Calmest chicken breed?

[Amer]

My calmest bird was an exhibition quality Plymouth Rock cockerel. He had an unflappable demeanor. He had the power to dominate all the others, but rarely the motivation to do anything but give a firm peck as a reminder that he was still the one in charge and didn't tolerate fighting.

 

[SourRoses]

English Orpington.
We've kept a lot of different breeds, the EO were the calmest and most gentle.
They're bigger than American Orps, and wider... that extra heft seems to play a part in making them more lazy.
They certainly can't get more than 3ft off the ground even to roost.
Hawks seem to avoid their size, but they also would not fare well trying to run from large ground predators.
They do need great shade in summer though, and may chose woods over their coop area.
Other breeds tend to pick on them. I have a project where I mixed EO with other breeds. It doesn't matter how much bigger the part EO gals are, they are never high in the pecking order.

 

[McChooky]

A calm breed allowed to free range will go wherever they please. There is no difference in how far they'll go between calm breeds and aggressive breeds.
If you're concerned about Hawks, the only thing that matters is the chicken color. Hawks tend to attack lighter and white birds first, and they tend to leave black chickens alone because they confuse them for crows.

True! But those big gals can't climb as good,fly as high or run as fast so they're easier to keep up with lol

 

[Iluveggers]

I am so sorry you had a bad experience with Speckled Sussex. Ours is my absolute favorite, quiet, calm, curious, and friendly. Not agressive at all. There’s a whole other thread called (Favorite Breed, Relatively Quiet & Calm) that I follow and Sussex have shown up frequently on there as well. Would link but I’m on my cell and the app is wonky.

I know you prefer no feathers on feet, but Cochin chickens are known to be super mellow, if you change your mind!

 

[fluffycrow]

True! But those big gals can't climb as good,fly as high or run as fast so they're easier to keep up with lol

Easier for predators too.

They all have pretty much the same instincts, but only the heavier breeds will have a harder time getting to safety in case of an attack

 

[Amer]

the calmest in our flock is our Jersey Giant. even being the lead hen in the pecking order, she is remarkably kind and laidback. truly a gentle giant! all the orpington varieties seem to be very calm too.. it seems there may be a correlation in temperament with the roundness of the chicken lol

Lol! Very true!

A calm breed allowed to free range will go wherever they please. There is no difference in how far they'll go between calm breeds and aggressive breeds.
If you're concerned about Hawks, the only thing that matters is the chicken color. Hawks tend to attack lighter and white birds first, and they tend to leave black chickens alone because they confuse them for crows.

I don't think hawks are dumb enough to confuse them for crows. But the white birds are far more visible
In my experience, the smaller the bird, the more likely it is to be attacked by hawks.
There are few birds of prey that specialize in attacking large chickens.
Foxes also seem to attack bantams first because they like to carry off their prey. But if they have no choice, they will kill even a goose and eat it right there. So if one is hoping that ha larger bird will be attacked by foxes less, that is only because they are picking off all the smaller birds first.

 

[Labsandchickens8]

We tried speckled sussex and the hen was really aggressive. We got ours from Cackle hatchery, who I will never order from again. I did not have a good experience.

If you have a calm sussex, tell me where you bought your birds from.

I have a Speckled Sussex ftom Ideal and she's my sweetest and friendliest chicken

 

[Hillbilly Hen]

I have to agree that the Australorps are friendly. When we decided to get back to having chickens, I told hubbs that I definitely wanted some black Australorps again.
Another breed that I previously had that was "in your face" friendly was the Delaware

 

[sillyduckz]

How big are Jersey Giants? Do you have any photos of the size comparison between one of your Jersey Giant hens and another standard size chicken breed? (I'm looking online but I have no idea how many of these photos are photoshopped)

update: here's a photo of the Jersey next to an Easter Egger

and another of her next to a Black Sex Link (Jersey on the right)

 

[Buffbrahmabantam]

My Australorps and Sapphire Gems are the best chickens I have .They get along with the flock and don't pick on any of them. I can't brag on them enough. They are big and beautiful girls and lay x lg eggs. They also stay close to the coop and make excellent broody hens.Anytime I go to round up my chickens and count them they're the easier to find.

I have not heard of sapphire gems. Are they a breed, or a color within the australorps breed?

Also, please tell me where you purchased your birds. I should have requested that info in my original post.