In regards to eating meat

[Bring4th_Austin]

The FDA/USDA are the foxes guarding the henhouse...literally.

USDA to Let Industry Self-Inspect Chicken

The whole system is horrible whether it's the factories, FDA, or USDA. Thanks for posting Monica, this kind of information is helpful....those who don't think of where their food comes from may be more open to hear this.

Does anyone have any info, resources or ideas about how to raise egg-laying hens at home? Questions I have:
~ breeds best for eggs, how many to get 2 doz eggs per week
~how much space needed
~ideal size for coop, plans for building a coop, simple coops that someone with limited carpentry skills could put together
~ plans for a more deluxe coop
~ what to feed
~over-wintering

Austin?

Here's a decent breed list that gives you a good idea of what the chickens will lay. The numbers are average...they peak in the springtime and fall under in the wintertime (and most usually stop completely for a month or two while they moult). Some other things you want to consider when choosing breeds is how friendly or flighty they are (some breeds will run away from you no matter what, some will become so friendly you can pick them up), and also whether they are "sitters" or not. Sitters will turn "broody" every once and a while and sit on a nest trying to hatch the eggs. It can be a tough instinct to break and they'll lay a lot less eggs as they do this.

For spacing, inside of a coop a good rule of thumb is 2sq ft/chicken, with a foot of perching space for each chicken. For outside the coop, for a small flock, about 4 sq ft/ a chicken leaves them psychologically satisfied and keeps them from getting neurotic as long as the foraging area stays fresh. A system like βαθμιαίος's using a movable coop which has enough room for the chickens to forage and contains the chickens is great for a backyard where the chickens might tend to wander to grumpy neighbors or get somewhere they aren't supposed to be...though as long as they have plenty of grass to forage in, they're tend not to roam. Be aware that they will find favorite spots in a yard to hang out and scratch them to death. Other systems might have a stationary coop and a larger area for the chickens to roam around in. They poop a lot at night so you'd have to make sure to keep a stationary coop clean (but the manure is the best manure fertilizer there is!)

As for feeding, organic chicken feed is hard to find in most places, and a bit pricey. A local agriculture or garden supply store should have regular feed, and there's livestock feed stores pretty much everywhere. I would recommend looking for "non-medicated" feed. If it's a major brand and doesn't say non-medicated, it most likely has antibiotics and/or arsenic.

Winter shouldn't be a problem; when selecting your breeds any description should tell of any issues with cold or hot weather.

http://www.backyardchickens.com/ has some great info on coops and stuff and should help you get started. Good luck!