[gavin9900]

Hi all,

I will soon be building a coop and run for the allotment and would like some help regarding which chickens to buy. I will only be needing layers for now and would like 3-4, but being new to this sort of thing i want them to be a pretty hardy bunch (if there is such a breed) to ease me in.
Is there such a thing as an easy to care for, hardy chicken breed for beginners that will still provide a steady number of eggs?

Many thanks
Gav.

[andreadon]

most hybrids are hardy and easy with lots of eggs, that's a good thing!

i chose mine by doing a lot of googling (and then had to go with a choice of what the farm had when i went....)

we all have our favourites, so at the end of the day, it'll be the breed that you think looks most like a chicken!

(mine are Bovans Nera and silverlink (which in turn is practically the same as an amberlink))

[GrannieAnnie]

Like Andreadon says, most of the hybrids are ideal for the beginner.  Although they were bred origially for the commercial farms, lots of people now want chickens in the garden, and the hybrids are a lot cheaper than pure breeds, so I'm not being funny, but if things don't work out for any reason, then you haven't wasted oodles of money on some expensive but pretty chicken.

I rear Amberlinks (white with browny flecks), Goldlines (lightish brown with white rear ends) and Babcocks (darker brown like the Rhode Island Reds, usually with a black tail, but some of ours have white tails).  Of all of them, we found the Babcocks to be the most laid back of the lot, and everyone who has had them has agreed. 

but they all lay really well for their first couple of years.  also like andreadon says, it's up to you what you think would look nice in your garden!!

The reason we got Amberlinks in the first place was because I thought it would be nice that when people want chickens in their gardens, if they had say a white one, a black one and a brown one, they would be mush easier to tell apart, especialy for the children, but I like the look of the bluebelles too!!!!