Tips on Raising Chickens:

If you want inexpensive chickens (not purebred) mainly for egg production, a good option is to find the nearest battery egg farm, and buy their year old hens.

Commercial egg producers usually only run chickens for about a year, when the hen's egg production is at a peak, but they are normally really good egg producers for at least two more years, especially in a less stressful environment.

This is an ideal way of getting chickens and a joy to see them learn ‘normal' chicken behaviours in a good environment. (Commercial egg producers sell seasonally and for a short period so enquire in advance).

Adding to that, if you want meat and eggs, you can buy hens as above, keep them for the laying season then kill them for meat (Hens at this stage are best cooked for soups and stews). This way you don't have to feed them through the non-egg producing winter months, and then buy new chickens the next year.

This is a very practical and economical system, though not for everybody, as it's not as enjoyable as keeping chickens for pets, having the same chickens, for several years.

If you have young children (under age 6 or so), and especially if you're breeding chickens, watch for the rooster being aggressive in defending his ‘territory'.

My sister still tells stories of the rooster we had, which was nearly as big as her at the time, and very diligent about defending ‘his' backyard. She tells it as a funny story now, but be careful, some roosters can be aggressive, often depending on their breed, if you think this might be a problem do some research on the breed you intend on getting beforehand.

Separating children and rooster is best if this is the case, though sometimes the opposite is true and chooks and roosters can be a child's best playmates.

Chickens can and will eat meat, and it will help make lovely yolks but be careful, many rodents (often rats, and snakes if you have them in your area) will be attracted by meat, and could end up taking your eggs, or even killing your chickens. I would suggest you rodent-proof your coop, either by putting some concrete under it if its permanent, or if its portable extending the chicken-wire underneath it aswell, so rats can't tunnel under then edge.