First, you must ask yourself: “Will these be pet chickens or livestock chickens?” In my case it has been a bit of both. This means I look forward to their eggs (we have laying hens and no roosters) but will not dispatch them when they stop laying them. It also means I have spent more money on their chicken house than would make sense if this were purely an economic enterprise. But it brings me joy to make them happy, to give them a safe and (relatively) warm place to live. And when the eggs arrive, then I don’t feel as bad about all the money I’ve spent on them…