Breed Recommendation Thread

I've been thinking about this for a while, but couldn't find something similar here. Since having to replace my lot actually - I've noticed more and more people stopping me when I'm in my garden and asking if I keep chickens as they can hear them. They then go onto asking what birds I'd recommend. Thought it'd be a good idea, particularly for new members for us to collaborate on some recommendations?

I don't keep pure breeds - but I'll start with my experience of hybrids (from what I've owned, and had exposure to via close friends).

- Warren. The classic "battery" bird, pops eggs out as regular as clock work, but also extremely docile. My little warren is practically "silly tame". I haven't handled my new lot like I did my old ones, as I've been busy doing work in my house - which has meant that the majority of my new flock don't really like human contact. This warren though, from the get go she's been so tame - my eldest daughter adores her - as she'll put up with a 3 year old patting her. Excellent for starting out keeping chickens - as recommending pretty much everwhere. I can now see why

- White Star. A Leghorn cross, small bird - funny looking lady, her large comb flopping over to one side which is totally opposite to her small frame. I'm not sure what the leghorn is crossed with, but boy do they lay. The chap I got her from said if you want eggs, get a flock of these. I can see why, she lays large white eggs daily. The shells are rock hard in comparison to the other eggs I get. She is not at all keen on being handled though, and will not even come for corn out of my hand (where as the others will). One I'm working on trying to trust me a bit more!

For something a bit different, I decided to get a couple of blue and dark brown egg layers.

I've got a couple Cotswold Legbar hybirds (who look totally different - but both are 'crested'). They lay a lovely sky blue egg, and are quite docile. They are loud though, perhaps due to the fact that they're from the Cream Legbar who I've also heard can be a bit noisy. However, my two seem to go off lay at the slightest issue (one was really tame and used to goto sleep on my daughter - there's a picture in this forum for the noesy - but was spooked from a dog attack and really has never recovered, the other one is trying to molt and has stopped laying for the past couple of months).

I also have a Black Marans hybird (not totally sure what the marans is crossed with mind), who lays a lovely dark brown egg, which compliments the white and blue eggs perfectly Obviously, results vary with hybirds as they're designed to pop as many eggs out in the shortest space of time, so will most likely stop laying before a pure breed in terms of age, so if you're buying on egg colour and you want to guarantee you get a blue, or dark brown egg then you'd be better off getting a pure breed. Example being, I had a black marans hybird previously, who was killed by a dog - her eggs were a lot darker than the current one I have.

I would love to recommend my others, either on looks (such as a bluebell - stunning looking bird (who coincidentally sometimes lays an egg darker than my black marans bybrid.. she is also enormous, much larger than my previous one.. I keep expecting one day to find her crowing)) but the above really do stand out for me and would be the ones I'd recommend for people starting out

I might take some photos and add them to the post too.

Obviously you can find all this information out on various websites etc, but I thought I'd be nice to get personalised recommendations.

Over to you ladies and gents!