We have 17 chickens in our flock right now. Over the last 7 years that number fluctuates here and there. Some die, get replaced, we’ll lose a few to coyotes sometimes. It’s a hazard if you let them free range. The free ranging is better for them. My property abuts a 600 acres nature preserve. Lots of creatures want to kill your chickens - coyotes, fisher cats, hawks, black bears, etc. You have to be vigilant. In any event, my engineer wife tracks and weighs every egg we collect. We’ve collected over 12,000. The eggs are delicious and when you have 3 large sons the extra food helps. My oldest, a big football and rugby player (he’s captain of the University of Michigan rugby team) ate 4 or 5 eggs every day for the 4 years he was in high school. We never have to buy eggs. All those years they were expensive didn’t affect us. We used to sell a dozen for $6 when we had extra. We would sell out immediately.
My parents in India always had water buffalo and chicken on the property. Water buffalo milk is richer & creamier than cow milk. The chicken foraged on the property and I still remember the delicious tasting eggs.