What is most important when chosing a chicken

[TPeers]

I just had to go 'other' there are so many reasons for the girls!

TOH and I wanted to be able to identify each girl by looks and to be able to tell which hen laid what egg. I really wanted blue egg laying hens and to have a basket of eggs where every egg is a different colour is so lovely.

I also wanted good egg laying, so I do have hybrids and preserving the diversity of 'hen type' (do I mean geneome?) is also improtant so I have pure breeds too. Though that hasn't quite worked as I can't have cockerels!

Because I have kids I wanted hens that would be hand tameable but equally they need to be tough enough to withstand the kids and the cats.

How many reasons would you like?

[Snadger]

I have my ISA's which are my mainstay egg producers. I will always have some of these because they are so dependable.

I like the idea of hatching my own chooks, preferably with a broody hen. With this comes the problem of what to do with the cockerels, so with this in mind I have hatched large fowl utility breeds up til now so that I could at least eat the cockerels.
My latest quest is to have chooks that can give me an assortment of egg colours, but I'm not so sure I will be able to get rid of the eggs as easily as I do the ISA's eggs.
I'm not sure where my attention will focus next..........breeding my own hybrids or going down the endangered species route?

In a nutshell it's nice to have eggs but a bit of eye candy never did anyone any harm!

[TPeers]

Snadger don't worry about shifting coloured eggs! There are several people who keep hens and sell eggs at the door in the roads around our local school - I'm the one with 'fancy' hens and no eggs.... not them!

[frias]

I didn't want chickens at all, not of any kind. Had never even given them a passing thought. Never even got up close to one. Then I watched Jamie Oliver, sent an email to the BHWT and was on the list. OH built a coop and run and before I knew it my ex-batts were here. Now my family think I am nuts 'cos I love all my chickens and only wish I could have at least one of every size and shape. Apparently the only language I speak nowadays is chickenese.

[bluemoon]

I went for 'other' as my main consideration was hardiness. They're living on an exposed hill-top and I didn't want them to suffer in the winter months. Once I had a list of hardy breeds I narrowed it down to good, dual purpose breeds and then went for the ones which attracted me most, so ended up with my not-very-original Rhodies. I actually love the red-setter red of this breed, even if they are common, but at the local agricultural show at the weekend we saw 'show' Rhodies which are all now bred to be almost black. How stupid is that? We also have marans, but only because Coco is either a marans or closely resembles one and they were bought to keep him company. The egg colour is great, but numbers are low.

[its hilly]

When I got my first chooks I would have said number of eggs, but then I started to chook-watch Their personalities facinate me now.
I love my mad mix of colours and feather patterns, both the big fluffy ones and the smoother. And I love fuffy feet. And prefer full sized or bigger to banties. Except the Sablepoots, whose numbers are extremely likely to increase Shhh

I'm not sure where my attention will focus next..........breeding my own hybrids or going down the endangered species route?

Snadger, I got the RIRs for eggs looks and the fact they seem make good hybrids, which I definately want to have fun with. And the Silver Sussex, cos they look gorgeous and are ' vulnerable'
But it seems most breeders are 'down south' so local availability definately counts

[Flummery]

Didn't vote. There wasn't a single factor - several things were taken into consideration. Obviously we wanted eggs, or we'd have got a cat! Didn't care what colour. Wanted a chicken I could get reasonably locally from someone who looked after them before they came to me. Size - big enough to lay a standard egg. Not after fancy feathers or particular colour. Ended up with hybrids. They're lovely and friendly and their eggs are second to none.

[Eco-Chic]

I haven't voted for the same reason as Flummery.

I accepted the offer of the Orpington Blue bantams from the person I bought the coop and run from. She advised that they were smaller than full placid and easy going and that was good enough for me. She didn't tell me how pretty and sweet and funny they are.

[Hans Mum]

i put other.... as my choice was made firmly to take in some ex-batts & the eggs were just a bonus, having said that i'm now addicted to this chicken keepin lark and fancy a couple of black or very dark feathered girls as I think they look gorgeous, My 'practice' girls were hybrids too (lavender blue & calder ranger) just so's i had some experience of proper hens before i got the batts.

[Birdie Wife]

I ticked 'other' as well, as all my hens were chosen for multipurpose reasons - they have to tick several boxes of looks/winter eggs/broodiness/egg colour/egg size/meatiness/hardiness... don't ask much really