[Janschooks]

I am just about ready for my first chickens and have found a fairly local breeder.
I want a couple of Warrens but can't choose between the other breeds he has and was hoping for some advise, I only want a total of 4 chickens at the moment. I am looking purely for eggs and pets. The choices are:
black rock, light Sussex, Blue Bell, DAisy Bell, Speckaldys, Ambers and Leghorn.

Thanks
Jan

[Roughlee Handled]

Do not go for Leghorn. Very flighty and not for the beginner.  I personally like the light Sussex and Speckaldy. Though I have heard that some say Speckaldies are a bit distant but chucks have there own personality.

[joyfull]

my first two were blackrock and blubelle (called mrs rhythm and mrs blues) and they were (and still are) lovely, laying 6 days out of 7, although the blackrock is having a break from laying and being foster mum to 5 chicks 

[Hensington]

Speckledey for egg colours, Blubelle for hen colour.
The "light sussex" is more likely to be a "sussex star" hybrid. They are white and black but that is where the similarity to the Light Sussex ends.

[Roughlee Handled]

Oh forgot try these websites for a bit of info on pure breeds.
http://www.ithaca.edu/staff/jhenderson/chooks/dual.html
http://www.omlet.co.uk/breeds/breeds.php?breed_type=Chickens

[Janschooks]

Thank you for your quick responses.
Something that just occurred to me which I hadn't thought of is the size of the eggs 
I'm looking for medium to large sized eggs, do all the above mentioned lay these sizes?

Thanks Jan

[wildwitchy]

he he, leghorns are a bit of a nightmare. They're flighty and won't be handled for no money BUT are brilliant layers of lovely big white eggs (sometimes double yolkers). Be aware they are sometimes sold as white stars (part of the leghorn variety), as mine were. I like them, very scatty & pretty.

[agingchick]

Hi I have a black star, amber star and speckeldy star The speckeldy lays a smaller egg than the others but she lays every day the amber lays a large pale egg and she misses a day every so often the black has at least two days off a week and keeps going broody she now sitting on some fertile eggs. they all have very different personalities just like we humans
Diane

[Roughlee Handled]

Hi I have a black star, amber star and speckeldy star ...........

Just to make you aware the above are not a breed of chicken they are a hybrid.
A chicken hybrid are created by two different breeds of chickens having eggs hatched e.g. a Sussex Light Cockerel and a Leghorn Hen.  The subsequent hen can not produce more chickens of the same characteristics that she possesses as only a (for example) Sussex Light Cockerel and a Leghorn Hen would.

Another thing to be aware of a pure breed chicken will lay less eggs per year than a hybrid. Sound like a bad thing for the pure breed chicken?  But its not.  A chicken is hatched with all the eggs she will ever produce (exactly like a woman) and when they are gone they are gone. A hybrid is not hatched with more eggs. A hybrid just uses them up quicker. If you imagine a chicken can live to 9 plus years and a hybrid has finished laying all its eggs at two years to three years max. What are you going to do with your hybrids for the rest of its unproductive life?

[stamford]

Our Speckledys are not as friendley as our Browns, we also have a Silver Dorking which is so paranoid about being touched or caught, Ive only ever caught her once to clip her wings, she's a nightmare !!

I'd go for Isa Browns / Warrens as they seem very child friendley and are constant layers 

[Janschooks]

Oh gosh, now I am confused, which isn't hard 

Ok leghorn is out of the question, I have a 4 yr old who has to cuddle everything including the toad we found last week 

I fancied the speckledy but the eggs sound on the small side.
So now looking at the black rock, bluebell and amber? or even all 3 
Was getting a couple of warrens anyway for the eggs, when they have finished they're laying life they will be kept as pets and see out their days being spoilt.

Jan

[janeheritage]

We have a Warren, a Bovans Nera (like a black rock), a Skyline (blue egg layer) and a Light Sussex Hybrid.

The biggest eggs come from the Warren and the Black Rock. The Light Sussex's eggs were very small and she went broody within a month! I would go with the Black Rock, ours is a very pretty girl and a good layer. She is not as tame as the Warren, though, and although she will eat from my hand she won't be handled at all. Not a pet, just a pretty and productive bird!