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The curse of too many choices!I had to go to the feed store this morning, and they just got chick deliveries! Barnvelders and Speckeled Sussex were 2 breeds I hadn't seen there before. Beautiful little chicks. It was the EEs, though, with those adorable cheeks, that I really wanted to get. They still had the egg tooth! Ohhh. So cute. Luckily for me, they won't sell just delivered chicks until the following day. I have to remember that Fridays are safe days for me to go to the feed store. They always get deliveries then, but no selling!
As for breed choice, my SLW got nicknamed Grumpus, so that tells how friendly she is. Never had a Brahma, but my hubs really would like one because they are big and calm. I'm not a fan of feathered legs, though. My experience with hatchery chickens has not been stellar. I got 9 different breeds, and they were good layers for the first year, but most dropped off quite a bit after that. Now in their 3rd year, I am seeing some health problems, 3 have died and another one seems on her way out right now (I suspect tumors). I think they also vary quite a bit from the beautiful pictures you see of show birds and their temperaments are also quite variable.
Of course, one bird representing a whole breed isn't fair, so take all this for what it's worth!My EE has been the healthiest and best layer, although she is not super friendly. Lays a big green egg still at 3 yrs. The buff Orpington is hands down the friendliest. My son goes out and picks her up everyday after school for a little chicken therapy session. She has not been a good layer though, sporadically for few months out of each year, and then nothing. New Hampshire has been an excellent layer with a huge egg and still laying at 3 yrs. Gold sexlink, barred rock, and Australorp were great chickens and good layers, but died early. White Leghorn is crazy, quit laying completely when she turned 2yrs, and is my sickie in the garage right now with what I suspect is a tumor or maybe internal laying. My Welsummer was a rescue chick I saved. She is pretty and fairly healthy, very skittish, and lays dark red-brown eggs. She hasn't been the best layer, but I blame it on a bad hatching (poor breeding) - messed her up.
Hatchery birds are great because you can get sexed chicks and try a lot of different breeds. They were a good way to start. For me, EEs are the only hatchery birds I will get again. Everything else will be from local breeders. The problem with that is I have to buy older pullets and they tend to be more broody, so less eggs, but hopefully they are healthier. I would hatch eggs, but I don't like having to deal with the roosters. Makes me sad.
This is probably way more than you wanted to know!Hope the baby had a good nap!
I had to go to the feed store this morning, and they just got chick deliveries! Barnvelders and Speckeled Sussex were 2 breeds I hadn't seen there before. Beautiful little chicks. It was the EEs, though, with those adorable cheeks, that I really wanted to get. They still had the egg tooth! Ohhh. So cute. Luckily for me, they won't sell just delivered chicks until the following day. I have to remember that Fridays are safe days for me to go to the feed store. They always get deliveries then, but no selling!
My EE has been the healthiest and best layer, although she is not super friendly. Lays a big green egg still at 3 yrs. The buff Orpington is hands down the friendliest. My son goes out and picks her up everyday after school for a little chicken therapy session. She has not been a good layer though, sporadically for few months out of each year, and then nothing. New Hampshire has been an excellent layer with a huge egg and still laying at 3 yrs. Gold sexlink, barred rock, and Australorp were great chickens and good layers, but died early. White Leghorn is crazy, quit laying completely when she turned 2yrs, and is my sickie in the garage right now with what I suspect is a tumor or maybe internal laying. My Welsummer was a rescue chick I saved. She is pretty and fairly healthy, very skittish, and lays dark red-brown eggs. She hasn't been the best layer, but I blame it on a bad hatching (poor breeding) - messed her up.
Hope the baby had a good nap!
I've read lots of reviews of the SLW and a lot of people have said that they are not friendly. Of course others say they are lap chickens, but it seems to be like half and half. They are just so pretty and the chicks are SO CUTE. It's clouding my judgement. 
Its funny because I was just thinking that if the store had blue EE's, I would probably get one of those instead of the slw. I don't really want to end up with another brown bird (since the orp and the legbar are both brown). I know they do have EE's but I didn't really look at them yesterday. My biggest issue in life is the rooster issue, I have no idea what I would do with one. I'm part of a norcal rare breed poultry group on fb, so maybe I could unload an orp there, but of course we will all be very attached so it would be hard. Ugh. And I totally agree with you about hatchery vs breeder, which is why I was going with breeder stock from the start, lol! 
