Are ISA Browns the friendliest chicken breed?

[gtaus]

I have a small backyard flock of 10 chickens, 10 different breeds. I know that individual chickens may have different personalities, and that trait may or may not be specific to the breed. Having said that, my friendliest chicken in flock is my ISA Brown. Every morning, when I go out and open the big back doors on the coop so I can pull the rope for the pop door, my ISA Brown jumps up on the ledge of the door and lets me pet her a few times, then she jumps back down and runs out the pop door with all the other chickens. The only time any of my other chickens will even want to come close to me is if I have some bread, or other food, in my hand.

So, are ISA Browns the friendliest chicken breed or do I just have a very friendly hen who enjoys being petted?

Or....is the ISA Brown secretly looking to escape and just waiting for me to let my guard down?

 

[ChickenCanoe]

It may be the friendliest of the 10 breeds you have but generally speaking, they are far from the friendliest of the hundreds of breeds in the world.
In my mind they aren't even a breed. They are a hybrid sex link made up of several breeds, primarily Rhode Island Red and Rhode Island White (which by the way aren't color variations of the same breed but are separate breeds).
http://www.feathersite.com/Poultry/CGP/Sex-links/BRKSexLink.html
ISA is an international company that breeds egg hybrids from a complex and proprietary assortment of breeds.
https://www.isa-poultry.com/en/product/isa-brown/
https://www.isa-poultry.com/en/about-us/history/

So basically, ISA is a brand, not a breed.

 

[CalBickieMomma]

I’ve never owned ISA Browns, but I’d say it’s an individual chicken thing. My friendliest chickens right now are my RIRs, one of my Ameraucana/Easter Eggers (she LOVES cuddles), and my Buff Orpington cockerel. My Silver Laced Polish pullets are pretty sweet, too. Of course, mine are handled A LOT from day one and almost all of them pile on top of me when I sit in the coop with them. My 6 year old Barred Rock girl will still sit in my lap, too .

 

[Quackter]

I have had only had one adult. So all I have is an anecdote. We had bought like 7 chickens, 5-point of lay various breeds, 1-rooster, and one past her prime three-year-old ISA brown that was tossed in. The plan was she was going to be soup. Put them in a tractor, my little mutt came up to check them out. All the other hens and the rooster were hitting the wire on the other side trying to escape. The ISA squatted down put out her wings and tried to flog my dog through the wire. We decided to keep her just because of that. She was always very docile with us, ate from my hand, seemed almost to like attention. She slipped out once when moving the tractor, held my hand up cupped like it had food in it. She jumped onto the door frame and followed my hand back in. The door frame was about 2 feet from the ground, it became routine, she'd perch in the door way while feeding and watering. Sometimes I'd set her down outside to clean up dropped feed, she'd go right back to her perch when done.
With all the variance in breeds, who's to say? I have two black austrolorps right now, known for being sweethearts. They are fine with people, but the one hen is the most aggressive chicken towards other hens I have ever seen. She killed a young RIR hen two weeks ago. I took her out afterward for a few days to upset the pecking order, the first couple hours she paced the fence. Acted more like a predator wanting in than a chicken wanting back with the flock.
Bonus: The ISA at 3 years+, (way past prime), still layed about two eggs a week. They were a little odd shaped, but fine beyond that. So yes, they can be very friendly. It's sad, but but I have a really lovable cornish cross destine for meat bird. Hard not to make them pets on such a small scale.

 

[chrissynemetz]

I've had some pretty sweet varieties of red sex links. I've also had some who were afraid of their own shadows lol
I think it depends a lot on the individual chicken

 

[gtaus]

I’ve never owned ISA Browns, but I’d say it’s an individual chicken thing.

With all the variance in breeds, who's to say?

I think it depends a lot on the individual chicken

Thanks for the responses. I suppose it's an individual thing, but I had heard ISA Browns were very friendly in general. Still, out of 10 chickens, she is the only one who seems to enjoy being petted a few times before going on with her own business.

 

[sourland]

She is planning an escape - keep an eye on her.

 

[CalBickieMomma]

She is planning an escape - keep an eye on her.

Tee hee ....

 

[CalBickieMomma]

Thanks for the responses. I suppose it's an individual thing, but I had heard ISA Browns were very friendly in general. Still, out of 10 chickens, she is the only one who seems to enjoy being petted a few times before going on with her own business.

I currently have two Buff Orpingtons (one - Gerard - turned out to be a cockerel and so far he's a little lap muffin <3). His sister, Gretchen, isn't what I'd call unfriendly. Just does what she wants and gives you the low-pitched, back talk some hens do when they think they're the boss of you . She's more than willing to come up and hang out on my lap, but first she must peck at everything that looks delicious - and she has a sharp, precise peck! She's also pretty bossy (which is hilarious, because I heard the BOs are the golden retrievers of the chicken world and tend to get picked on. Not in my case. Gretchen seems to be one of the alpha pullets at the moment).

 

[Ribh]

Aside from individual personalities & breed traits a lot is to do with how you relate to them. I have 2 Campines, notoriously flighty & unfriendly, but both will cuddle in my lap, eat out of my hand, squat for me & are generally 2 of my easier chickens to care for. It took a lot of patience & work to earn their trust but now I have it in spadefuls.