[lisa80]

anyone have an opinion on what breeds are best for laying need to be ok round children(not easily spooked or flighty)

[andreadon]

bovans nera.
they're a nice temperament and lay regularly.
and they're pretty too.

or silverlink (also called amberlink):
they lay eggs like they're going out of fashion and are quite happy to sit there while you stroke and cuddle them!
 

[Sparr0wman]

our warrens are very friendly. but the black rock loves cuddles and stroking.
     

[funky chicken]

Yay!I'm now a happy Bunny.I like the idea of cuddly strokeable Amber-links that'lay eggs like billyo'! 7 days till ours are due to hatch,I shall be pacing up and down neighbours garden and dishing out cigars on the day.lol

[Foxy]

Take some time to choose your breeds, have a look at "Practical Poultry" a monthly magazine available from WHSmiths. A really good book is "Choosing  and Keeping Chickens" by Chris Graham

Choosing and Keeping Chickens

Also, do consider the pure/rare breeds they may be harder to source but will be worth it, plus will lay for longer than hybrids

http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=31331.0

[LittleRedHen]

Our Tilly, a Columbia Black Tail (Calder Ranger)  lays like a trooper and is very, very friendly.

[Elcie]

I'm just considering breeds at the moment.  Can you mix breeds?

[lisa80]

have been told u can mix breeds but try to keep it so they are roughly same age to stop young from being hen pecked not sure if thats right tho

[andreadon]

yeah, you can definitely mix breeds - we started out with 2 bovans nera and one silverlink, then got 2 ex batts (so isa browns?) and now we have 2 randdom stripey ones and a bluebelle in with them (only 6 in total cos we've lost 2 along the way!)
the only problems are with getting them all settled in together, but that only happens if, like lisa says, you put extras in later on.
 

[andreadon]

just been thinking about eggs - maybe it's a good idea to get different breeds because then you'll always be able to tell which hen laid which egg.  Jessica's eggs are large, brown and a bit speckly, Erica's are pale brown (darker at the bottom than the top) and Rita's are very pale.  So far, the only new one to lay is Pamela and hers are still really really small, but they look like they're going to be dark brown too (hopefully a different dark brown to Jess's, but time will only tell!!)
 

[princesspoultry]

 I love Black Australorps!