I have had several of the varieties that are mentioned in the article, but my favorites so far are the black sex-linked and the amricanus. The former are good because the hens are calm and friendly...and because you can tell that they are hens.

Story: I went by a feed store (which is where you get your chicks if you do not want to order them) and I saw a crate full of little chicks with a little blond topnot on the top of each tiny head. The create was labeled "pullets" (female chicks) but the white topnot signified that they were all males. So, since one of the problems if you are buying chicks is to make sure you get all pullets, buy black sex-linked and make sure you get the ones with the all-black heads.

The other breed that I like are the americanus - because they have beautiful green or blue eggs. The hens are also nice colors of bronze and gold (though with an occasional albino). I just like the color of the eggs.

Jan, has 5 hens and one big rooster

I'm raising Rhode Island Reds. I got 9 layers for a family of four and have more than enough eggs for our needs and give some to close elderly people around us. I have an additional 19 for meat. I let my layers roam after done laying (free range city terms). I tried free range for meat birds once (never do that again) way too tough too eat. Made a portable coop for them to move around to get the flavor of free range. The meat and eggs produced is far superior the any at the store and what a cost savings.

After reading the article, now I want to get a few chickens for the eggs. I wonder what the neighborhood/city/county/state would say about it. I've got a huge back yard, but it would have to be sealed under some of the fence. And what about all my wife's plants/flowers/herbs/spices, will chickens damage any of them?

Years ago someone, believed to have worked for Microsoft, let some rabbits loose in the area. They are referred to as Microsoft Rabbits, I call them (MFRR's) Microsoft Free Range Rabbits. Today there are free range rabbits everywhere to a radius of over 10 miles around Microsoft's main campus. I wonder who would be entitled to the eggs if we had free range chickens in the city.

And finally, these stories always remind me of the first time my wife and I went to New Zealand. After seeing all these signs saying "Free Range Eggs", my wife said, "I wonder why they're giving them away?.... (Don't ever tell her I told you)...

We don't have any right now, but we have had them in the past. If you can stand the noise, guinea fowl are very low maintenance, except that they are noisy and stupid. They will stand in the road and get hit by cars. They also lay eggs everywhere, rather than in nests. But they do get rid of ticks and chiggers.

We liked the Ameraucana because of the egg color, and found Dominique to be hardy. The Rhode Island Reds were too aggressive for our modest abilities in avoiding conflict.

Never be tempted to get pheasants. They are a mistake unless you are certain they are what you want. They will kill each other, given half a chance.

We got our birds by mail order, 25 in a box, from Murray McMurray, in business now for nearly a century. They took the forefront against the aminal rgihts people who tried to get the Feds to outlaw postal shipment of live chicks a few years back. The people complaining about shipment of live chicks said they were "transported without food and water" and "should be kept at cool temperatures," thus showing complete ignorance of poultry.

You can fence your poultry "in" or "out" or you can do as a friend of ours does, and have them out during the day and in a henhouse at night. Some people report success with a "chicken tractor" (q.v.).

Farming is coming back because if you don't have a farm to feed yourself in a few years you may very well starve. Just heard on the ag channel that eggs are$1.23 a dozen at dealer cost, highest it has ever been. probably will not go down until most stop buying eggs. that is called supply and demand. so get a few birds and get your own.

First, make sure you are allowed to have chickens. There are a lot of local ordinances against having chickens.

Second, there is a bit to consider. They are very good at eating plants (and bugs, frogs, salamanders, pretty much anything they can swallow) - they will eat leaves, grass, garden vegies, berries, fruits, etc.. So if you have things you don't want them to eat - you'll have to setup fences or enclosures to keep them put or out of your stuff.
I don't think there is a breed that you can safely say are quiet. The roosters will crow from before daylight throughout the day. The hens will sing their "I laid an egg" song just about every time they lay an egg. But they will get vocal about things that scare them - sometimes loud noises, an animal harassing them, etc... But, they are quieter than the roosters. You do not need a rooster BTW, the hens will still lay eggs - they're just unfertilized. You will get - generally an egg per day per chicken.
One of my personal favorites is the medium/heavy breed chicken called Buff Orpington. They are pretty mellow chickens and can be like a friendly pet if you work with them (although I think that is the case with most breeds really). Here's a good site on chickens specifically about these chickens:
http://www.backyardchickens.com/a/buff-o...
You need to make sure they have around 4sq ft of chicken house space per chicken (of this breed). Smaller breeds like banty varieties can deal with less.
If you set them up in an enclosed run off of their chicken house, unless you move it around frequently, they will bring the area down to dirt. They love taking dust baths and will wallow in the dirt and then shake it off when they get up - sometimes making a rather large dust cloud.
If you get chicks, keep in mind that they need to be heated when they are little - requiring heat lamps, and such. Getting a small quantity in a suburban area may be more difficult. Most companies ship them to you, but require 15-25 chicks to be order so they have a better chance in shipping. If you have any Tractor Supply or other companies around you, they may order chicks to come in during early spring, but may not get your particular varietal interest. Finding a feed source will be needed too. Again Tractor Supply, or other.
Anyway, I'll stop for now - you can ask more if you need more. Check out the Backyard chicken site I posted - they are a valuable source of information on everything chicken!

Hope that helps!
:)

I have not heard the expression "urban homesteaders" before. It reminds me of when Neal Boortz, the former Atlanta radio talk show host, referred to as "urban outdoorsmen" instead of homeless people.

This movement offends me. I've had neighbors who kept roosters in a city, and it shouldn't be allowed because it interferes with the right to be able to sleep in your own home. Having something that noisy in a city is exactly the kind of property-rights violation local governments SHOULD ban, and enforce.

I should put a disclaimer I'm not urban. I'm way out in the boonies.

I just had a humorous thought about an actual Gulch with a lot of chickens in it.
Imagine this sight: Squawking chickens part for a pair of Gulchers, who are taking a walk while discussing Ayn Rand's philosophy.

I like the Amerncunas because of the color of the eggs, but it really doesn't matter. I couldn't tell one chicken's eggs from another. What matters the most is what you feed them. Make sure they get plenty of feed as well as access to bugs and things. They also like scraps; mine loved pizza crusts.