I have dealt with several of the hatcheries over the years. For those of you in Texas and the south, there is Ideal Hatchery in Tx. Have had very good service from them.
Have found out over the years that I only want chicks shipped out on Monday or Tuesday so they will get here before the weekend and they don't get stuck in a mail warehouse or someplace.
If you just want layers, get a composite breed like a sex-link or "comet" or something like that. They will lay like all get out for 2 years then fall off in production. When I was running layers on pasture, I got black sex-links one year, added a red sex-link the next year, and then actually had some that were a golden/tan "sex-link" the third year. It made it easy to know which were the oldest birds to start culling out. The third year they older ones would lay a big jumbo egg which I had some call for. Then they would all get culled for soup/butcher and I would get another batch. I have raised both chicks up and gotten "started pullets" and the started pullets are the way to go if you just want to get started with layers for eggs. They are usually about 16-20 weeks here and will most often be laying within a month or so. We pay an average of $10-15 each but you will start to get eggs right away. It takes an average 20 weeks (5 months) minimum to go from a baby chick to a pullet big enough to start laying and you will have at least the $10 in each one by the time they get that big so it is not like a $10-15 pullet so so terribly expensive.
If you are going for "purebreds" a RIR is always good, but I prefer New Hampshires. They are a little more active than RIR and I think prettier to look at. There are MANY MANY breeds if you are going to do purebreds. They don't lay like the sex-link laying machines, but most lay good for a couple years. Leghorns are naturally the cream of the white egg layers.
Plymouth Rocks come in many colors, not just the barred color. There are whites, buffs, blacks, partridge, columbian, silver penciled. There are wyandottes for those of you that live in colder climates, they have a rose comb. Actually RIR and a few others have rosecombs too, but they are harder to find. Mostly from a purebred breeder. There are Jersey Giants that are really bigger and taller and don't lay quite as good.
I have some Standard Big Black Lanshans, because I like to look at them. They are only average layers and not a very big egg but they are very stately to look at. They have feathers down the outside of their legs. Cochins have feathers on their legs and all their toes too. Look like a big puff ball cushion.
You can go to the American Standard of Perfection and look at different breeds. Or visit a bonafide Poultry show and see the many different kinds of chickens available.
