I was just taking a look around. Columbian Wyandotte may be nice bird.
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something that true backyard flock people should consider, but i don't ever see it mentioned is whether the breed tends to be broody. You likely are not looking for hens to go broody, since you have stated you want eggs. I find broody chickens a real hassle, You will need a separate place to house them during these spells, which can be very frequent, which cuts into egg production considerably too. Most heritage breeds will have some to considerable tendancy to be broody. If you want to avoid this, your hatchery production breeds are best. Any of the sex link varieties, EEs, Australorp, and Barred Rock would be best. Production RIRs can be a little aggressive and not as gentle, leghorns are a little too easily spooked for me. I love a lot to the heritage birds, but don't wish to run a maternity ward in my backyard. I saw where someone had 7 Swedish Flower pullets and 4 went broody the first year. They are such a treat to look at but I don't know I could deal with that. Just food for thought.
Okay, so someone mentioned the more popular breeds of chickens should be avoided, something about being bred for productivity or bred poorly? Now I have a bit of a challenge for you guys, and it would be a great help to me.
This isn't quite true. In fact, I would say the inverse can be true. Rare breeds tend to be more expensive and can attract unscrupulous folks trying to make a quick buck. From these people you may or may not end up with the breed you think you purchased. If you really like and want a popular breed then go for it. The quality of the chickens are determined by the breeder. Hatcheries in general use large breeding groups and breed for egg production. (More eggs = more chicks = more sales) Hatchery chicks are good to learn with, produce a lot of eggs, but will likely burn out by year two. Since they're not selectively bred, you may or may not have conformation or temperament issues.
Breeders can run the gamut from folks cross breeding chickens to see what pretty colors they can come up with to dedicated poultrymen who are focusing on improving/preserving one or more breeds. The latter are the people you want to find if you prefer purebred chickens that are consistent in correct type and temperament. That doesn't mean mutt chickens won't produce eggs for a good number of years or be healthy --- Olive Eggers produced by crossing good Marans or Welsummers and good purebred Ameraucanas can be great chickens too. And I don't have anything against nice Easter Eggers either.
As for broodiness, some breeds have been selectively bred to not be broody, but each hen is an individual. I've also noticed this year has been a "broody year" for hens that have never gone broody before. Broody hens are not a big deal - just shoo them off the nest and gather the eggs. Without a rooster she isn't going to hatch anything anyway so you won't need to separate her to protect the chicks. You can try to "break" the cycle by putting her in a crate where she can't set for awhile, but I find removing the eggs usually works after a week or two. Silkies are VERY broody in general (though I've had two that weren't interested) so if you don't want broody, don't get them.
I don't know where you are located, but try to find a show coming up soon and visit. You can see a variety of the best examples of breeds near you and get advice from the breeders. Some shows even have sales areas and raffles.
Speckled Sussex. They are beautiful! I've only ever had one, but mine is super sweet, sticks up for her self with the other chickens but isn't mean. She lays pretty well, too, but again I only have one. For some reason they are not popular, of course all the hatcheries sell them (that is where I got mine) but trying to find SQ from a breeder is nearly impossible. Everybody loves the orpingtons but Speckles is fluffier, prettier, and sweeter than any hatchery orpington I've ever seen.
Okay, I was asking for a SS breeder, and I found some.I'm going to try really hard not to get any chicks from a hatchery, mainly because I want to make sure the ones I get have the right temperament. It's important that they be friendly. Although I am planning on getting day old chicks, so I hope that hand raising them will make them friendly.