Getting started, well, most folks end up with a lot more birds then they think they will want. Like I said, I like to stagger my ages, so you'll automaticly have a few extras around. The yard needs to be well drained, because it will soon be bare dirt after awhile. Even if they're let out daily, they will still wear the grass out. Keeping predators out is a major concern, so you'll need to fence it good and tight, with a cover over the run. The house needs roosts and nest boxes. So alot of this depends on how many you want to have, I guess is what I'm saying. I general rule is if you want 12 eggs a day, you need 16 hens. That will average you 12 a day. There is a good site called backyardchickens dot com. They have a lot of designs and ideas. You can make a lot of the stuff yourself. Things like waterers, feeders, nest boxes, etc. The Market Bulletin has several folks that advertise pullets as well as biddies. Raising egg layers and meat birds are a bit different, so you'd need a little different setup for the meat birds. But some breeds are dual purpose. I'm just kinda throwing stuff out as it comes to mind, and just scratching the surface. It's not real complicated though. Just throwing this out there because some folks don't know, but you do not have to have a rooster to have eggs.
