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If you want a dual purpose bird, (both meat and eggs) I would highly recommend staying away from "hatchery" birds (the ones sold at feed stores) They have been bred away from their original jobs to more suit the needs of consumers which is egg laying. I have raised hatchery "dual-purpose" and was sorely disappointed upon butchering day, tiny frames with very little meat. Decide on a few really good dual purpose birds, and then see if you can get them from a breeder. You will be MUCH happier in the end if you start with better stock.
I ended up selling all my hatchery birds and now only have breeder birds. I have 2 flocks, one for eggs and one for meat, that way I can specialize in each. I like doing it that way but it would be really cool to have just one flock that is good for both. And they are out there. I highly recommend Rhode Island Reds, White Rocks, Barred Rocks, Wyandottes, Delawares and Orpingtons for a dual purpose bird good for your area, but mind you "real" heritage birds and not the ones from a hatchery. There is a thread on here called heritage birds or something, that is a good place to start.
