A collection of our girls, including Australorp, Delaware, and Sussex pullets, and the adult Millefleur bantam and Partridge Rock hens.
We are currently trying out a bunch of different breeds to figure out the best hens for us. Our primary laying hens are:
Black Australorps: All black, these hens are considered a heavy breed, but seem somewhat lighter than other heavy breed birds that we have. These hens are good layers, tolerate winter well, and seem very hearty (we have not lost one of the 12 we ordered as chicks). They can fly better than some of the other heavy breeds, but can be persuaded to stay in the fence via wing clipping. They appear to have a tendency toward broodiness, but don't turn into attack chickens in the process.
Delawares: These white hens are heavy, outgoing birds. They are supposed to be slightly better layers than Barred Rock hens since they are crossed with Rhode Island Reds, and we have not had the trouble with cannibalism that can go along with the RI Reds. They are a bit pushier than the other hens, and are not afraid of much of anything. Their heavy build is great for getting through winter, and for keeping on their side of the fence - these are not the flyers of our flock. They probably eat a lot, though.
Speckled Sussex: A very ancient breed from England, these brown hens are beautiful and friendly - the only chickens we have who will let us pet them. They don't fly so they stay in their yard, they seem to lay well; they are my favorite hens. Unfortunately, they may have a tendency to get picked off by predators (they are not at all vigilant) - the only bird we have ever lost to a hawk was one of these.
Silver-spangled Hamburgs: These have a lovely black-and-white pattern - each hen is different. They are a medium-sized bird, so eat less than the heavies we have, but seem to do fine in winter - ours have made it through 2 winters with no trouble. They are very good layers (they are referred to as the "Dutch every day layer") of medium-sized white eggs. They are probably very good birds for truly free ranging - they seem very good at taking care of themselves, can fly very well, and have a strong tendency toward brooding eggs. We had one hen successfully lay, brood, and raise two sets of babies last year, as well as one this year. Amazingly, many of them do spend most of their time in the chicken yard, but they do leave when they feel like it so probably not the best breed if you need them to stay in the fence. Our mama hen raised her chicks almost exclusively in my vegetable garden last year, but everyone is staying inside the fence this year.
We have a few individuals of other breeds
Barred Rock: Our dominant rooster "Bucky" is this breed. He is not aggressive toward people, and is good with his hens. There were several other roosters we weeded out since they did try to dominate humans. We have had hens of this breed, they are a wonderful heavy breed, the New England standard. I'm sure we will have these again, once we have tried out some of the other available breeds.
Belgian D'Ucle Millefleur bantams: We have a pair of these pretty, speckled light-brown birds ("Bantasaurus" and his little hen). They would be great in a yard - they use a very small range, don't destroy gardens the way the bigger chickens do, eat very little, and even at 3 years old our hen lays about every other day in the summer. They do have a strong tendency toward broodiness, and despite their tiny size have made it through a number of winters. Also, we had two roosters but one had to go, since he tended to follow around our 3-year old son and attack him.
Partridge Rock: We have one of these pretty brown hens. We did have 6, but 5 were killed as pullets on one morning by a coyote. Not a good choice if not protected from predators! They have all the benefits of a Barred Rock (good in winter, solid layers, stay in a fence well, nice hens), just a different color.
Light Brahma Bantam: We received one rooster of this breed as our "mystery chick" from McMurray's hatchery. His name is Mystery. He is a bit smaller than our heavy hens, but a lot bigger than the other bantams (the non-bantam version of this breed is HUGE). He is a real scrapper, takes on every rooster except Bucky despite his tiny size, but has never had a moment of aggression toward humans. He always stays in the fence; a few hens of this variety or the larger size might be worth a try.
We also have a number of Hamburg-Barred Rock crosses, thanks to the Hamburg broody hen. Despite the contrast between the parents, the offspring look amazingly similar - barred feathers like dad, body size and egg color like mom. These chickens were raised by their mom largely outside of the fence, and we have had real trouble keeping them in the chicken yard. We lost three hens this spring as a result - I think they were sleeping in the apple trees, and got picked off at night or early in the morning.