Starting with Chickens; What breeds?

[The Maverick]

I'm new to the chicken game and am going to set up myself up with some chickens (hopefully in the new year) and would like some advice or tips on breeds.

I've decided to start with 4 chickens and will be building a chicken house with run very shortly. But, I'm unsure of breeds to go for? I'm happy to go for hybrids as think they will be more sturdy and a bit easier to keep for the time being. I only want hens for laying and not meat.

Can anyone give me some advice on breeds to start off with please? I'm also keen to have different colour eggs so this will probably also affect my decisions on chicken breed. I guess ideally, I'd like white, blue, brown and normal couloured eggs. Can anyone help me on this?

I live in Hertfordshire, so if anyone knows of a good supplier of chickens relatively local please let me know.

Thanks

[annie trip]

Dont know any sup[piers near you sorry but have a few suggestions for hens. Marans are nice big hens and meant to lay the darkest brown egg, ours are very soft too real pets.

We also have a couple of white sussex good big brown egg but not as dark (had quite a few double yolkers from these).

And for a blue egg we have cotswald legbars ,which is a hybrid from the aracana(i think this is right) not as blue as aracana but meant too lay for longer.

Hope this helps some.

[Crazy Chickie]

Hi Maverick, I keep chooks for eggs too, my best laying hen is a Black Rock x Leghorn, both good laying breeds. My next best layer is a Cream Legbar (very similar to the Cotswald Legbar, lays a pale blue egg). I would second AT's advice about the Marans, I hatched some this summer but they are not old enough to start laying yet.
When I was researching chickens before buying I found this site quite helpful,

http://www.ithaca.edu/staff/jhenders...ks/chooks.html

It doesn't cover all the breeds but its handy to compair the differences n gives you an idea of what to look for.

Word of warning though, chickens are highly addictive so make your run a little bigger than you think you'll need, in case you just have to get a few more

[Squirrel]

Light Sussex is always a good layer and easy to look after for a beginner. I have Cream Legbars for blue eggs, and Penedesencas for dark brown eggs, but am hoping to get a Copper Black Maran as well. Wellsummers also have nice brown eggs. Rhode Island Red is another breed that is easy to keep if you are a beginner! Good luck!

[Crazy Chickie]

My Welsumer lays the tastiest egg of all, but she only lays every other day in the summer season. Might just be because she's an old girl, but I wouldn't reccomend them if your after loads of eggs, if you don't mind that they are the tastiest eggs I've had.

[CountryFayre]

I think with the pure breeds it is as much the strain that you get. My welsummers and light sussex lay like the clappers compared to other pure breeds I have. The welsummers lay a lovely dark brown egg.

With regards to the original comment about hybrids I would go with the Black Rock out of preference I think. To find your nearest genuine black rock agent telephone Muirfield Hatcheries on 01577840401 and they will point you in the right direction. Do be aware that if they do not originate from Muirfield then they are not the real black rock!

Your Hybrids will cost upto about £10 each depending on where you get them from. Pure breeds normally cost nearly double this. Just to give you some idea on budgets etc.

[The Maverick]

Thanks for the advice so far. It's giving me plenty to think about and breeds to check out. I think I may have to get myself a book on breeds to make looking a bit easier.

[yoanbob]

we have;
black rock, darkish brown egg, temprament a bit flighty.

warren, a hybird between moran and somthing, big "normal" coulored egg, temprament, extreamly friendly, make very good pets.

light sussex, very pale almost white egg, temprament, friendly.

i would recomend the warren for a first timer, i have also heard about a hibrid aracana/warren which is suposed to lay blue big eggs and be friendly, think i heard about it in a smallholder magazine.
hope that helps.

[annie trip]

We got ou sussex from a local egg producer £3.50 each!! Bargain..

[scooby]

Hi Maverick, lots of good advice above i keep 6 chooks for eggs, therir coop is a second hand 6x4 garden shed for £20.00 insulated they have two runs one concreted and covered with bark chip for the wet weather and one left to grass. if you want a book full of good advice i can reccomend The Complete Encyclopedia Of Chickens, written by Esther Verhoef and Aad Rijs ISBN code number90 366 1592 5.

good luck