What to know before getting chickens-

Many people assume that chickens are simple creatures, so it must be simple to keep some right?
Well in a sense, yes, it is easy caring for them, if your up for the commitment! (And you will see that chickens are in fact quite smart). You should know that if a chicken doesn't die from predators or sickness, they can live up to 10-15 years. Some might lay up to that long, while most decrease laying around 5 years, and will only lay a couple a week, instead of almost every day when they are young. Also, keeping backyard chickens won't save you any money. After building the coop and run and getting all the equipment for raising chicks, you will then have to buy feed for the hens once every month or so (depending on how many you have), shavings for the nesting boxes, seeds, etc. But don't let this dissuade you! You can save a lot of money by collecting used (and clean) wood and wire for the coop and run, or find a shed or used coop off of Craigslist. Chickens also need space, so make sure you have enough in your yard. Chickens also take time. You will need to clean out their coop often and watch them for irregular behavior or sickness.
I definitely recommend buying these books before getting chickens, which have helped me so much in caring for chickens:
"Keeping Chickens", by Jeremy Hobson and Celia Lewis
"The Field Guide to Chickens", by Pam Percy

If you have any questions, please email me (gracie.rid@gmail.com), and I would love to help you start your own flock of backyard chickens!