I've have Buff Orpingtons and I've had Brahmas (my first breed, about 50 years ago) and both of them are very friendly and gentle birds that are good layers of brown eggs. My top recommendation for a dual purpose bird are Black Australorps. I've raised them for years and they are extremely hardy. I raised them in Texas, in both northern Kansas where temperatures dropped to 30 F below zero one winter, and in CA where summer temperatures frequently reached 117-118 F (123 F once), and in both climate extremes, they came through like troopers. They are also very calm and gentle. My children, and now my granddaughter, made lap pets out of ours. And Black Australorps are the best layers of the standard brown egg laying breeds. A Black Australorp holds the brown egg laying record with 364 eggs in 365 days, and while none of mine have ever reached that kind of production (and likely never will), I've had a few of them lay over 300 eggs in a year. You can further research the various breeds with the quick reference charts at http://albc-usa.etapwss.com/images/uploads/docs/pickachicken.pdf, http://www.mypetchicken.com/chicken-breeds/breed-list.aspx, and http://www.sagehenfarmlodi.com/chooks/chooks.html. Also, Murray McMurray has an excellent "chick selector" tool at https://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/chick_selector.html to help you determine which breed is best for you. Just be sure and click on "show more characteristics."
