I'm glad my thoughts were somewhat helpful. This is rather an "axe to grind" subject for me. I truly love chickens and chicken keeping. I'm frustrated, as an old curmudgeon, that people are cursed with such lousy birds. It's bad enough that people take up the "hobby" and haven't a clue about chicken behaviors or flock keeping and have no facilities in which to keep birds in a healthy, normal way, then, to add insult to injury, get such crummy advice from folks that are novices themselves and finally, the real topper is that they get such lousy birds that that whole thing collapses into armageddon.
Once a person becomes adept, to a degree, in chicken keeping, I believe they deserve better birds. I also believe that really good birds enhance the whole experience in positive ways. I don't want to see really good birds wasted by being stuck in a bad environment, with a goofus flock keeper, but good flock keepers just need good birds. I just cannot describe the difference such birds make.
Apologies for the rant.
Is there a difference between "taking up the hobby" to get eggs rather than "taking up the hobby" to breed? Given they only lay for a few years (or so I understand) the expense of a "good bird" vs a $2.50 plus shipping hatchery chick is pretty wide.
Of course, I got my first chickens 5 months ago so I have no way to compare the laying value a "pure bred" breeder bird vs my "have not laid eggs yet" hatchery birds. At this point, I probably rank with the "goofus flock keepers" anyway. I do think my birds ARE in a good environment though. They have an indoor coop 2.5 times the 'minimum' for the number of birds, an indoor run that they leave regularly whether the 4' gate is closed or not
At this point, I figure the "good birds" should be going to those who will breed them and expand the gene pool.
Bruce