Expectant chicken mummy.

We have been running our lotty for a year now and took on a second lotty next to the one we already have, in the hope of getting chickens. We have sorted out the shed that was on the site and now need to know when would be the best time to get some chickens.. 

I think you should have a think about what you are looking for in terms of chickens.  Is there a particular breed/ size you like?  Are you looking for hybrids who lay prolifically?  Do you want bantams or poots?  Chickens who are about to lay in the near future (Pol - Point of Lay)?  Then get yourself researching who you have nearby  that has the bird you would like.  It is so exciting but best to be sure of what you want before jumping in - could have it sussed by next weekend if you're quick  It depends on how much work you have to do to get set up really but as OL says end of Feb will see an increase of ladies ready for new homes! (always cockrels available)  Good luck and enjoy!  welcome to the forum btw! ;

An excellent table and egg laying bird is the Dorking maybe your friend was thinking of that breed. However they are quite a rarity so will be expensive.
I have never taken on ex battery birds but I am tempted. However ...and I'm sure others will contribute here..ex battery hens can come with health and behaviour problems due to their rough start in life so may not be ideal fora first time bird. You need to think carefully about what you want from any birds you have. Beauty, egg laying, longevity, cost? Any ex battery birds you take on you must understand that they are either at or coming to the end of their egg laying days and you will be offering them a happy retirement with the possibility of no eggs.

OL

Marans are good dual purpose birds.  The hens lay very good coloured large rich yolked eggs, and the English Cuckoo Marans was developed from birds which had been imported for their gourmet quality as eating birds

The spare males can be killed before they crow when they would be about 2-2.5 lbs or kept on to make between 4.5-5.5 lbs dressed weight at between 24-30 weeks.  They are fine kept free range and just fed wheat, but if they were confined and fed with fatteners rations they would grow much more quickly

You wont get as many eggs as a modern egg laying hybrid, and it wont grow as fast as a Ross Cob, but if you want quality of eggs and meat I think an English Cuckoo Marans chosen from a good quality utility (rather than show or commercial strain) takes a lot of beating for all round performance

You can check out more details at The Marans Club of Great Britain website

All the best
Sue
Dark Brown Eggs

It is not uncommon for table birds to have a kill weight of over 10lbs.  I had two or three cockerals last yeasr which weighed about 14lbs... of course after you have dressed them this reduces by about half, depending on how you dress them out (e.g. plucking vs skinning)

Table birds should really be kept separately from layers, if they are a specific table hybrid, as you will be feeding them different food.  But generally, you can keep all breeds of chickens together with few problems... well OK, you might come across a few issues if you try to keep brahmas and serama together due to the size difference lol!