I loved the barred rock hens, great all purpose birds, but the roosters I had were very aggressive and injured a couple of children. If you have small kids helping, you might be cautious about having the roosters of some of the large or aggressive breeds.
Out of the more than a dozen breeds I have raised, Ameraucanas, were very good pets, friendly, active, decent layers of medium to large eggs, didn't eat too much feed and the tinted eggs made them interesting. They hatched and raised small broods for me...