What is most important when chosing a chicken

[Bramble-Poultry]

Doing a bit of research guys and wanted to know what you considered to be the most important factor when chosing chickens for your garden/allotment.

Is it the size they will grow to, the colour they are, the amount of eggs they lay or are you drawn to specific breed for another reason? if other what?

[HayleyB]

Sorry BP - all three are important to me... Having two banties that have never laid me an egg, I want all larger chooks, I like different colours and they need to pay for themselves. Also multi coloured eggs are an attraction.....

[pdblake]

I have to say I picked my brown hens purely on availability. They were what I could get delivered locally. Saying that, they're good layers, seem hardy enough and were surprisingly inexpensive at �5.50 each. They're also easy to handle and tame enough for the kids to handle too. I was so pleased with them I got a couple more of the same from the same place the other week.

[Nicos]

I didn't choose mine- I chose their owner!!!!

Mine were a gift and all I wanted were healthy gals- and mine had been superbly looked after....thanks Roitelet!!!

[RichmondHens]

1. Colour of eggs
2. Appearance of bird (not necessarily the colour)

I particularly like Welsummers because of the gorgeous dark brown eggs and their general attractiveness as a bird. Cocks have the traditional "farmyard" look. They are also good foragers.

Don't like anything with feathery feet/legs.

[di]

That's tough!!!
Our very first chooks were very spur of the moment.A friend needed to rehome them & we decided we fancied giving it a go.
Our first lottie chooks were POL ISA's,our main reason for getting them was as good reliable egg layers.
Then Dandelion & Marigold were another spur of the moment thing,we were at a farm & noticed they had chicks for sale & we decided it would be nice for the kiddies to have two pretty ones,from an early age that could become pets.
Then the obsession really took hold when Marigold went broody.We chose some Buff Orpington eggs as I think they're adorable & had also read they make excellent pets due to how docile they are.Cream Legbars because of the blue eggs & the Norfolk Greys because they have become a rare breed & felt we were doing our bit to keep the breed going.(have since worked out why they've become rare...not my favourites!)
Our second lot of eggs were chosen almost entirely on egg colour(Maran)& looks(Jubilee Orpingtons).
I think in future when we hatch we'll go for a breed that is quite easy to sex from a young age & that grows to a decent size(boys/meat).
The lessons we've learnt so far are that Bantams Cocks don't make for large meat birds,Orpingtons,although adorable are really tricky to sex.
At present I'm thinking that future hatchings will be Brahmas,but then I have my first winter with feathered feet to get through before I make a final decision...which after a winter of googling different breeds could change anyway!
Sorry for a rather long winded answer,but I don't think I could choose just one anymore!

[Pumpkin Becki]

I miss read the title and thought it said 'chasing chickens', in which case I would have said 'a big fishermans keepnet', however...

For me its got to be Orpingtons. They're as big as Labradors, which means they aren't flighty, are very docile and friendly, and I love the way the ladies flick thier skirts up like CanCan dancers when they peck the ground. I always wanted Buffs, but the breeder I'm going to has said I'll probably be swayed by some of her other colours. And Oprie girls are generally gorgeous.

I thought I wanted Light Sussex originally, but realised I was taken in by the handsomeness of the cockrel - we won't be having cockrels!!

[Bramble-Poultry]

I'm loving these answers - I am a sod for chooks as you all know and just buy whatever takes my fancy - my "want" list just keeps getting longer and longer.

Pumpkin Bekki - I place money on you haveing a buff and other colours i love the colours of Orpingtons - actually I love orpys (amongst others!!)

[RedThorn]

1) quantity of eggs (before I got more girls)
2) size of egg (ie normal size) - now that I get a consistent supply of normal eggs, banty eggs would be ok
3) colour of egg ( now probably the only consideration oh and colouring of the girls) so voted for this one

[Hilary B]

I'm going with 'availability', and also affordability.
The most available and affordable tend to be the 'basic' hybrids, and they also are very practical from the POV of egg-production.
Yeah, sure it's nice to have the interesting ones, but it's like the work-colleague (over 30 years ago) who made a basic cheap wine in bulk, to have some every day, but also made some 'specials'. The 'everyday' chooks were always cheap to buy, and easy to get hold of. Specials were 'when offered'......

[pdblake]

I'm going with 'availability', and also affordability.
The most available and affordable tend to be the 'basic' hybrids, and they also are very practical from the POV of egg-production.
Yeah, sure it's nice to have the interesting ones, but it's like the work-colleague (over 30 years ago) who made a basic cheap wine in bulk, to have some every day, but also made some 'specials'. The 'everyday' chooks were always cheap to buy, and easy to get hold of. Specials were 'when offered'......

I agree, so if anyone has some fancy ones to give away and can drop them off.....

[vicky]

Difficult question! A bit of everything really!
Egg colour is a biggie - it's nice to know which one laid what (Dark brown marans, blue aracunmas) The child in me wants an egg box filled with different colours!
I fancy one that might be a broody so that's a factor (Bantams of some description?)
Chooks that look different to each other (pencil edged feathers are fab!)
Ones that have an endearing look! (Ex batts fall into this category!)

Currently I am down to 2 chooks and one is on her last legs, so I'm after a companinable 'cast-off' till the (blinkin') house move is over...

[Suechooks]

Originally just the idea of "very fresh eggs". Then along came the ex-batts with their sad little faces and I was smitten. If they never lay an egg they will always be my favourites.
So its personality first - loving Araucanas too for their sparky little ways.
Egg colour second - would love dark eggs and green and blue
Looks third - not keen on feathery legs or squidgy looking combs (just like the normal single comb - don't know any tech terms for combs)

[MaureenHall]

Sorry, I've just HAD to put a tick in every box Size to me is important, I don't really get the same feeling for a bantam as I do for the larger birds. Colour - that's a difficult one, I love the black ones, the brown ones, the blue ones, the speckledy ones, the ones with lacey patterned feathers ................. lots more when I see them too I should think!! Eggs, well yes, it's nice to enjoy lovely fresh eggs. My 11 ex-batts provide me with 5 - 6 eggs a day which I consider a bonus, the 4 Bluebelles give me 4 eggs a day, and the Wellsummers don't give me any at all (yet!!). Other - well, I'm not fussed on chooks with feathery feet, rose combs or any other sort of comb that isn't "standard or ordinary". Having said all that though, I may be swayed

[walldanzig]

colour of egg. I like the fact that we don't have to just have the brown eggs you can have blue ones and green ones and even pink ones