I believe that rare birds or good quality SOP birds should go to someone who knows how to properly use them to better the breed, not newbies. I remember my first months as a chicken owner and am very glad that I didn't have rare birds or those that were worth anything. I was ignorant and fed my birds yard scratch, didn't put enough ventilation in the coop, didn't have proper roost for them, etc. An SOP bird will not necessarily be any different as far as utility goes in my opinion. What matters is how and where they are bred and I agree that the temperament and quality of hatchery birds can and does suffer. However, SOP often has more to do with "Is his fluff the right color?" or "Is there the proper number of points on his comb?" than it does with how well they lay or their temperament. That's just not what a newbie needs in my opinion.I have to disagree. Start with birds that meet the Standard of Perfection (SOP). Your breeder will stand with you as a mentor. It cost just as much to feed hatchery birds as it does quality SOP type. I have both SOP and hatchery Buff Orpingtons. Our SOP type will out produce the hatchery and are much larger. They are also less aggressive than hatchery type.