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Notes -
Have any motteizeans kept chickens? I have a lot of unused square footage in my backyard and can potentially split costs, but almost certainly not labor.
It's a bastard depending on where you are. Lots of predators, some (like weasels) very clever about getting in. If you don't have enough forage for them, the feed costs negate most of your savings on eggs. You'll often have either way too many or none at all. Hens will go broody and sneak off to lay in the woods (or under a neighbor's deck) until the eggs go rotten or something eats her. If you can't rig up an automatic gate you'll need someone there every night and morning to shut them in and let them out. If they forget this probably means a coon tearing one of them apart, or a weasel killing everything for fun.
If you're set up well, are handy, can rig up some lights for winter, and have a good source of free forage on hand, they're great.
My backyard is fenced- will that make a difference in going rogue? I know chickens can fly but generally prefer not to.
The only daytime predators are hawks, feral cats, and coyotes. I’ve never seen the latter but the city government and Nextdoor assure me they’re present. I have seen hawks and feral cats in my yard, both of which would necessitate keeping chickens confined to a coop or run. I’m an HVAC tech with construction experience, so ‘being handy’ and ‘set up well’ isn’t a high bar to clear for me. I can get a house sitter if I go out of town who won’t think ‘bring water and food and let the chickens in/out’ is a big deal. Again, it’s possible for me to find someone to split costs, but not labor.
I've seen a "heritage breed" chicken fly 20' straight up into a cedar tree for the night (neighbor's walked a quarter mile to visit, God knows why), but yeah the modern ones can hardly flap their way onto a 3' perch.
Feed is probably your biggest issue on a suburban lawn. Especially doing it in a way that doesn't bring the rats around, and doesn't cost more than the eggs would have.
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