Seaslug
Songster
I agree with a lot of the above: if this is a hobby and not a business, it may be worth it to experiment with multiple breeds. Over the years I have lived with seven different breeds but only have experience with between one to four examples of those said breeds...
One thing to note, you may find that what matters to you changes with time, or that what is most important to you can be outweighed by many good secondary traits.
Case in point: I have only wanted egg laying hens that are healthy and happy in our climate and in our presence.
Our California White, Ann, was always my least favorite hen because she is the most flighty hen we have, and I considered her white eggs boring. Still, she is not mean and was a consistent, regular layer.
Then, a mink got into our coop and killed 4 of our 6 hens -- Ann survived because she is a nimble, flighty girl. In our seven (?) year chicken owning adventure, we've had one other predator attack that Ann also survived. For five years she regularly produced 5-6 eggs a week. She is the flock alpha and rules with knowledge and looks, not violence. Ann has become my favorite chicken because of who she is rather than the traits of her breed.
One thing to note, you may find that what matters to you changes with time, or that what is most important to you can be outweighed by many good secondary traits.
Case in point: I have only wanted egg laying hens that are healthy and happy in our climate and in our presence.
Our California White, Ann, was always my least favorite hen because she is the most flighty hen we have, and I considered her white eggs boring. Still, she is not mean and was a consistent, regular layer.
Then, a mink got into our coop and killed 4 of our 6 hens -- Ann survived because she is a nimble, flighty girl. In our seven (?) year chicken owning adventure, we've had one other predator attack that Ann also survived. For five years she regularly produced 5-6 eggs a week. She is the flock alpha and rules with knowledge and looks, not violence. Ann has become my favorite chicken because of who she is rather than the traits of her breed.
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