# breeds of chickens



## Ameliaxx (Apr 9, 2010)

well where thinking of getting some chickens and we would like some little chicks or maybe a young trio now we were thinging of what breed of chicken to get as we would like something that isnt to loud or flighty, relitivly tame and 'pretty' these chicken will live in my averiy (big empty averiy that leads into my shed) we quite like the look of silkies and frizzles but we were woundering if there were any breeds similar or better persinality wise  also if anyone wants to post pics of the chickens that would be great


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## SiUK (Feb 15, 2007)

we are getting chicks tomorrow, so I have been doing my research recently. Apparently Silkies are very much pets they can become really tame especially if you get them from day old although you may struggle to find them sexed at a day old so unless your happy to have a cockerill it can cause problems. Silkies cannot fly either and apparently they are not the best layers. I want a couple of Silkies really I think they are awesome


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## paulajo (Oct 13, 2010)

I have had and still have lots of different chickens. If there wanted for an aviary and 'cuteness' is a factor, i would definately go for Silkies. They come in Reds, white, Black, Cuckoo, Gold. So area really wide choice.

They are incredibly docile and make excellent broody hens so if in the future you wanted to hatch some more, they'll do it willingly!

We tend to find that they lay better through out the winter for some reason, which works well for us as my other chooks tend to go off the boil.

Also, as they have feathered feet and aviary would be great if it has a roof etc my run hasnt so ive had too make sure that they are never in wet/muddy ground.

Silkies all the way for me!! :2thumb: (for cuteness)

Now if you want something thats equally as docile, crap at laying, useless as mothers but the most wonderful characters then take a look at Dark Brahmas. They are my most favourite of any poulty ive ever owned. We have three geriatrics, who i hatched as babies. They will never leave this property, regardless of age etc. their my babies! :flrt: I dread the day that something happens to them. Yes, i'll admit it i go all gaga over them :blush:

Good luck :2thumb:


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## SiUK (Feb 15, 2007)

Hey Paula,

Do you think a six week old silkie could be tamed? As the breeders near us state thats the youngest they can sex them, do you think I would ever be able to find sexed silkies younger?

Si


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## Ameliaxx (Apr 9, 2010)

thanks guys  i think i will get some silkies they sound like the best option as although the odd egg would be great first and formost there gonna be pets and look pretty lol they will have one of my friends has 2 white ones but i think id like a buff one (i dont know if thats right lol) and some whites. Im going to lincoln show and hope to get some chickens there as they have a tent with them in and usally there nice healthy looking birds  what things do i need like food etc,etc. i cant have cockerals as i have neighbours and i wouldnt want to upset them  paulajo: thanks for the info they sound great, i cant wait  the aviery is down the side of are garden and it has a roof so thats great i googled the dark branmas they look great but i do love fluffy chickens lol


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## paulajo (Oct 13, 2010)

SiUK said:


> Hey Paula,
> 
> Do you think a six week old silkie could be tamed? As the breeders near us state thats the youngest they can sex them, do you think I would ever be able to find sexed silkies younger?
> 
> Si


 
Six weeks is really young and Silkies are quite trusting / blonde! :flrt:

They are very hard to sex unless your really experienced so no i wouldnt have thought you'd be able to get any younger. I'd go for them, its a nice young age. Oh i think my incubators going to have to go on again soon :lol2:


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## paulajo (Oct 13, 2010)

Ameliaxx said:


> thanks guys  i think i will get some silkies they sound like the best option as although the odd egg would be great first and formost there gonna be pets and look pretty lol they will have one of my friends has 2 white ones but i think id like a buff one (i dont know if thats right lol) and some whites. Im going to lincoln show and hope to get some chickens there as they have a tent with them in and usally there nice healthy looking birds  what things do i need like food etc,etc. i cant have cockerals as i have neighbours and i wouldnt want to upset them  paulajo: thanks for the info they sound great, i cant wait  the aviery is down the side of are garden and it has a roof so thats great i googled the dark branmas they look great but i do love fluffy chickens lol


 
You will definately need some kind of shed, with a nesting box/s and low roosting bars. Water drinker and Pelleted food feeder. I tend to give mine liqued vitamin stuff (cant remember the name at the mo, sorry) at times of stress such as moulting. They will moult twice a year, normally one heavy and the other quite light at the end of the year. They'll look awful but dont worry, you'll soon see new 'shoots' coming through!

Shavings for bedding plus straw for nesting boxes, although they will nest just on the shavings. urm, think thats it at the moment :whistling2:

Oh and if you going to give them corn, give a very small amount, ie small handful for 3 or 4, just as a treat and at the end of the day as they much prefer that over the pellets but it has virtually no nutritional value so it aint gonna help with the egg laying! All mine come running to me when i go out calling 'chook chooks' they know its corn time :lol2: 

Oh, sorry i'm going on now but when you get them just check deep in there feathers, under wings around bum to check for lice. You will need to them sprinkle them in the powder and the shed that there in. Sounds yukky but its not very often mine have had them. Its usually brought in when i by from others, ie auctions. Easily treated though. By the way the best poultry auction i've ever been to is Salisbury in Netherhampton. At the beginning of the year the standard is so high. Thats where i got my original love of Brahmas from, photo's just dont do them justice!

Feel free to contact me if you need any help, i love talking chickens as you can probably tell :blush:


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## ljb107 (Nov 16, 2008)

Ameliaxx said:


> thanks guys  i think i will get some silkies they sound like the best option as although the odd egg would be great first and formost there gonna be pets and look pretty lol they will have one of my friends has 2 white ones but i think id like a buff one (i dont know if thats right lol) and some whites. Im going to lincoln show and hope to get some chickens there as they have a tent with them in and usally there nice healthy looking birds  what things do i need like food etc,etc. i cant have cockerals as i have neighbours and i wouldnt want to upset them  paulajo: thanks for the info they sound great, i cant wait  the aviery is down the side of are garden and it has a roof so thats great i googled the dark branmas they look great but i do love fluffy chickens lol


If you aren't going to get a cockerel then it shouldn't really matter what breed you get. We used to have a few different breeds at a time in the garden in a very built up area. The pekins were my favs though :2thumb:


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## Graham (Jan 27, 2007)

My Silkie Bantam is great, noisy though for a hen, the Pekins are much quieter and extremely tame, particularly good if you have kids, or grandkids as I do.


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## ljb107 (Nov 16, 2008)

Graham said:


> My Silkie Bantam is great, noisy though for a hen, the Pekins are much quieter and extremely tame, particularly good if you have kids, or grandkids as I do.


Yep, you're right. The only time i heard my pekin hens was when they were about to lay an egg or if they got spooked and made that alarm call


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## pigglywiggly (Jul 19, 2008)

silkies are really hard to sex, even experienced breeders get caught out.
basically you need to see it crow or lay and egg to be sure!

pekins are definatly the best breed as a pet imo.
small, tame down great, have hairy feet so dont dig giant dust baths in the garden, and the boys are friendly too.
not noisy and lay pretty well for a pure breed.

as a first chook you cant go wrong.:2thumb:


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## Cheyenne (Aug 29, 2011)

I've had a few silkies, and the noise they make for the size of them is unbelievable :lol2: I don't have any proper pekins, but my little frizzle pekin is the sweetest thing and runs after you like a pet dog  You might also want to have a look at polands, they also come in a frizzle variety and look very sweet. This site is great to get an idea of what breeds you like the look of, and tells you about their personalities too.
Chicken Breeds

Do make sure you build a big run, chickens are very addictive and you'll soon be wanting more


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## Graham (Jan 27, 2007)

> silkies are really hard to sex


Didn't know that, mine is definitely female as, although she lays few eggs herself, she's always sitting on others!

I was filming at Pencarrow House in Cornwall earlier this week and they had some nice looking chickens that I've completely forgotten the name of, they were all black, medium size, seemed quite friendly, an unusual name that I'd never heard of before. Any idea anyone?


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## SiUK (Feb 15, 2007)

when you say noisy, how noisy? I have idiot neighbours that love a good moan obviously not going to have a silkie cockeral though just interested in how noisy the hens are?

Si


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## Graham (Jan 27, 2007)

You can hear mine clearly from a couple of houses away, and I live in a lane of well detached houses, in a terraced street think at least 4 or 5 houses away. I'd say if you have close neighbours of the complaining type then Silkies may not be for you!

The Pekins on the other hand are generally very quiet, they just cluck a bit and sing the "egg song" every couple of days, I think it would be hard for anyone to object to them.

When I first decided I wanted chickens I ran it by the neighbours first, luckily I had no objections and most were quite enthusiastic, but then the lane is semi-rural and many of my older neighbours grew up with chickens and other animals. We're also next to the river so there's always the sound of ducks, geese, swans etc anyway, the noisiest birds round here bay far are the Egyptian Geese of which there are several pairs.


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## SiUK (Feb 15, 2007)

My neighbour just loves to complain, about anything, the snakes the dogs the car parking the cat, the chinese opposite anything he can ring the council about he will.


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## Graham (Jan 27, 2007)

If they can find a snake a reason to complain (about what?) then you're definitely going to have problems with chickens, even if they're silent you can bet your life they'll claim they're attracting vermin, smelling etc...


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## SiUK (Feb 15, 2007)

It was because of my DWA license, thats what started all this off


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## pigglywiggly (Jul 19, 2008)

SiUK said:


> My neighbour just loves to complain, about anything, the snakes the dogs the car parking the cat, the chinese opposite anything he can ring the council about he will.


maybe he had a note on his file when he rings up to whine about nowt?
we have one of those types near me.


my pekins are pretty quiet, dont think the neighbours notice them, but the racket from the female silkies when they lay an egg is unreal. way too loud for their size imo. even has one that does the egg dance when it hasnt laid for some reason. the cockeral has a deep voice so it isnt grating. havnt had any complaints about him (yet)

:lol2:


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## Mynki (Mar 24, 2010)

Hybrids such as black rock and speckeldys might be an idea. They're egg laying abilities are excellent and they are very docile. I know some people say they are boring, but in your circumstances they might be ideal. They are not as noisy as some pure breeds. And are docile and easy to handle.

Cockerals in an urban area are always going to cause you issues. If you're wanting to breed birds for eggs and meat, then japanese quail might be a sensible alternative considering your neighbours. They are much quiter. If you just want pet birds or birds for eggs, take a look at hybrids.


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## pigglywiggly (Jul 19, 2008)

go and look at some though before you decide, you`ll be suprised at the size some of these hens make - they eat a lot of food and need a decent sized house, some are better in a shed!

whereas japanese quail or bantams will be happy in one of those large rabbit hutches with a run attached or a smallish coop and run.

you dont need a cockeral unless you want to hatch your own eggs - even then if you only want to hatch one or two lots a year you can just buy fertile eggs in.

if you go for hybrids best to avoid the ones that are based on leghorns because they are very high strung and nervous.
they`re the ones marketed as white stars and variations of that name are very thin and lay white eggs.
nutters that`ll fly at your face and escape


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## SiUK (Feb 15, 2007)

My hen house is 3x3ft and I have an area of 10x9ft for a run is that an ok size for 4 bantams?


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## pigglywiggly (Jul 19, 2008)

they`ll be very happy in there :2thumb:

you actually wouldnt want the house any bigger for that many banties, otherwise they`ll freeze in the winter.

mine are in a rabbit hutch/run combo thing, and get let out to range in the day when mr fox isnt about.


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## SiUK (Feb 15, 2007)

Thanks


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## Graham (Jan 27, 2007)

That's bigger than I have for my four bantams, my run is about half the size, the coop itself is considerably smaller and they're nice and snug in there in the winter.


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