Chicken Myths
Hens are Farm animals/livestock
Chickens are domesticated birds that for thousands of years, like dogs and cats, have lived alongside people in backyards large and small in cities and small towns. Chickens are friendly, social, intelligent, affectionate, entertaining, low-maintenance, small, quiet, and inexpensive to keep (All the makings of a great pet).
Hens are noisy
Hens do not crow like roosters. They make clucking sounds, especially when they have just laid an egg. (One egg per day for most good laying hens.) These are always during the day, not at night, and are much quieter than a barking dog! For reference: A loud hen cluck registers at about 70 decibels. Normal human conversation is about 60 decibels. Barking dogs are around 100 decibels.
You need a rooster to get eggs
Hens will lay eggs with or without a rooster. You only need a rooster if you want your eggs to hatch.
Hens are smelly
Anyone with sense knows not to breathe through your nose when you are going by the chicken plant in the summer, so it is easy to see where this idea comes from. But there is a HUGE difference between a backyard flock in well maintained coop vs tens of thousands of birds stacked in cages with less than space than a piece of paper per animal. Chickens, just like any other bird spend up to 4 hours a day grooming if they are not stuffed in a tiny cage getting pooped on by all the birds in the cages stacked above them. Chickens themselves do not smell. Any odor would come from their droppings, 3 to 5 hens generate less manure than one medium sized dog. Chicken manure can be turned into great compost, unlike dog or cat waste. Chickens are just like any other pet. If you take care of them and clean their cage properly, they will not smell.
Chickens are messy
Chicken enclosures used in city and urban settings tend to be attractive and are easily maintained. Small flocks can be managed with a minimum of time and energy on the part of their owners.
Backyard chickens spread Avain flu
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services states "In the United States there is no need to remove a flock of chickens because of concerns regarding avian flu." This is spread by wild birds and there has not been a case of it in the western hemisphere.