I started out with and had best results with leghorns, American (green leggers) and Old English game bantams, then dutch bantams, now Americana bantams (ameraucanas just get mixes of colors of eggs, and colors and markings with patterns ect of/from each. most ameraucana are actually not so standard anyways). you can have twice as many bantams as standard and they lay med eggs still depending on breed ect (so get more egg for less hassle), and scratch up stuff a lot less, generally hardiier too. any commercial size rating for coops of standard hens should be tripled at least.. anything less is cruel and why they smell terrible along with disease caused by such small space, and advice by most others not on this site of what to feed and how often to clean up after (standard is every six months to two years!). i found a med/large dog house up on blocks with board slanted against (or those door flap things maybe) door to block rain and wind, with holes drilled in four corners of bottom, attached to med/large covered dog run (6'L-20'L will never need cleaning for half dozen chooks to med size as they turn around soil, if board covers used drying immediately rids of poo as turned under), work good for americana, games, bantams and all combinations of. my two leghorns needed a large one alone as very neurotic cagey birds that tear up everything all over and yell constantly as do it with needing extra protection in winter from frost. All around id say my American games were best every day getting a med egg at least from each med hen, needing nothing but dirt floor ect, and dog food crushed up (chick feed and layer was way too rich). perfect set up would be each week moving pen even length of space over, but also use deer deterrent netting (no wild bird netting as can catch and harm them or they can run right through) on thin poles put in ground to stand up and allow out more (currently too many males and they'll fight and try to gang up on ladies if allowed access to). i used that small pen setup to make perfect planting bed sections (i now find muscovy duck poo works especially better and doesn't burn existing or new growth, and no crowing clucking or quacking). I had forty something rescued and dumped mostly "game" hens and cocks (and one rescued baiter true rosecomb cock), in backyard of my cono off attached back porch, and never had any trouble from any actual smells or pests and actually close neighboring tenants complained and moved cause of stink bugs spiders snakes rodents ect (was on edge of large woods pasture bog and cattle horse and "game" cock breeding farm that is still legal in this state) that got so made months after i rehomed last of my games.
