Best Breed for Beginner (chickens)

[lil_miss_understood]

I'm planning to get some chickens soon.
I've been looking at different breeds, trying to decide what I want but there are so many!! I would *like* (I think) to get Chanteclers or maybe Dominques (Dominickers). Has anyone had these? Any recommendations for someone who is just starting out with chickie-chick-chickens!!? (Nope, not excited. )

[karne]

We have found Barred Rocks to be great layers, and very hearty. Same w/ RI Reds, although I don't love their personality. Hands down are the Wellsummers for us. Beautiful eggs and great personality! I'd love to try Buff Orps as well.

[I Fly]

We have a small flock of Delawares and Barred Rocks that are 2 years old. We've been really happy with them as laying hens. This year, we are raising chicks for a new flock, which we'll use for eggs and meat among other things. I picked Buff Orpingtons because they are a good dual-purpose breed, beautiful, gentle, hardy, forage well, and often raise their own chicks. We got 50 day-old chicks, and they are all still alive and growing now at one week. Yipee!

[sparkygirl74]

Our Welsummers are very mellow and very pretty, our Delewares are the friendliest, our Buff Orpingtons are sweet, our Australorps are very nice and make a funny growling noise, our easter eggers are nice too. I wouldn't reccommend Marans. They are the weirdo's of the bunch, lol.
We had a BO Rooster and had to cull him because he was so mean. Now we have a Welsummer rooster and Australorp Rooster and they are both great!
Are you doing this for eggs and meat?

[lil_miss_understood]

Thanks for the input, ladies!
Yes, I'm doing this for eggs and meat.

[Chicky2]

I like aracaunas and brahmas and cochins myself. This time around, though, I got some orientals, some long-tails, some lakenvelders, some cochins, various brahmas, and buff orpingtons(so sweet!). Oh, and we got several different leghorns.

We use to have some frizzles that were so cute! They are a small breed (think bantam size), but they look like they backed up to a blow dryer, lol.

[Sparkle*Mama]

We have Barred Rocks, RI's, Easter Eggers and Orpingtons. I would say by far our Buff Orp's are the most gentle friendliest creatures I have ever come in contact with.

All of our girls are super friendly. But the BO's are by far my favorites. Ours like to roost on your arm or shoulder as if they are parrots. They come right up to you, they are truly nosey Nellie's. They don't know a stranger.

We also had Delawares and Golden Laced Wyandottes and I actually rehomed them, they weren't as friendly.

[Momma2DoubleCuties]

We have araucaunas that I'd read weren't supposed to be super nice, but we've had no problems with them. We also have a golden sex link that is perfect, she holds her own against our pup but then is super gentle with my kids. My 2 yr old carries her around like she's a doll.

[sparkygirl74]

If you are doing it for meat and eggs, our Delewares, Buff Orps, Australorps, Marans and Barred rocks were the biggest for butchering. Our Welsummers and EEs were pretty puny