Do get chickens, they are relatively easy to raise and so much fun, they each have their own personalities. I had the most beautiful rooster, Robbie, and 13 hens, all named of course, but had to give them to a friend after my husbands's heart transplant, with his compromised immune system he would be very susceptible to the viruses in bird feces. I would let my birds free range during the day so the eggs were so rich the yellows were orange and the taste magnificent. The birds picked in the horse paddock so we had very few flies. We had to put a light bulb with a reflective shied in the coop during the winter to keep them from freezing, their combs would get a little frost bite but that grows out. I spoiled ours, I would buy them a slice of watermelon as a treat and a large can of Friskies wet cat food once or twice a week. They loved both and the protein in the cat food made their eggs huge and the shells hard. We would love to have chickens again but DH doc says it isn't worth the risk. Good luck, have fun!