I'm a veteran chicken keeper. I can highly recommend hens, just don't get a cockerel they are exeptionally noisy and I never liked the idea of eating possibly fertelized eggs.
The upsides of hens are : they are very very easy to keep, just buy a cheap second hand hen ark, just make sure it is fox AND stote proof, all they need is some layers pellets and mixed corn and fresh water and whatever veggie trimming come out of your kitchen (careful with cabbage though), you'll have fresh eggs (leave them for three days before you boil them otherweise you won't get the shells peeled off) every morning (except when they molt an in the dark of winter - they laying is regulated by daylight), they are very sociable and if you spend some time with them they become very tame, I have one 'Fajita' who will flutter into my arms every time the dogs get too near, lol, they all have different personalities and they don't get sick, if something is wrong with them they just die and if they don't they will recover, very very simply.
A few things to watch, make sure the ark is rat, fox and stot [sp] proof, don't let them overheat in their ark in the summer (make sure it has adequate ventilation), make sure the water doesn't freeze in the winter, they'll get unwell very quickly if they don't get water as their diet is very dry, make sure they can't flutter over your fences onto a road, it's not fair to them and to the motorist who hits them, worm them regularly (drops in the water) and clean the bedding out (lice and fleas) at least once a week and you'll have no problem, if they peck each other spray them with some perfume and they'll stop (unless it's a serious tiff and then you'll have to seperate the poor victim as they'll peck it to death, wich generally doesn't happen if they have enough space).
Oooops, whole hen keeping lesson in one post. I hope it's of any use to you. Tell your hubby that my hubby adores hens, they are very very entertaining.