My best advice would be to make sure you get your coop completed and predator-proofed before the chickenstock. There are so many great breeds of chickens available, just spend some time looking through the breed threads. I found that of all the chickens I have owned, my favorite for being both a great pet and a great egg layer was my australorp. My orpington stayed a little too broody for me but she was a real sweetheart. Right now I have serama bantams which are great pets and they do lay eggs, but they are very small eggs. I may get some more australorps in the future, but I am limited on space at my new home and so size is a consideration for me. Good luck...I highly recommend coming to Chickenstock so you can see tons of breeds up close. They usually have some nice ones in the raffle too. You can make some great contacts there.