Economics aside, we have a flock of about 35 chickens and make money with our chickens also. We charge $2.00 per dozen for the eggs.
We sell to individuals and markets.and any extra eggs are turned into pickled,scrambled or whatever you prefer.
We rotate our birds when they are 2 years old,and butcher them,chicken pot pies,chicken soup or whatever one feels like cooking up.
Most of my eggs are brown,as most people prefer brown eggs.
I raise Rhode Islands,Buff orphingtons,Bantams,Sexlinks and Australorps.
Free ranging chickens are easiest to care for since they feed mainly on bugs and grasses in the yard and do not eat as much grain.
Free range chickens should have some sort of shelter also, to provide for escape from preditors,rain and wind.
When I raised chickens on my last farm they roosted in trees,which helped them keep away from preditors,but you still have Owls,Fox and Bobcats to worry about.
The chickens I raise now are kept inn pens,which makes it much easier to collect eggs and keep the preditors away.
There are over 200 breeds of chickens in the world.They come in every color,shape,and size you can think of.