Buff Orpingtons are good as Jim said. My favorites were silver laced wyandottes, then barred rocks and buffs. I've had frizzles and araconnas too but those were just for fun. One thing I did (chickenless at the moment) was get a different breed each year so needed 3 good breeds to rotate between. I'd keep my hens 2 years then gave them to a friend who didn't care if they laid consistently or not. By having a different breed each year, I could keep track of how old they were.