An aside -- back when we lived on the mainland we also had hens. Just hens. No roos. Roos are annoying. And we didn't want any chicks. I cull the roosters when possible. They tend to stay just out of sight (and range).
Hens are relatively easy. They turn table scraps and outside bugs into eggs. Our hens lay big eggs with the most beautiful orange-colored yokes. After we eat the eggs, we grind the shells in a food processor and mix it back with their daily diet. (A little chicken kibble to round out the table scraps and bugs they consume.) There's very little that isn't good for chickens. And it doesn't have to be run through a food mill. Just toss it in their general direction and they'll take care of the rest.
I always chided my wife about all the money we spent building a coop to get "free" eggs. But even when eggs were dirt cheap, the numbers penciled out quite quickly. And quality matters. Agri-corp eggs suck. Period.
But now that eggs are back down to three cents each, I suppose that people aren't going to want to take up the hobby. (Although I still recommend it, just for the better quality. Nothing like frying an egg when it stands so proud that the fried egg is only a couple inches in diameter. And the mayonnaise and Caesar dressing are both world-class.)
