Well, I live on a farm, but many City & Suburban Folk are raising laying hens these days. I have a flock of fifty and they really only take up about 30 minutes of my time each day.
They’re cheap to keep if it’s only a few. My fifty run me about $50 a month to feed, half of which is covered by egg sales. It’s not a money-making venture by a long shot. You need 200 or so to make any decent money at it.
http://www.mypetchicken.com/ebook.aspx
http://www.mybackyardchickenfarm.com/
Thanks for the site.......whew, chicken coops are not cheap!
I’m a BYC member :)
There’s a lot of good info there. I have a dozen eggs in my “Darth Bator” now. They are due on the 30th.
A person can quietly keep hens in a residential district without annoying the neighbors if they don’t try to house roosters. Hens are quiet and easy to maintain.
Also, for meat purposes, Rabbits have the most efficient feed conversion ratio of just about any animal and they multiply like crazy. Dollar for Dollar, rabbits are a great “Surviving socialism” solution and healthy meat source.