Top 5 Kid-Friendly Chicken Breeds
Top 5 Kid-Friendly Chicken Breeds
September 19, 2021
(A pic of my sister hanging out with our Buff Orpington, Eliza!)
Raising backyard chickens is a fun family affair that everyone can play a part in. Small kids love to collect eggs, refill feeders, and help to keep the chickens out of flower beds. Plus, they can treat the flock to their favorite delights! They can have fun sprinkling herbs in the nesting boxes, and picking weeds and edible flowers for the chickens to nibble on. On the other hand, older kids can help haul water buckets and bales of straw or bags of shavings, be assigned to coop cleaning duties, and be given the responsibility of letting the chickens out each morning.
And everyone loves to watch the chickens run around in the yard!
Over the past year or so, I have grown super close to my flock, and now, they are comfortable with me picking them up, and feeding them treats!
If you're considering starting a flock of backyard chickens, then choosing some of the more “kid friendly” chicken breeds can result in your kids having fun petting, holding and interacting your flock! If you can only have five chickens I would actually recommend getting one of each described below for a fun, kid-friendly flock - and a more colorful egg basket!
Orpington breeds are always calm, docile, and they are on the large side, but not so large as to be intimidating to kids because of their sweet nature. They are brown eggs. Orpingtons are steady, good layers, and will make great moms to baby chicks. Take it from me- as an owner of 2 Buff Orpingtons, they are the most sweetest breed! Orpingtons are so docile, that they will usually always be at the bottom of the pecking order!
Australorps
A cousin to the Orpington is the Australorp. The name Australorp comes from blending the words “Australian” and “Orpington”. Australorps were bred in Australia from Black Orpingtons and are the Australian version of the Buff Orpington. Australorps are solid black. Their feathers will shine with a purplish green sheen in the sunlight. Australorps lay tan eggs and also are great layers and moms. As far as raising chickens as pets goes, Australorps are also a notoriously calm and friendly breed.
Faverolles
Faverolles are one of the most adorably fancy chicken breeds. They come in one of two colors – white or salmon. They have feathered feet and cheek muffs. (So FANCY!) They can be talkative, but they are pretty calm for the most part. Their gentle nature makes them a perfect fit for a family flock though. Faverolles lay pale cream-colored eggs.
Cochins
Cochins are another chicken breed that work well in a flock of kid-friendly chickens. They are large chickens, but very laid-back. They were originally bred in China as an ornamental breed and have fancy feathered feet. Cochins come in a variety of colors including black, blue, buff and white. They lay large, light brown eggs and love to be moms!
Silkies
The silkie chicken is hands-down a very sweet, mild-tempered chicken. It’s also a nice benefit that these chickens are about half the size of the other birds on this list, so they’re easy for kids to handle. They lay teensy cream brown eggs (because they are so small!), tend to be lower on the pecking order, and they’re totally fine with being submissive and have no desire to fight.
Nearly any chicken shown love and affection on a regular basis will make a wonderful family pet! Raising a couple of backyard chickens is such a great activity for the entire family. But for a stepping stone if you're just getting started with chickens, why not check out some of the five chicken breeds I recommended above for your flock next spring? You never know what rolls around that season of year...!
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