who keeps chickens?

[Psyche]

I seriously, seriously doubt I'd be allowed to but zoning laws in my city allow up to 12 chickens without a permit

I'm not sure if it'd be easier for me to read a book (so if you have a recommendation, I'd love to hear it). I only have a very, very, very small "yard" I think its about 15ft by 10 ft fenced.

How loud are they at night and in the morning? How stinky? Thinking of someone keeping chickens right by an apt building, how disruptive would they be? How much does it cost to keep them? How easy are they to butcher? How much room do they need as far as a coop and scratching room? Would they fly over my privacy fence? Is there a way to keep them in and still keep them "free range"?

[RiverRock]

We had 20 laying hens until about a month ago. We had them for a year and a half. Occassionally they would fly over our 7 ft. fencing. If they aren't startled they don't get very loud, but we didn't have roosters. We kept ours for eggs and with only 12 birds butchering might not be worth the effort or expense of taking them to a slaughterhouse. Our library did have a book that we borrowed to read about what to feed them. They are scavenger birds so they will eat a lot of things. We gave them our kitchen compost (veggies and grains) and also bought feed pellets. My guess is that 12 birds might cost you $10-15/month: Double that if you go with organic feed. Once you set up your coop they require little care.