I chose 'other'. I am not a fan of any of the breeds given.
My favourite breed is the Chantecler. They were developed in Quebec in the early 20th century for the purpose of being a practical, hardy, productive choice for northern climates. They have two recognised varieties, White and Partridge. I own the Partridge variety and find them to be impervious to cold weather, productive layers, sensible in temperament, and pleasing to the eye. The main reason they caught my eye is their cushion comb. I'm rather tired of dealing with frostbite on every single new single comb cockerel I bring in.
This is not my image, so apologies for that, but here's a good example of a White Chantecler cockerel bred and shown by Jim Fegan. He took reserve champion of his class at the CFI nationals last year, and it was well deserved in my opinion! Truly a magnificent bird, even though all I was able to see of him was a photograph.
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My 2nd favourite breed is the Ameraucana, the Silver variety in particular. I haven't found them to be particularly great layers, so that's something I am going to have to work on with my stock. They are, however, absolutely gorgeous in shape. That's what attracted me to them in the first place. They're good solid birds that are a bit smaller than the Chanteclers but certainly not tiny either. They've got active temperaments and fit in well with the rest of the flock. Except for the rooster, he's a jerk. I'm blaming that on the way he was raised, though; I purchased him as an adult cock and he never had any other males around to teach him lessons on manners. We'll see how his sons are. The hens are great and are quite cold hardy and healthy.
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If you're looking for high egg production breeds, I'd put my vote in for the White Leghorn. They're good on range, incredibly high producers, thrifty on feed, cold hardy—despite the combs—and great at avoiding predators. I'd likely have them as my main breed if I lived in a more southern climate.
You have gorgeous Ameraucanas, Banty!!


I know all about aggressive roosters. I have a beautiful Ayam Cemani cockerel who is such a beauty, but is too aggressive with the girls. I am hatching some of his eggs though, and am going to rehome him pretty soon.
I love White Leghorns, I have eight and I am still getting tons of eggs from them despite of the cold weather.
Again, great job on the beautiful birds!
