Choosing a breed

[eggxelent]

I didn't know where else to put this, so I decided to put it here because I want to get baby chicks of the breed I choose. This is my first post on BYC, other than introducing myself, so here goes:
I want to start a flock of chickens, but don't know which breed to get. Could someone please help me? Here are the requirements:

Needs:
to be recognized by the APA, as I want to show it
to be either small or medium size
to be good in all temperatures
to be friendly

I really want it to:
lay fairly well
have some type of pattern

I also am pretty interested in colored eggs, but this is not a necessity.
And a bantam breed might be okay, but I don't really want to have a bantam flock because they don't lay as well.
Does such a bird even exist? I've been researching and haven't run into one yet, so
PLEASE HELP ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[gabrielle1976]

Maybe norwigen jerhorns the are a smaller larege. Breed and lay nice big eggs they are white though the eggs i mean, the chickens are pretty. I dont know about weather hearty Ness try looking them up maybe oh and they are sexable at hatch

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

Why not bantam easter eggers? Or Rhode Island Reds? Or Orpingtons? Lots of breeds come in both bantam and standard size, and lay very well. If you're looking for production, you just want to avoid breeds like Cochins and silkies since they're used more for brooding and ornamental purposes. A bantam would probably be better actual, since you're wanting to show. They're smaller, which makes them easier to handle. Good luck!

 

[eggxelent]

Why not bantam easter eggers? Or Rhode Island Reds? Or Orpingtons? Lots of breeds come in both bantam and standard size, and lay very well. If you're looking for production, you just want to avoid breeds like Cochins and silkies since they're used more for brooding and ornamental purposes. A bantam would probably be better actual, since you're wanting to show. They're smaller, which makes them easier to handle. Good luck!

Well, I do like bantams, but I'm really interested in dark egglayers like Marans and Welsummers, and I don't know of any bantam breeds that do that.

 

[Frizzle13]

You can get bantam Marans and welsumers but the Marans a quite rare

 

[eggxelent]

You can get bantam Marans and welsumers but the Marans a quite rare

Really? I knew that you could get them but heard that they don't lay dark eggs.

 

[somadlyinlove]

Not all Bantam Maran's lay dark eggs but they should. Get them from a breeder that can show you their eggs.

 

[SilkiesForEver]

D'UCCLES!

I love D'uccles! They lay really well for a bantam breed, and are extremely beautiful. They lay a small cream colored egg, are super friendly, are pretty small, and are very hardy.
Here are some examples of their coloring,

Mille fleur (it means "Thousand Flowers" in French.)

Gold Neck

Blue mottled

Black mottled

Blue Mille fleur

Silver Mille fleur

 

[eggxelent]

D'UCCLES!

I love D'uccles! They lay really well for a bantam breed, and are extremely beautiful. They lay a small cream colored egg, are super friendly, are pretty small, and are very hardy.
Here are some examples of their coloring,

Mille fleur (it means "Thousand Flowers" in French.)

Gold Neck

Blue mottled

Black mottled

Blue Mille fleur

Silver Mille fleur

Alright, you got me hooked.Where do I get 'em?

Hatcheries are okay, as long as they sell decent stock.

 

[Spikes Chooks]

Or how about the Silver Campine, lovely slimline bird but not small like a bantam. Here is mine at about 24 weeks old. She just started laying - white eggs. Those pale blue earlobes are a winner!