Newbie - lots of stupid questions

[jeff1733]

Rural King has about 15 breeds of chicks. No one there knows anything!!! Here's what they are calling them:

Tetra Brown Pullets
Cinnamon Queen Pullets
Hamburg Gold Pullets
Salmon Favorelle Pullets
Ameraucana Pullets
Rainbow Pullets
Silver Campine Straight Run
Barred Rock Pullets
Jersey Giant Pullets
Lavender Orpington
Brown Leghorn Pullets
Khaki Campbell
Black Maran
Rhode Island Red
Jungle Fowl Straignt Run
Black Langshan

I want a few chickens for egg laying to share eggs with friends & co-workers. I have a couple acres and already have a 16x12 outdoor cage. I'm sure they will also be considered pets. I'm sure it's a subjective answer but are any of the above ones to avoid? I'm not looking for nuance or noise but I do understand they will require some work.

I'd like to get a couple kinds to see the differences for myself. Would having say one each of 5 different breeds be a problem?
If raise chicks later are they hard to introduce to the existing group?
Rural King didn't seem to know if they were male or female. There was one group that said unsexed. Should I assume the others have already been sexed and they are female?
How long do they produce eggs and how long to they live?
If I let them roam the yard will they stay around and will the re-enter the cage by themselfs when it gets dark?

 

[0wen]

6 of one, half dozen of the other on generic hatchery breeds. In your shoes I'd pass on Jersey Giants due to the significant size difference to basically every other breed minus Brahmas, and I'd pass on the Jungle Fowl just because of temperament and the tendency towards flightiness..