Most Popular Small-Flock Chickens -- Resource For Selecting Your Chickens

both are really good birds and have similar characteristics, it really comes down to personal preference.  I know there are a million different reasons for one breed over another, But I always recommend to people get something you enjoy looking at. for Example if you get the Australporps you are looking at a black bird with a sheen and white bottomed feet, if you go Plymouth rock it could be white, barred, buff, silver penciled, Partridge,columbian, or blue

both are going to be great birds with very little in performance on the backyard flock as farm egg production

 Hello! I have Old English Bantams that I raise for chicks. I have kept all of them pure bred. I have Barred, Self Blue and BB Reds. I didn't know, until I read the link from the beginning of this thread, that Old English are endangered. I will be absolutely sure to keep my chicks pure bred! I have enjoyed all my Bantams but the BB Red which was my first pair are my heart! The roo,Eugene, likes to sit on my shoulder and look around! They are very docile chickens. My Self Blue hen,Pearl, is a character! She starts chirping and cackling as soon as she hears the house door open. She keeps it up until I pick her up and then she just tucks her head under my chin and goes to sleep like a baby! The Barred are my most recent purchase. I think they all have personalities and I wouldn't trade any of the flock for anything!

I like to see a varied egg basket. and I like to look at different breeds in my yard.    Unless you are breeding them, there is no reason to even have a roo.  I like  sussex, barred rock, chanteclers, ameraucanas or EE for their colored eggs, and maybe one marans for a dark egg.  I know the marans do not lay like a production bird would, I just like to see that dark egg in my carton.     I would have one production RIR or leghorn for good egg production too.  And I love the welsummer for its darker sorta speckley egg that mine produces too.