Backyard chickens are awesome. Turn garbage into food and compost. My moms flowerbeds and garden have never looked better. Plus they lay so many more eggs than anybody could eat, so every time I stop home I can grab a dozen+ Fresh, better than grocery store eggs. Also a good project for anybody with kids, teaches responsibility and a useful skill.
We kept chickens (for the eggs) for several years. They were awesome. We sold (or maybe gave) them to another backyard adventurer when we needed to put in new grass (they eat/scratch up fresh seeds). I would do it again in a heartbeat. They're not free to raise, but nothing makes you feel worse than throwing food scraps away after having chickens who would happily eat them. wow... now that I think about it - I kinda miss them more than I remembered.