Hello and welcome to BYC,
How old is your granddaughter? I believe if you would like chickens that will lay is begin with a few chicks. With hands on they become very people friendly. Kids are usually not afraid of them either compared to being up close to a chicken. Chicks will also bond with the granddaughter if she is there all the time. They will follow her around like they would its mother and who ever cares for them. The more hands on the people friendlier they become. Now there are exceptions, because you can get one that just not going to do it. But most chicks will let you pick them up and play with them. I don't know who enjoys it more. Me or my chicks. Chicks also grow up fast in a matter of months at about 4 to 5 months some even begin laying eggs. Eggs come in all colors from the most common being white to browns, blue or even green and sometimes you can find pink eggs. It all depends on the breed and type of chickens you would like. There are larger breeds and smaller breeds. There are fancy chickens and not so fancy chickens. So picking out what you like is part of the fun. If you only have a small area for them to be at I would go with a smaller breed. Ones that don't need as much room as the larger breeds.
A great place to see if anyone has extra chicks or even chickens if you decide to go that root is in our forums state area. I see Ken gave you the link already to it. So just click on there and let everyone know your looking for some chicks. Spring time is when there are a lot of chicks available.
If you decide chicks you will need a warm area for them to be in. The brooder box can be anything from a plastic container to a cardboard box. They will need PINE shavings, food and water containers, food chick starter food, and heat source to. You will need a thermometer also to know how warm the inside of the container is to regulate it.
I'm looking forward to spending some time here and beginning our adventure!
