once they got going, the 4 hens i had would lay more eggs than my entire family(and the neighbors) could eat.

they definitely do work great for garbage disposal...i used to toss my fish guts to them all the time. just make sure you fence off the areas where you don't want them to go, they'll strip your garden bare!

ducks are a little easier if you've got a water source. only problem i had was that the toothy critters seem to like them even more than chickens.