A few other things that I have observed.
1. Chickens eat, drink, and poop more than you think. We only have 6 in a coop that is 6ft X6ft. The poop board is 6X2 and need the litter changed every 2 weeks or the coop starts stinking. It only takes 15 mins to do and is great fertilizer if you put it on the compost pile. These 6 chickens go thru a gallon of water every 2 days. They also eat a 50 lb bag of layer pellets every 3-4 weeks.
2. Not all chickens are created equal. Our 3 Rhode Island Reds are our best egg producers. One lays a Jumbo sized brown specked egg, one lays a large brown egg, and one lays a medium specked egg. They are friendly (great you at the coop door) but none like to be touched. They are also quite as in I rarely hear them even when they are being tossed bread. Our black hen (of unknown breed) lays a large very dark egg every day or two. She is also very friendly but shy's away from touch, unless you have bread in your hand. She is also a bit vocal, not enough that you hear her a few yards away form the coop but anytime she moves she clucks. The silver hen lays a medium light beige egg less than once a week. She is the youngest of the bunch and is thought to be a mix between a silky hen and a polish roster although that is not certain. She is a bit shy and completely silent at all times.
3 reds, black, and silver waiting on food
The Americana in her normal position
The Americana just started laying this week. She lays a light blue large egg. She avoids humans at all cost and only come down from the roost to eat. On the couple of occasions that I have put my hands on her she frantically cackles and fights to get away where the rest when captured just calm down and go with it.
3. You don't need a light in the coop to get chickens to lay in the winter. While I have 2 windows in the coop facing both east and west and have neighbors with street lamps 100-200yards away there is no light in the coop at night. The Rhode Island Reds started laying as soon as they got comfortable in their new home which was also during the shortest hours of daylight. However the Americana just started laying but it may be a combination of days getting longer and her finally adjusting to her new home. I have a friend that has all Americana and he didn't get the first egg until he put a light on a timer in the coop.
4. If your coop is predator proof chickens are pretty low maintenance. I clean the poop board off and put fresh wood chips on it ever 2 weeks. My wife feeds and waters them most mornings and then checks for eggs in the afternoon. The only thing that really took time was building the coop.
5. 1 1/2 hens per person seems to be a good balance. I built the coop to hold 12, but only have 6 hens and they are keeping us in eggs. My family of 4 eats less than an egg a person per day so with an average of 3 eggs a day from the chickens we have yet to have 2 dozen eggs in the fridge.