away!! But lap-pet? A definite contender!

BA- we’ve had some nice ones a few years ago. We haven’t had any for a couple of years, but bought BA chicks this year- we will see how friendly these are once they are grown. The ones we had before never caused trouble in the flock, and laid well, calm.


Buff Orpington: friendly, calm. Not sure I ever witnessed them causing trouble or even running anywhere. They did their chicken thing, and would allow us to pet them/hold them.

 

[PippinTheChicken]

lots of great posts! keep it up!

I've added a section for mixed breeds too so they are allowed as long as you specify what the mix is