The cost of eggs in the US has gotten so high that some Americans have resorted to renting chickens and raising them themselves.
Millions of egg-laying hens have been killed by the bird flu, causing egg prices to rise 20% to a record average of $4.95 per dozen. And a US Department of Agriculture projection issued last week had prices expected to increase by 41% this year.
Rent The Chicken in Goffstown, New Hampshire, is offering an alternative to stomaching the skyrocketing cost of buying eggs. Customers can take home two hens for six months for roughly $600, and expect about a dozen eggs a week in return.
‘We provide two or four hens, all the feed you need, books, tutorials and phone support – everything,’ said Rent The Chicken co-owner Christine Templeton.
Most people who have tried it have loved it, according to co-owner Brian Templeton. Chickens allowed to walk outside their pens during the day are accustomed to returning on their own at night.
‘A lot of the customers decide they want to have the same birds. They get very attached to their birds and when they come back, we tag them with a colored tag around the ankle so they can have the same birds back next year,’ he said.
‘Just real low maintenance and people really enjoy it.’
Some chicken renters and owners are also offering eggs to people who are unable to buy them from grocery stores. Over the past few weeks, Facebook Marketplace users have posted eggs for sale.
One user posted five cartons available and wrote: ‘We have fresh eggs and chickens available.’
Another user wrote: ‘It’s so crazy how much eggs are in the store! If you want fresh farm eggs, please let me know we collect them daily. We will wash them for you as well.’
With egg prices only projected to rise in the near future, Rent The Chicken is also allowing customers who grow attached to their hens – and their eggs – the option to adopt them.
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