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The Top 10 Friendliest Chicken Breeds

The Top 10 Friendliest Chicken Breeds

Who doesn’t want a flock of happy chickens that come running when you approach them? Some people prioritize traits such as egg production, cold hardiness, outward appearances if raising for the show, chicken size, or growth speed; for those of us backyard flock keepers, having the friendliest chicken breeds as our pets is a big reason we own chickens in the first place.

How do we guarantee the ones we put in our backyard will be friendly? 

Well, as with most pets, how the owner treats their flock is just as important in determining chickens’ temperament as choosing the right breed.

This said a good background in best practices for raising a friendly flock would certainly go a long way.

Our Picks On Best Chicken Coops

Bestseller No. 1
ECOLINEAR Outdoor 80'' Wooden Chicken Coop Nest Box Hen House Poultry Pet Hutch Garden Backyard Cage (Chicken Coop)
  • 【Durable & Weatherproof】Solid rain-resistant fir wood with Environmental painted keep the Poultry Hutch waterproof and not afraid of sun anymore. Green asphalt sloping roof to protect from water penetration.
  • 【Easy Access Ramp 】Sliding door and ramp allows poultry to enter the raised housing area. There are timber ridges above the ramp to protects your poultry from slipping back. Your poultry can lay their eggs in the nesting box.
  • 【Removable tray & Wire Enclosure】Comes with a removable bottom sliding tray for easy cleaning. Heavy duty galvanized wire fencing not only vital to the ventilation of poultry, it will also protect your animals from outside predators.
  • 【Spacious Space】Main poultry house is elevated for preventing damage from wet conditions. This attaches to a wide open fenced enclosure that allows them plenty of room to move around. Overall Chicken Coop Dimensions: 80.7"L x 26"W x 44.5"H, Holds up to 2-4 chickens.
  • 【Customer Service & Guarantee】With our clear manual, it's easy to assemble. If there is any questions please feel free to contact with us, our wonderful customer service team will response in 24 hours. If there is any part missing or damaged during shipping, please contact us first and offer us pictures of damaged part, we will solve the problem as the way you want (replacement at no charge or discount).
Bestseller No. 2
Aivituvin 80in Chicken Coop Mobile Hen House Outdoor Wooden Poultry Cage with Wheels Nesting Box Run
  • 【New Upgrade Version】 Waterproof PVC cover above nesting boxes to avoid leakage .Special custom locks prevent predators from opening egg nests.
  • 【Mobile Chicken Shelter 】Easily move this hen coop from place to place thanks to durable, built-in wheels with a convenient handle on the side. Other chicken cage cannot be moved at all !
  • 【Weather-resistant roof】The outdoor chicken house is fully covered with waterproof asphalt roof, which will not leak rain and is more durable than other materials. Others only have wooden roofs!
  • 【Mutiple Access Doors】There is an openable door in the area below the sleeping area, which is more convenient to clean the poultry house. Other chicken coops do not have this door.
  • 【Safe & Comfortable Living Space】Large nesting box with divider,a series of locks and sliding metal pole keep your household animals safe inside,suit for 2-3 chickens, depending on size and breed.
Bestseller No. 3
66 Inch Wood Chicken Coop Chicken House Indoor Outdoor Chicken Cage 2-4 Chickens Waterproof with Egg Box Wire Fence Hen House Pet Hutch Garden Backyard Cage
  • ✔【DURABLE AND WEATHERPROOF】:The chicken coop made of solid rain-resistant fir wood with environmental painted keep the poultry hutch waterproof and not afraid of sun anymore. Green asphalt sloping roof to protect from water penetration.
  • ✔【WARM HOME FOR THE POULTRY】:The chicken need a space for his or her own to play and live in. This chicken coop gives your chicken the poultry penthouse they deserve. The spacious design features an elevated coop with a nesting box, as well as an enclosed run. It is not only a playground for your chicken, but also a good helper for you.
  • ✔【HUMANIZED DESIGN】:The Large activity space with three opening doors, which makes it easier for your lovely pet to come in and out. Also, multi-door design help you interactive with your pet, and clean the hutch easier.
  • ✔【LARGE PLAYING YARD】:The chicken house is elevated for preventing damage from wet conditions. This attaches to a wide open fenced enclosure that allows them plenty of room to move around. Overall Chicken Coop Dimensions: 66"L x 51"W x 40"H, Holds up to 2-4 chickens.
  • ✔【EASY TO SETUP AND CLEAN】:The chicken coop simple overall structure which is quite easy to assemble, it is better to use electronic drill to assemble, and the estimated assemble time is about 20 minutes. Removable tray makes it easier for you to clean the hutch, a cleaner hutch will give your pet a more comfortable experience to live in.

The Top 10 Friendliest Chicken Breeds

Tips for rearing the friendliest chicken breeds:

1) In the early days, when you first bring the chicks home, talk to them gently using a soft voice, but resist the urge to pick them up.  Let the chicks get used to their new life and recover from the trip to your house.

Sprinkling some chick feed onto your hand can help encourage them. Talk to them, so they get used to your voice.

Hands-on time with your chicks should be limited to several short sessions of just a few minutes each, several times a day. Chicks are babies and spend lots of time sleeping.

They get tired quickly and also get cold.

2) The best way to tame your chickens when they are a bit older and to build up trust is again to offer your chickens their favorite treat in your hand. This is also used in taming aggressive roosters.

It’s best to get them used to eating out your hand first and then start to stroke them with slow movements.

After that, it’s crucial to spend time with them, talk to them, and make them your friends. If they don’t know you well or aren’t sure about your role in the flock, they’ll avoid you.

It’s also important to let them know you’re the flock leader. They rely on the flock leader to keep them safe, show them where food is, and keep them comfortable.

3) People-friendly chickens require chicken-friendly people. Talk nice, act calmly, and make sure your flock understands that you are their main food source.

If your flock mainly forages for food, they essentially have to fend for themselves. Consequently, they don’t ‘need’ you, they don’t know what to make of you, and chances are they will avoid you.

In short, interacting with chickens when they are chicks, feeding them, and handling them are mandatory when looking to establish a friendly flock. 

Best Bets for The Friendliest Chicken Breeds

Clearly, the varieties selectively bred for docile and friendly personalities are the ones to go for when choosing your flock.

While it’s important to note that a breed-designated trait does not imply that every single chicken in that breed HAS that trait, the general thought is that certain behavioral traits are COMMON to certain breeds

For example, dual-purpose and “meat breeds” tend to be mellow, while leaner layer hens are inclined to be anxious.

Breeds originally developed for cockfighting tend to be (surprise!) aggressive.

Some breeds, such as Silkies and Cochins, are more apt to go broody and drop everything to incubate eggs and mother their chicks, while others (most dual-purpose breeds) tend to be excellent foragers.

While there are, of course, exceptions, for the most part, these stereotypes hold. 

Following this lead, and based on well-documented opinions of chicken farmers in general, here’s a list of several breeds of the friendliest chicken breeds around:

The Top 10 Friendliest Chicken Breeds Silkies

1) Silkies

Silkies are one of the best chicken breeds to keep as pets because of their size and temperament.

Their soft, fluffy feathers feel like silk on a compact little body. Silkies are also one of the cutest chicken breeds.

Actually, most wind up looking more like a stuffed animal than a chicken. This makes them very appealing to children! 

Some Silkies have “beards,” which almost totally obscure their faces, while others are beardless.

With their bright blue earlobes, the fifth toe on each foot, a super sweet personality, and an appreciation for being held and petted, you can’t help but find them adorable.

silkie friendliest chicken breeds

The Top 10 Friendliest Chicken Breeds

2) Speckled Sussex

Large chickens can be wonderfully friendly also!  The Speckled Sussex is a fairly large (roosters can weigh up to 8 pounds while hens weigh about 6 pounds) but beautiful chicken.

It has a single comb, and its feet are free of feathers.

Hens have reddish-brown feathers with black and white “speckling,” which gives the breed its name.

Each feather has a white tip, and the amount of speckles varies from chicken to chicken.

They’re curious, the first to check out new situations, absolutely love attention, and are intelligent, mellow pets.

As mature birds, they like to be held, stroked, and talked to. They may even follow you around. 

Speckled Sussex are tops on the list of backyard-friendly breeds, often too large to have as ‘inside’ chickens, yet friendly enough to be outside pets!

speckled sussex friendliest chicken breeds

Buff Orpington

3) Buff Orpington 

Another larger-sized chicken, the Orpington, is a good all-purpose utility breed, providing both eggs and meat, and it is also frequently bred for the show– meaning they are a great overall chicken.

This is a friendly breed, often termed the “Golden Retriever” of chickens. They make good outdoor pets for families, schools, or clubs.

In fact, it is recommended that you get Buff Orpingtons if you have children that enjoy playing with the flock.

Most chicken research deems the Buff Orpington as laid back, patient, and friendly, loves to receive food treats, and doesn’t mind being picked up. 

Buff Orpington Chicken Breeds
Broody Buff Orpington © Elias

The Top 10 Friendliest Chicken Breeds

4) Rhode Island Red

The Rhode Island Red is one of my favorite chicken breeds. We have had a few ourselves, and they’ve always been incredibly friendly chickens.

They’re one of the easiest chickens to keep, super gentle, are comfortable being held, and do well with children.

In general, Rhode Island Reds are people-lovers and comfortable with human contact and have the bonus of also being friendly with other members of their own flock. Finally, Reds are cold, hardy, and will lay eggs for you all year round. 

Rhode Island Red

The Top 10 Friendliest Chicken Breeds Cochin

5) Cochin

Cochins are one of the largest breeds of chickens you will ever have in your chicken coop.

These gentle giant hens weigh in at about 8 pounds, while the roosters can often tip the scales at about 11 pounds.

They can often look even more substantial than that because of their very fluffy feathers.

Despite their large size, Cochins will also be some of the calmest and friendliest birds in your flock, making them great lap chickens.

They are very child-friendly, appreciate human contact, and again despite their size, are often somewhat submissive to other birds, so they are not commonly on top of the pecking order.

Cochin chickens are happiest when they are close to home. They love nothing more than knowing their boundaries and sticking to them, which is why these sweet and fluffy giants make excellent backyard pets!

Although not kept by owners who prioritize egg production,

Cochins are among the best mothers in the chicken world and will often foster another bird’s eggs and raise the chicks as their own. 

Flock of Cochin Chickens

The Top 10 Friendliest Chicken Breeds

6) Wyandotte

Wyandottes are classified as a dual-purpose breed, so they are not particularly small birds. They are generally amiable and docile birds that are also quite easily handled.

A beautifully feathered breed, Wyandottes also bear confinement well and are particularly cold hardy.

Hence, they are a good choice for the backyard chicken keeper and are handled easily by children.

wyandotte friendliest chicken breeds

The Top 10 Friendliest Chicken Breeds Australorp

7) Australorp

Australorps are the Australian take on the western Orpington breed (“Austral-or”). They are a medium-sized breed, mostly known for their egg-laying productivity. 

They are generally calm, peaceful, dignified, and friendly, and excellent layers of light brown eggs.

Smallish and friendly, bearing confinement well, Australorps are a great breed for people looking for pet chickens in their backyard flock.  

black australorp friendliest chicken breed

The Top 10 Friendliest Chicken Breeds Easter Egger

8) Easter Eggers

“Easter Eggers” is not actually a true breed. They are trendy hybrids of Araucana and Ameraucana chicken heritage that are particularly prized for their eggs’ unusual colors: blue, green, olive, aqua, even pink.

These chickens are great egg producers, and they don’t appear to mind being confined, so they’re straightforward to care for.

In general, Easter eggers are very friendly, easy-going, and calm and often enjoy sitting on the laps of their caretakers. 

Easter egger friendliest chicken breeds
Image Source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/29278394@N00/

The Top 10 Friendliest Chicken Breeds

9) Faverolles 

Faverolles are often primarily described as ‘sweet.’

They are a breed that is so gentle and social with people and other chickens; oftentimes, when mixed with other breeds, the Faverolles get picked on terribly

However, as the only breed in a backyard chicken family, Faverolles are the ultimate chicken companions for children.

Not only do they not mind being held, but they love to be kissed and cuddled and wouldn’t dream of pecking, poking, or scratching anyone.

Also, winter hardy and good egg layers all year long, Faverolles have become a true favorite with families. 

The Top 10 Friendliest Chicken Breeds Jersey Giants

10) Jersey Giants

Jersey Giant chickens are a very friendly, calm, and docile breed. Of particular note with this breed is they are also very friendly with other varieties of birds and even other pets.

They are large enough not to be frightened by other domesticated pets, and roosters of this breed are also very low on the aggression scale.

Jersey Giants are robust and fairly cold hardy. They are not flighty but require a lot of space because of their size. 

Other than the fact that they are not as easily handled because of their size, Giants make good pets for children because they are extremely docile and calm.

Honorable Mentions: Friendliest Chicken Breeds

While the above breeds are typically the friendliest, they are far from the only friendly chicken breeds.

Some of the other chicken breeds known for being friendly that didn’t quite make our list include: 

  • Barbu D’Uccles
  • Barred Rock
  • Brahma
  • Golden Buff
  • Plymouth Rock
  • Polish
  • Red or Black Star 
  • Sebright
  • Sultan
  • White Leghorn

Again, as we end the list of these several friendly, happy, child-safe chicken breeds, we need to remember that every chicken may show the behavioral characteristics typical of its breed.

Still, within every breed, there is always individual variation. 

Certainly, every breed has individuals with temperament variation along the spectrum, and even raising two chicks from the same breed the same way will prove that friendliness is not a guarantee.

Give it a go and enjoy your new friends, whatever breed they might be.

If you are beginning to get interested in starting a flock of your own, check out these tips on raising backyard chickens.

Our Picks On Best Chicken Coops

Bestseller No. 1
ECOLINEAR Outdoor 80'' Wooden Chicken Coop Nest Box Hen House Poultry Pet Hutch Garden Backyard Cage (Chicken Coop)
  • 【Durable & Weatherproof】Solid rain-resistant fir wood with Environmental painted keep the Poultry Hutch waterproof and not afraid of sun anymore. Green asphalt sloping roof to protect from water penetration.
  • 【Easy Access Ramp 】Sliding door and ramp allows poultry to enter the raised housing area. There are timber ridges above the ramp to protects your poultry from slipping back. Your poultry can lay their eggs in the nesting box.
  • 【Removable tray & Wire Enclosure】Comes with a removable bottom sliding tray for easy cleaning. Heavy duty galvanized wire fencing not only vital to the ventilation of poultry, it will also protect your animals from outside predators.
  • 【Spacious Space】Main poultry house is elevated for preventing damage from wet conditions. This attaches to a wide open fenced enclosure that allows them plenty of room to move around. Overall Chicken Coop Dimensions: 80.7"L x 26"W x 44.5"H, Holds up to 2-4 chickens.
  • 【Customer Service & Guarantee】With our clear manual, it's easy to assemble. If there is any questions please feel free to contact with us, our wonderful customer service team will response in 24 hours. If there is any part missing or damaged during shipping, please contact us first and offer us pictures of damaged part, we will solve the problem as the way you want (replacement at no charge or discount).
Bestseller No. 2
Aivituvin 80in Chicken Coop Mobile Hen House Outdoor Wooden Poultry Cage with Wheels Nesting Box Run
  • 【New Upgrade Version】 Waterproof PVC cover above nesting boxes to avoid leakage .Special custom locks prevent predators from opening egg nests.
  • 【Mobile Chicken Shelter 】Easily move this hen coop from place to place thanks to durable, built-in wheels with a convenient handle on the side. Other chicken cage cannot be moved at all !
  • 【Weather-resistant roof】The outdoor chicken house is fully covered with waterproof asphalt roof, which will not leak rain and is more durable than other materials. Others only have wooden roofs!
  • 【Mutiple Access Doors】There is an openable door in the area below the sleeping area, which is more convenient to clean the poultry house. Other chicken coops do not have this door.
  • 【Safe & Comfortable Living Space】Large nesting box with divider,a series of locks and sliding metal pole keep your household animals safe inside,suit for 2-3 chickens, depending on size and breed.
Bestseller No. 3
66 Inch Wood Chicken Coop Chicken House Indoor Outdoor Chicken Cage 2-4 Chickens Waterproof with Egg Box Wire Fence Hen House Pet Hutch Garden Backyard Cage
  • ✔【DURABLE AND WEATHERPROOF】:The chicken coop made of solid rain-resistant fir wood with environmental painted keep the poultry hutch waterproof and not afraid of sun anymore. Green asphalt sloping roof to protect from water penetration.
  • ✔【WARM HOME FOR THE POULTRY】:The chicken need a space for his or her own to play and live in. This chicken coop gives your chicken the poultry penthouse they deserve. The spacious design features an elevated coop with a nesting box, as well as an enclosed run. It is not only a playground for your chicken, but also a good helper for you.
  • ✔【HUMANIZED DESIGN】:The Large activity space with three opening doors, which makes it easier for your lovely pet to come in and out. Also, multi-door design help you interactive with your pet, and clean the hutch easier.
  • ✔【LARGE PLAYING YARD】:The chicken house is elevated for preventing damage from wet conditions. This attaches to a wide open fenced enclosure that allows them plenty of room to move around. Overall Chicken Coop Dimensions: 66"L x 51"W x 40"H, Holds up to 2-4 chickens.
  • ✔【EASY TO SETUP AND CLEAN】:The chicken coop simple overall structure which is quite easy to assemble, it is better to use electronic drill to assemble, and the estimated assemble time is about 20 minutes. Removable tray makes it easier for you to clean the hutch, a cleaner hutch will give your pet a more comfortable experience to live in.

Common Questions About the Friendliest Chicken Breeds

To round out all of the above information, we’ve gathered the most common questions about the friendliest chicken breeds and answered them all in one convenient place for you. 

Which Chickens Are the Best Pets?

Some of the chicken breeds that make the best pets include the Golden Campine, Easter Egger, Partridge Silkie, Golden-Laced Wyandotte, Australorp, White Bantam Brahma, Speckled Sussex, and Golden-Laced Polish. 

Are Pet Chickens Friendly?

Yes, chickens can be friendly and good pets. Just make sure to check your local regulations before getting chickens as some areas, especially cities, ban them as pets. 

What Are the Prettiest Chickens?

Although it comes down to personal opinion, some of the chickens widely considered the prettiest are the Silkie, Frizzle, Welsummer, and Barnevelder. 

What Are the Best Backyard Chickens?

Some of the best chickens to raise in your backyard are Buff Orpingtons, Dark Brahmas, La Fleches, Bantam Leghorns, and Bantam Araucana. 

What Is the Meanest Chicken Breed?

Malay chickens are known for their roosters being very aggressive. This comes from the fact that they were bred as cockfighting birds. Another very aggressive chicken breed is the English Game.

Friendliest Chicken Breeds

 

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33 thoughts on “The Top 10 Friendliest Chicken Breeds

  1. For me, I’ve found the Australorpes to be the most friendly. I love them. They know what they are about, and they are eager to interact.

    1. My Columbian Wyandottes are very friendly, but my Silver-laced Wyandottes aren’t. My Australorps are ok, but they peck at me a lot.

  2. Golden Comets are also pretty friendly. They each have their own personality from very friendly to “don’t touch me unless absolutely necessary.

  3. red star small and friendly good foragers murray macmurray used to have them and their cousins, the black star, lay an egg every day no matter the weather

    1. I have barbed rocks and they literally rub on us like cats wanting attention. Very friendly birds. Also we have a 8 year old black star who is from our original flock and she still lays eggs as well as gives snuggles. She even comes to her name

  4. I finally talked my husband into getting chickens, easter eggers. They had some of the funniest personalities.Had one that got lockked in the green house for almost a month during the summer, and she survived without food or water ()it gets too hot for plants in summer).
    Then we were given 2 cochins and they stole hubby’s heart when they came over, perched on his boot toe and started telling him stories. The sweetest and funniest birds ever.

  5. I have a mixed flock of chickens now, as I always have had mixed flocks all of my life. I started doing chickens in nursery school in 1969, I also did 13 years of 4-H Poultry Project, I’ve attended week long poultry conferences all over California. I LOVE CHICKENS! MY 1st pet chicken was a Rhode Island Red. She was a real doll & when she got old & stopped laying , she was the best mommy ever. She lived 13 years. ” Rhodies ” we called them, are friendly & as every article says, a good 1st breed for beginners.
    The longer I raise chickens …the more breeds I encounter & fall in love with. As a little girl, our Speckled Sussex , bantam sized hen ” Penny ” ,was a sweet girl & loved sitting in my lap. It has a lot to do with how you interact with them from the beginning. As a little girl of 8 yrs. old, my mother decided to raise, what were called back in the day, ” exotics “, which later were termed
    ” fancies “. She purchased a batch of mixed fertile eggs for our DIY home incubator, of 2 different breeds: Speckled Houdans & Crested Polish. The Polish chickens were so friendly, that they followed me EVERYWHERE!! I even named one ” Friendly “. A young Gold Lace Polish rooster, who hatched in my hand. He even would come horseback riding with me!! I had a special saddle bag designed, just especially for a horseback riding chicken! He couldn’t stand to be out of my sight for more than a minute! So I have continued to keep Polish, as physician certified companion & therapy animals. I’ve always told people that a Polish chicken, will follow you to Hell & back again, without batting an eye. They prefer the company of humans over other chickens, they love sitting in laps, riding on shoulders, standing on my head ! I’ve used them as educational animals with inner city children, teaching them that chickens do not just come in yellow styrofoam packages in shrink wrap & deserve our respect & to be treated with gentle dignity & are capable of reciprocating love & affection. Also, they were real superstars, as therapy animals, for mentally challenged, developmentally delayed & disabled, wheelchair bound children. They handled the job better than the Silkies! So here is my list of friendliest breeds, in my personal experience, over the 50 years I have raised , kept & bred chickens.
    ( PLEASE NOTE: THIS LIST IS NOT IN ORDER OF FRIENDLIEST, IT JUST LISTS THEM ONE BIG CATEGORY… ALSO PLEASE NOTE: THIS LIST, IS INCLUDING ONLY BREEDS, THAT I HAVE HAD PERSONAL EXPERIENCE WITH )
    #1. RHODE ISLAND RED
    #2. CRESTED POLISH
    #3. GIANT COCHIN
    #4. WYANDOTTE
    #5. SPECKLED SUSSEX
    # 6. AUSTRALORP
    # 7. RHODE ISLAND RED/ WHITE LEGHORN LAYING HYBRID
    # 8. DOMINIQUE
    # 9. SILKIE
    #10. AMERICAUNA
    #”11. WELSUMMER
    THE ALL TIME, FRIENDLIEST EVER BREED, IN THE WORLD … BELIEVE IT OR NOT IS THE POLISH!!

    1. I just picked up some polish chicks a few days old and have found them to be so sweet! Yes they don’t want to be out of your sight and will prop their beaks on my face when I cuddle with them..

    2. Really sopreciate your experience and input. Sounds like you really know your chickens! Because of your note, I am going to order a couple of golden crested Polish baby chicks for our roommate who is dealing with depression, in return for her helping with my baby chicks. She was very happy when I told her.

      1. You have no idea how much you’ll be helping your friend. I was severely depressed and was surprised with a baby chick who made my life complete. ?

    3. My wife and I are new to chickens. We just got our first batch, various breeds (RI-Reds, leg horns, australorpes, bantams, comets. They are around 4 weeks old now. One of the RI Reds certainly has made an impression on me. Typically he\she will walk or even run over to the coop door when its opened, and gets as close to us as possible, as if, whats up? pay attention to me! Loves to be held, such a sweet bird.

    4. Hi there- I was gifted two female and two male Polish, they are almost five months now. I also have six Wyandotte’s
      The two roosters are getting rowdy and messing with the girls
      Should I get rid of one ( or both)
      My first flock so I don’t know if this is normal
      Thanks, Veronica

    5. You brought tears to my eyes as I read your story. There’s so many breeds I can’t choose which to breed and also help people with their depression issues and pets for kids I wanted silkies now I read your polish story.
      Thks Salome

  6. I find cochins to be the most friendly, I have a little frizzle Cochin bantam hen, she loves to follow me around when I’m doing chores outside and loves to be picked up and stroked. She’ll also sit on my lap. By far the nicest chicken I have.

    1. I had a Cochin rooster I got him at 8weeks the first day he started following me around everywhere. I kept him at night in the house in a cage during the day he free ranged in my yard . He begged for food by jumping up and down. He got in my car and went for rides ,he gave snuggles and sat on my lap at night and put himself to bed. Momo was his name . Every evening at 4 he walked up my ramp and pecked on the door to be let in. We lovingly called him a chicken dog. Greatest little feller ever hatched.

  7. My polish were very skittish and didn’t like to be picked up at all.
    My Buffs and Welsummers follow us around like puppies. So cute…

    1. A dust bath with food grade DE should help a lot. The chickens will dust bathe themselves.
      Why is this on the “10 friendliest breeds” page?

  8. Hi Claire,
    I’m thinking about getting more birds this spring, but I don’t have a good set up for chicks, so I am thinking about buying pullets. I want them to be easy to catch and friendly, but I am concerned that since I am not raising them they won’t be responsive to me. Is there a particular breed that is more likely to trust later on in life? Or perhaps a specific technique that can be used to bring them around? I plan on spending as much time with them as possible. 🙂 I love your articles!
    Thanks, Abby 🙂

  9. I’m so glad there’s a few others that love the Polish.
    I have special needs granddaughter who has a small white Polish that adores her.
    As soon as she steps foot in the garden little storm is there dancing by her feet asking to be picked up, you’d think she was a cat the way she acts.
    This little chicken certainly gets herself into some pickles but she knows if she shouts loud enough we come running.
    Storm adores cuddles and loves the hose pipe, will paddle for ages in the water with her little mate.
    On the other hand we have Red our only Warren who will follow my grandson round the garden for hours looking for bugs with him.
    She’s happy to be snuggled and have you boop boop to her as long as none of the others are watching.

  10. The friendliest chicken I have ever had was a New Hampshire hen named Gladys. She would come running to me from where ever she was when called by name and just hang out with us. She was wonderful, a real pet. Unfortunately, a fox got her. I was heartbroken.

  11. Hello! We have Rhode Island Reds, Barred Rocks and Wyandotte. This is our first time in many years that we have been able to have chickens and we love them.
    We have had issues with them ganging up on one and ends up that we have to put them down because they are too hurt. Is it the breeds we have? They also pick each others feathers out? We have tried numerous things to help their feathers grow back but nothing has truly “cured” this. Please help if you have any suggestions.

  12. my favorite breed is buff orpington but my favorite hen that i have right now is named sophie but I dont know what breed she is I got her from a mixed run

  13. I have raised my first batch of chicks from 1 week old, and have a mixed flock. By far, my Sapphire Gems are the most gentle of all of my babes now at 16 weeks. Both the cockerel and the pullet sit on my shoulder daily, groom me lol, and hang out while I do chicken chores. I am considering bringing in some more hens, so glad to find this list!

  14. We have found Barred Rock to be the absolute friendliest. They immediately come to us, hop on or arms or into our hands, and don’t put up too much of a fight while being held and we love how they follow us or come running when they see us. Cannot believe these girls don’t make the list.

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