While egg prices keep going up all over the United States, a bizarro trend is catching on in suburban backyards: chicken rentals. “Rent-a-chicken” services have taken off, allowing families to rent hens, coops, and accessories to harvest their own fresh eggs without the long-term investment of poultry ownership.
The trend is not only about savings—it’s also about sustainability and reminiscing about food sources. Lots of renters are first-timers looking to try backyard farming, and businesses are experiencing exploding demand. “It’s like Uber, but for chickens,” explains a farm owner in Michigan, whose birds now crisscross counties.
Packages usually contain two to four hens, a coop that can be taken on the go, food, and a guidebook. If renters like it, many companies provide a buyout option. And with egg prices occasionally more than doubling in some states, it’s not surprising that families are discovering this as fun and cost-effective.
From city rooftops to country backyards, Americans are finding the pleasure—and sometimes the pandemonium—of chicken keeping. But whether it’s for saving money or simply to wake up to a daily egg hunt, rent-a-chicken is having a feathered resurgence in American society.
