Beginner thinking about hatching chickens

Ok I will start doing research on chicken breeds. I read that the Silkie is the most broody breed of all chicken breeds and the best sitter of all.

I will definitely get a new rooster of a good dual purpose meat/egg variety.

I read that people use Silkies to sit on eggs from other hens to hatch them. Could I possibly get 2 silkie hens put them in the mobile coop and then put the fertile eggs from the bigger coop under the Silkies and they could hatch them?

I keep a large breed flock and I keep a bantam flock. I used to have some silkies, currently I have bantam cochins and d'uccle. I put my bantam to work incubating my eggs. They do large chicken and bantam, and even some turkeys. I pull the standard sized chicks, and poults and brood them myself, mine raise a few bantam each year. You can let the hen raise all chicks if you choose.

I like my buff Orpingtons. The source and breeding behind a bird often determines her abilities more than what breed she is.

I do similar to oldhen. I've kept bantam Cochins for a few years as my broody hens. I've kept any large fowl hens that go broody, and the last few years I've added a few silkies. Love me some broody hens

For my purposes, I don't limit myself to one breed. But, my goals aren't yours. I'm interested in different genetic breeding projects, that change every few years. So, I'm constantly changing my flock(s), adding breeds and selling off birds that no longer fit my needs.

For a rooster, if you're mostly after egg production with meat as a bonus, I think most of the dual purpose birds would suit you well. Rocks, Reds, Wyandottes, Australorps, etc should all be good. You could use him on the hens you already have, for starters. Get a couple of broody hens, silkies or Cochins, etc. I don't know if brooding chicks helps hens live longer as they take a break from laying, or if I simply keep mine longer, but I've had hens 4-5 years old still being good broody mommas. So, I don't think you really need to worry about breeding your own silkies or whatever, at that rate it will be cheaper to simply purchase a few chicks every few years than keeping a rooster and raising your own replacements.

As to breeds of hens, I always tell folks to cast the net wide and try different breeds. Some look wonderful on paper, in the coop not so much. Don't get locked into one particular breed right off, or you may miss out on a breed that you really fall in love with.