If you're squeamish about killing things, or just don't know how to do it, laying hens eliminate that initial problem. They provide a steady stream of food with little work or expense most of the year. They don't take up a lot of space, they can be raised in many urban/suburban areas and they're just flat out cute to watch.
I'm not a chicken expert, by any means. Because I only keep a few, I buy pullets, which are half-grown birds, so I don't have to deal with heat lamps and squawky little birds. Next year I'll start raising meat birds and we can learn that together, but for now, pullets are the best option for me. You should be able to get them for $5.00 bucks or so apiece. Be very cautious about who you buy from. Look for reputable farmers. You can find chickens all day long on Craigslist but especially if you're inexperienced, you don't necessarily know how old the birds are, or what diseases they may have.
Do some research on breeds. Various chickens are better at various things. Meat chickens are..well..meatier, than layers and are bred to grow more quickly. Good layers tend to put most of themselves into producing eggs and so don't make good meat birds, too. Some breeds are decent at both, but don't excel at either.
I raise Isa Browns which are hybrids between Rhode Island Reds and Rhode Island Whites. They're easy to get along with and lay a lot of good, quality eggs. With 4 chickens, I would get 3 eggs most days..sometimes 4 in the summer and often just 1 in the winter. Once I got 6 in a 24 hour period, but have no idea how they pulled that off! The amount you get can vary by breed.
To raise chickens, you need very few things.
You need a house for them. This can be as simple as a dog house or old truck cap..it really depends on where you live. I have a small, tidy looking little coop for them, since I have neighbors that I try to keep from being annoyed by my craziness. So far, keeping things looking decent and bribing them with eggs has worked. The coop needs to be able to be secured. My chickens are free to run around all day, but at night, they get locked up, to protect them from hungry critters. They don't seem any less happy for it. In the winter, they rarely want to go out anyway.
The house should have something for them to roost on..a large, sturdy wooden pole will work so long as its not too slippery, or 2x4 with the edges rounded a bit are good.
You'll need a good waterer. Because I don't heat my coop, I have a heated waterer for winter. Birds need water year around, all day. If you don't have a heated waterer, be prepared to water them with thawed water several times a day.
In cold weather, you also have to collect eggs often to keep them from freezing.
I let mine range around the backyard and they eat bugs and worms for food. I supplement it with a laying feed and some grain here and there. You also need to give them calcium, which is available at local farm stores in various size bags. They need this for healthy shells. You can grind the shells finely and feed them that but if you're not cautious it can lead to cannabalism. Calcium is pretty cheap. I just mix a bit into their feed.
That's about it. They'll start laying in 4-6 months from the time they're born, depending on the breed.
As far as smell, as long as you keep their area clean, you'll be fine. Its similar to owning a cat in that way. Cats don't smell unless their areas are not kept clean, and neither do chickens.
Oh, before someone asks, no..you don't need a rooster, unless you want to make your own baby chicks. You do need to have a few birds, though, as chickens are social animals. Three or four are fine.
Living in town doesn't necessarily mean you can't have chickens. City Chicken has put together a pretty good list of ordinances for urban areas. http://home.centurytel.net/thecitychicken/chickenlaws.html
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