For the past two days I have been fixating on raising hens in our backyard. The City of Madison lets residents have up to 4 hens (no roosters) as long as they are at least 25 feet from neighbor's living quarters. Paul & Jason seem to think that it's a silly idea, but I'm really for it. I have absolutely no prior experience raising hens, but from what I've read online it doesn't seem too hard. I would have to be devoted to feeding/watering, checking for eggs, and checking the hens each day, but I think I can handle that. Also, I'd need to build a henhouse and a fence. I think it would be a neat project.

I even have a vegan friend who said that he would consume our eggs and help with caring for the hens while we were on vacation. They would be super happy hens because we have a large space in the backyard for them to move around in, and there would be lots of bugs for them to eat in addition to the feed I'll give them. AND, we'll have some lovely chicken meat in the end.

Pros:
-eggs
-meat
-we have the space
-we can compost their waste and we already have two compost bins
-if i get tired of taking care of them i can just eat them (ie. just have hens in the warmer months of the year), also i will learn how to kill, defeather, and prepare the birds for eating
-i could potentially convert the roofed sandbox structure that exists in our backyard into the henhouse
-they might be entertaining?
-i could potentially barter fresh eggs for other goods

Cons:
-building a henhouse and the co$t
-they are generally quiet but cluck a bit as they lay their eggs (possibly bothering neighbors?)
-i must be dedicated to feeding/watering/cleaning etc and find people to do this for me when I am away from home
-you cannot butcher hens within the city of madison. i would have to 1)sneakily butcher them inside city limits 2)find somewhere outside of city limits to butcher 3)pay someone to butcher my hens (this seems to be common)
-winter hen-keeping might be annoying
-extra costs are associated with the winter with a heater water bowl and light
-we live across from a 30 acre wooded park and racoons might get the hens

Yes! I just saw on the Mad City Chickens website that there is a City Chickens 101 Class next Saturday. And Paul said he would join me. I think I'll get a pretty clear idea about what is involved then.

Does anyone have any ideas? Any experience with raising hens? I'd love to hear your thoughts.