Is the priority egg production? If so, there are many prolific egg layer breeds out there. White Leghorns, Rhode Island Reds, White and Barred Rocks for example. There are also hybrids that are bred for an egg a day production. I am personally an advocate of purebreds and even better Heritage breeds.
Looking for a beautiful egg basket? There are several breeds of chickens that lay gorgeous colored eggs. Americaunas lay a pastel blue egg, OliveEggers (this is a cross bred bird specifically for getting these colored eggs) provide a darl olive green egg, Cream Legbars lay an almost robins blue colored egg, EasterEggers (another cross bred) will give pastel pink, blue and green eggs. Marans come in different color varieties and all give a dark brown almost chocolate shade egg. Marans come in Black Copper, Birchen, Blue and Buff just to name a few. If you want white eggs you can look at the White Leghorn and LF Polish.
Do you want both eggs and possibly provide healthy chicken for your family freezer? This is where Heritage dual purpose breeds comes into play. I personally like Heritage Delawares - we raise them. They are fast growing and great egg layers and wonderful meat birds. Another option is the all purpose and cold hardy Buckeye. My good friend over at Wee Acre Farm raises them. Both these breeds are on the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy list as threatened. I like the feeling of making a difference in farming's history by helping conserve these breeds.
Do you want eggs and eye candy? Maybe you don't need an "egg a day" but still appreciate fresh farm eggs and would like something really pretty and/or fun. Large Fowl Cochins and Crested Polish are a couple very fun options. You can also get them "frizzled" which means the feathers all curl creating quite the site.
Do you like a smaller size chicken? Then the world of Bantams is at your fingertips. There are so many Bantam breeds. We raise Silkies here and love them for many reasons. The egg is small but very usable. They are the "poodle" of the chicken world. They are very sweet in temperament and still hardy for winter coldness. Bantam Cochins are another bantams that many love. They are a ball of feathers all the way down to their toes. They come in many fabulous colors. If you are wanting even smaller then the d'Uccles are a one way to go as well as Olde English Game. There are so many bantam options.
Is climate of concern? Up north freezing temperatures are of great concern as well as the heat waves of the south. Keep this is mind when choosing a breed. Large combs for example are more likely to get frostbite in winter than a rose comb for example.
This is just to get you started. There are multitudes of breeds of chickens to choose from and depending on who you are talking to - everyone has their own personal favorites for good reasons. Research carefully each breed you are interested in and then find a local breeder to talk to and ultimately purchase from. Try to obtain chicks from a farm that is focused on quality over quantity to insure good health and the traits you are wanting from that particular breed.
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