"An Egg Today is Better Than a Hen Tomorrow": Breeds o' Chickens Part III

Just how many chicken breeds are there?  Wikipedia says "hundreds", Yahoo Answers says the same "hundreds" (since it was just copy-pasted from Wikipedia), Poultrypages.com says over 75....to put it simply, there are a lot of different types of chickens out there.  So which ones are the best for what I/people who may want an urban hen house of just a few want?

Some factors to consider:  good egg layer, friendly, not aggressive - think pet that lays eggs.  Here are some of the more popular breeds:

1. Rhode Island Red: 
- Hardy against cold weather
- A good egg layer ( average 200 per year, 5-7 per week) 
- Good with kids, but can get a bit aggressive if provoked/annoyed/poked/harassed. 
- Can be affectionate, especially with familiar people. 
- If free range/run, eggs can be too big to fit into a carton
- Egg color = brown

2. Barred Plymouth Rock ("Barred Rock"):
- Hardy against cold
- Decent egg layers (4 per week)
- Calm around familiar people
- Will run from predators
- "Smart and plucky" (sounds very chicken-ish)
- Good brooders (meaning they will incubate eggs)
- Egg color = brownish pink






3. Easter Eggers (sorta Ameraucanas, but not):
- Not a specific breed
- Egg colors = blue to green to olive to aqua and sometimes even pinkish
- Very friendly, especially with kids
- Hardy against the cold
- Decent egg layer (4 per week)
- Known to have a "fun" personality


4. Sussex:
- Come in a variety of colors (Brown, Buff, Light, Red, Speckled, Silver, White and Coronation) 
- Great against cold weather
- Forage well and are economical eaters
- Friendly and easy to handle
- Can't really fly away, easy to fence
- Curious (will follow you around)
- Decent egg layers (4 per week)
- Egg color = brown


For more information on these breeds and others, visit My Pet Chicken