Raising 3 or 4 hens for eggs is quite easy. There are small A frame coops for sale as well as lots of online plans for coops of different sizes. Different breeds lay different colors of eggs and lay at different rates. Do your research. They are generally not loud and are easy to raise even if you live in a subdivision. Need to check your HOA or city ordinances. 3 laying hens should give you ~15-20 eggs a week but results vary by breed and season. Raising chickens for meat is also quite easy, but a totally different kind of process is used. If you have a decent sized yard, get yourself some cornish crosses and a chicken tractor (google it). They go from chicks to freezer camp in 8 short weeks. The first time you process a batch of chickens it can be intimidating and emotional for some. But putting meat into the freezer that you raised yourself is a very satisfying (and healthy) thing. Learning how not to be so reliant on the grocery store is also a very satisfying thing. There is equipment needed for either approach. It's not tough to learn as long as you remember that raising chickens for eggs is a different process and uses different things, than raising chickens for meat. Both are worthy goals, and there is a wealth of information available to help you on either path. My wife and I have ~100 chickens for eggs, a handful of ducks, a couple of turkeys. The past 4 years we have also raised chickens for meat and done the processing ourselves. We have incubated and hatched our own eggs as well as buying chicks from different sources. The floor is open for questions.