My new chicken obessions, or why I think chickens might work as pets

So, I decided I want a few chickens as pets, pets with perks.  I have never owned chickens, so this should be interesting.  First step, convincing my sweet hubby that chickens are a great idea.  

What I want in a pet

• quiet, especially at night
• can be touched/petted
• tolerent of kids
• kids can feed it
• has some redeeming features

Pros:

• goes to sleep at night (hens)
• would be outside, so no inside concerns (e.g. noise at night)
• some breeds can be quite tame and can be petted
• not complicated to take care of
• eats bugs in the yard
• lays eggs
• mildly trainable

Cons/considerations:

• possible to annoy neighbors (smell / noise)
• have to take care of them, especially in winter
• have to figure out what to do with poop
• where to put them - zoning specifies 30 feet from human dwellings
• need to preditor proof since our house backs a field and I know there are skunks around

From what I have read, chickens can be as complicated or as simple as you want to make them.