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

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My WTB is by far my friendliest chicken! She camps out anywhere she can to have a chat. On my leg or on the arm of my chair if I'm sitting with them, or if I'm scooping the poop boards she gets up on the roost and makes sure I'm doing a good job 😉🤣 She is very easy to handle and has never given me any problems (except when she was a pullet, she was a bit wild until she started laying 🤣)
What's is a wtb? I'm new and learning ✨
 
  • What is the friendliest chicken breed(s)?
  • Why do you think this?
  • What evidence can back you up? Threads? Articles?
  • What is your experience with this breed(s)?
  • What breeds are not very friendly? Why?
  • Anything else
Friendliest:
Bantam Ameraucanas, bantam Cochin, d'uccle (ONLY females)

I bred d'anvers and d'uccle for a few years. Males were various levels of human aggressive. Finally gave up on them as I hate human aggressive chickens.

The females in both breeds were great. They were happy to be picked up by my kids. I think the d'uccle females were maybe friendlier, by a hair, than the d'anvers... which is why d'anvers are not on my top 3 list.

I now have only Ameraucanas in bantams. The males AND females are great. I can house them in tighter than ideal quarters, have multiple males... all good. They are also good with flock raised chicks. Nice! I have been raising and breeding them for years now... 10??? 6??? Anyway, I have had a fair number at this point, all girls are sweet. Over all of this time I had 1 or 2 males that had slight human aggression, but the rest have been super easy going.

I think we only ever had 3 bantam cochin girls. All 3 were very tolerant of snuggles from the kids. They were even happy to play "falcon" with the boys by perching on their arms.

Not friendly breeds: I love the personality of Dominiques, the kids did too. BUT, they are not pet chickens. Also they bite hard when they are broody. They also make great broodies. I bred and raised them for years.

I am also highly fond of Leghorns. The production whites, once past point of lay, calm down quite nicely. All other colors that I have had are various levels of flighty or wild. About 1/2 of the males are human aggressive. Females are great broodies. I bred rose comb dark brown and rose comb whites for many years.

Spitz are the perfect combination of high lay rate and good marketability. Very low chance of human aggression in the males. They are very good at being confined, and chicks are quite good at being in mixed age groups. However, not at all pet quality. I have been breeding Spitz for a few years.
 
Never heard of blue rocks sound pretty
That's what I have and mine are still just chicks but I can tell they're going to be real beauties! And they're already being really friendly, they hate being picked up but they come to my lap!
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Without a doubt Calico Cochin Bantam is the friendliest breed to me! Personal experience is what convinces me of this. My Calico’s have been the most friendliest chicks and an adult birds that I have ever owned. I have a broody calico right now and you can really see the difference. She allows me to touch her and reach under her and gather eggs and she doesn’t bite or peck. If I sit out in the coop and spend time with the chickens they are always underneath my chair and they let me pet them. My calico rooster is also one of the most friendliest little roos I have had. He lets me pet him and seems to enjoy it. He’s also a great rooster. He tidbits and dust bathes with his ladies. He doesn’t pick fights or try to mingle with the other flock. He keeps his ladies to himself and marches around like a little leader. He’s too cute to take seriously though a lot of the time. I’m hoping to hatch out some more calicos soon!
 
Another breed of chickens that I have found to be the most friendly in my coop is my silkies. I have a porcelain rooster, a bantam silky rooster, and a show girl silky hen. All of them get along with the other chickens. The roosters are definitely not aggressive, the regular silky roo is a little shy but he is not mean. They let me pet them and they usually stay right under my feet which means I have to watch where I step. I did not receive these birds as chicks which I thought would have an affect on their personality but it remarkably did not! I got them as teenagers and they have showed me that chicken love does exist. I will say they are pushovers. If there is a tussle for treats they usually just let the others steal from them, or they take the picking from some of the head hens. Which I guess is a good thing they know their place and are happy to be there.
 
I don't have lap chickens so this is based on general chillness and personality. All my chickens dislike being touched and handled but they are all hen raised and not handled except when required for treatment.

  • What is the friendliest chicken breed(s)?
Barred plymouth rock
  • Why do you think this?
I have them and they are like the Labradors of chickens. My rooster is a chill dude, chicks are chill and confident, and the hens will do anything for a snack. They follow me around whenever they spot me.

  • What is your experience with this breed(s)?
I have them and breed them (for myself)
  • What breeds are not very friendly? Why?
Leghorns are the least friendliest I have. They run away and never eat from my hand. They do get a little less skittish over time but remain pretty crazy. They panic very easily. Great for eggs though! I'd always keep a few for no-broodiness and the good egg laying.
 
Unfriendly breeds in my opinion have been black australorps. We had them as a starter flock when I was a toddler, and I remember them hating me. Several times they pecked me so hard it drew blood. They also hid their eggs. They didn’t have a good personality and they generally hated anyone and everyone. They just chose to take their anger out on the littlest human.
 

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