Best "Pet" white egg laying chicken

[pcartwright]

Looking for suggestion for white egg laying chickens that are good as "pets". We are building an pen that is 10 foot long, 5 foot wide, 6 foot tall, and want to have a few chickens that will live along with the two pekin ducks that we will have. These should be non-agressive as I have kids that will want to help collect eggs and clean pen, and we will only eat white eggs so they have to be egg layers. We are located in Central NY, so in the winter they will have a heated area to go into. So what are your thoughts on breed that would be best for this?

Thanks!

Patrick

 

[BeardedLadyFarm]

Leghorns lay white eggs, and can be fun, but aren't cuddly. They tend to be flighty, and with their big combs aren't ideal for the cold. They can make it, but you have to watch out for frostbite.

Hollands lay white eggs too, but can be really hard to track down. They would be better for colder temps.

Pretty much all other white layers (the Mediterranean breeds) are similar in size and behavior to the Leghorns. Light bodies, big combs, flighty temperament...

There are LOTS of great pet brown layers...

 

[WallTenters]

I think the best pets are bantams. Even though bantams do not lay large eggs like the large fowl, their eggs are very easy to get used to and they lay just as many as a large fowl hen, and take half the space, so you can have twice as many!! (there's chicken math for you!)

I think Japanese are adorable and so sweet. My friend's son breeds and shows them, his blue rooster ("Phillip"... so regal) is the sweetest rooster on the place and cracks me up when he tries to do his wing herding thing on his hens because his wings already drag the ground. The Japs lay fewer eggs, but are total sweet hearts.

My niece also really enjoys her bantam Cochin. Hers lays a very light brown egg - you could pass it off as white if your kids are young enough

.

 

[boykin2010]

If you dont mind bantam chickens i have found that my polish hens lay pretty good not to mention how fun they are to watch and play with. Right now i am getting about an egg every day from my polish. Even though it is hot they are doing pretty well as far as egg laying. If you dont mind getting bantams i would consider polish. A lot of breeds of bantams lay white eggs and are pretty good pets. Just type in on google white egg laying bantams.

I dont have very many bantams and white egg layers because i sell my eggs and most people only want large brown eggs... SO..... at the moment i only have 2 white layers and i dont usually sell people the eggs. I think most people consider white eggs " unorganic " although that is completely untrue.

 

[HaikuHeritageFarm]

Brabanters.

Or Polish!

 

[Oldhound]

Cubalayas , good temperament and good layers of medium size white eggs . They will set their own eggs and are very beautiful. Some hatcheries say they are agressive gamefowl- NOT True! My roosters raised together with the girls do not fight with each other and do not attack people. Also their combs and wattles are small so shouldn't freeze in winter. Bill

 

[ChestnutRidge]

Speckled Sussex lay a "tinted" egg that is more cream-colored; I think some strains are darker than others. I don't know if their eggs will meet your qualifications, but they have a reputation for being exceedingly friendly, and my trio certainly lives up to that!

Here's my girl at about 7 weeks: (ETA - the one on my leg!)

The eggs are in the bottom carton along the top row:

 

[billfields]

My Blue Andalusian is very friendly, eats from my hand, doesn't mind handling, comes up to people but I think she may be an exception---I hear from others the breed is flighty. They do lay white eggs.

 

[Miyashi]

D'uccles!

 

[bawkbawkbawk]

Wait - you do know that the eggs are all the same inside no matter what color the shell, right? Because restricting it to white egg layers rules out some of the best pet chickens. My Easter Egger is the sweetest bird I could ever imagine. Loves to be carried around and sit in your lap. She lays a light green egg, though, so that's not on your list...

She hung out with my DH after his foot surgery and kept him company. She's more like a dog than a chicken: