Calmest chicken breed?

Pics
Date sort Score sort
fluffycrow said:
Easier for predators too:p.

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
Click to expand...
We put a fence around our property so ground predators are not an issue (also we’re are not afraid to preemptively “defend” our property from ground predators). Hawks are an issue however and the lazier calmer chickens work better because they loiter around the buildings more.
 
Iluveggers said:
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!
Click to expand...
Where did you purchase your Sussex?

I have always wondered if the Sussex we got from cackle hatchery was at all representative of the breed, other than by outward plumage appearance. There were other traits that she had that were inconsistent with what I had read about Sussex. In general, I am now suspicious about how the large hatcheries select stock for breeding, which is why I only buy from small farms at this point. For the large hatcheries, I would guess that if looks like the picture of a Sussex, it is good enough to sell from their perspective and they aren’t concerned about quality.
 
Buffbrahmabantam said:
Where did you purchase your Sussex?

I have always wondered if the Sussex we got from cackle hatchery was at all representative of the breed, other than by outward plumage appearance. There were other traits that she had that were inconsistent with what I had read about Sussex. In general, I am now suspicious about how the large hatcheries select stock for breeding, which is why I only buy from small farms at this point. For the large hatcheries, I would guess that if looks like the picture of a Sussex, it is good enough to sell from their perspective and they aren’t concerned about quality.
Click to expand...
Buffbrahmabantam said:
Where did you purchase your Sussex?

I have always wondered if the Sussex we got from cackle hatchery was at all representative of the breed, other than by outward plumage appearance. There were other traits that she had that were inconsistent with what I had read about Sussex. In general, I am now suspicious about how the large hatcheries select stock for breeding, which is why I only buy from small farms at this point. For the large hatcheries, I would guess that if looks like the picture of a Sussex, it is good enough to sell from their perspective and they aren’t concerned about quality.
Click to expand...
McMurray Hatchery. I’ve had great luck w their birds!
 
sillyduckz said:
Meyer Hatchery, i got all my girls from them! they all have great temperaments, in part due to being handled and socialized since day 1, but also due to good, responsible breeding. if you haven't already found a hatchery, i highly recommend Meyer as they provide great costumer service and are NPIP-certified :)
Click to expand...
We haven’t purchased from Meyer. Thanks for the tip. I’ve seen other good reviews for Meyer on BYC so it is good to hear another one.

The first couple of years we had chickens we purchased from Ideal poultry and Cackle hatchery. We got our Brahma bantams from Ideal and I love their personalities. The only other large hatchery we ordered from was Cackle hatchery and had a very bad experience.

That experience turned me away from mail-order hatcheries and we’ve been taking road trips to western Washington for hatching eggs since. Western Washington has quite a few small farms which is nice, but finding breeders for special breeds is really hard. I don’t know how to find people selling the breeds I’m interested in (orpingtons, usually) when I want them.
 
Swedish flower hens are a calm breed and friendly. Might be hard to get one though.
P1010077.JPG
 
My calmest are my blue laced red wyandottes (but definitely not any other of my wyandotte colors), lavender orpingtons, olive eggers, and australorps.

Obviously every bird is different, but hopefully this can still be helpful even though there are no guarantees :)
 
Buffbrahmabantam said:
We haven’t purchased from Meyer. Thanks for the tip. I’ve seen other good reviews for Meyer on BYC so it is good to hear another one.

The first couple of years we had chickens we purchased from Ideal poultry and Cackle hatchery. We got our Brahma bantams from Ideal and I love their personalities. The only other large hatchery we ordered from was Cackle hatchery and had a very bad experience.

That experience turned me away from mail-order hatcheries and we’ve been taking road trips to western Washington for hatching eggs since. Western Washington has quite a few small farms which is nice, but finding breeders for special breeds is really hard. I don’t know how to find people selling the breeds I’m interested in (orpingtons, usually) when I want them.
Click to expand...
i'm so sorry about your experience :( i totally understand being skeptical of big hatcheries after something like that. what happened, if you don't mind me asking? if you're ever willing to give it a chance again, Meyer has a lot specialty/heritage breeds, including some gorgeous Orpingtons. in particular i've been eyeing their Chocolate Orpingtons and waiting for an excuse to add more birds to my flock, lol. they handle their live shipping well and give the chicks a safe environment, and provide a little cup of GroGel(which provides nutrition and moisture) for them during transit. we only had one failure-to-thrive chick in our batch, and all the rest were very lively and busy immediately upon arrival :)
 

Similar threads

C
    • Love
    • Like
Getting 4 chickens- will these breeds get along?
Replies
7
Views
528
StinkyAcres
StinkyAcres
athomas718
Clan Spiral breeding question
Replies
1
Views
328
bentlema
B
S
    • Like
    • Love
Feedback on breed selection for 1st timer
2
Replies
13
Views
1K
Erkaderka
Erkaderka
1adybug
    • Like
    • Love
Any predictions for how these crossed chicks may look fully feathered/grown?
Replies
7
Views
2K
Gategitter
Gategitter
Spud40
Best Chicken Breed to Raise Game Bird Chicks?
Replies
2
Views
1K
Spud40
Spud40

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom