I find chickens to be easy-keepers. We have a small 4x8 coop that comfortably houses up to a dozen hens. I have a light-sensitive automatic chicken door that opens and closes at dawn and dusk, which works well - the hens are always in the coop well before the door shuts and when it opens in the morning, off they go. I don't have to worry about predators over-much, and we can be away from the farm knowing they are relatively safe. I have an enclosed chicken yard that is about 1200 feet square which is plenty for them to forage in. That yard is about an old cow corral, 4-board fence with wire tacked to the bottom half. I also let them free range in my yard and outlying fields most days for a few hours to all day. I can load them up with water and feed and simply be gone with no thought for up about 5 days, but usually have someone come by every couple days to gather eggs and check on them. We started with a dozen mixed chicks, two ended up being roosters, gave one of those away and eventually killed the other (he was mean as snot), lost four hens to predators, two hens successfully hatched out 4 replacements, and just recently lost 2 to neighbor dogs. We are now down to 6 hens, which is way enough eggs for the two of us, with plenty to share with friends and family. I'm not interested in selling eggs although I think it is pretty easy to find a steady market if that is the direction you want to go (I've had plenty of folks want to pay me for eggs). My local feed store and on-line information seem to agree that $3-4 per dozen is about a break even cost, and one can easily charge $4-5 per dozen (or more). Frankly, with my small flock, I get enough joy just giving eggs away. Good karma. I find them to be pleasant little animals, not much work, and there is nothing compared to fresh farm eggs for flavor. They also are good for tossing scraps and weeds to. Have fun with it!
