You can go with the smaller breeds of chickens and get eggs too (our son is now into the longtail breeds, they get only 4 pounds and lay a small eggs). they wont be as large as the large eggs you buy at the store.

As long as you keep their water clean, feed enough that they clean up after themselves, change their litter in the coop and nest boxes, the smell wont be bad.

Think about shade for them.

Keep your feed in a container that the mice can't get into.

Have fun with them and they are not that hard to take care of unless you get the fancy feather leg chickens and you live in a wet location, their feathers clump up when they get wet.