If you just want to keep a few chickens this site has tons of information:
http://www.mypetchicken.com/
Best to read everything you can before you actually bring home the chickens; also check with you local county cooperative extension service to get the best local advice.
Or you could do it the wrong way like I did. While I was walking my dog around midnight he found a fully grown chicken in the road.
We brought it home to keep it safe for the night thinking it belonged to our neighbor. No, not his chicken. So we kept it.
Had to scramble to find housing, food, enclosure, etc.
