RENT A CHICKEN

The sharing economy for chickens is nothing to gobble at.

The price of a dozen eggs has soared more than 30% in just one month to $2.57 in June from $1.96 in May, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The price rise in recent months is due to an outbreak of avian influenza virus H5N1; around 48 million turkeys, chickens and hens have either died from the flu or have been euthanized. No new cases of the virus have been detected for more than a month, but U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said this week that he was not ready to declare the crisis over.

And while there have been no reported cases of H5N1 transferring to humans during this outbreak across 20 states, many consumers are more concerned about the provenance of their eggs than the price per dozen. “No human infections with these viruses have been detected at this time,” the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stated. “However, similar viruses have infected people in the past. It’s possible that human infections with these viruses may occur.”

Some Americans prefer to eat eggs from chickens they’ve raised themselves rather than buy eggs from their local store, at least for now. But the overhead investment on a backyard flock can be steep. And it’s a big commitment. What’s a sustainability-minded omelet lover to do? How about renting a chicken?

“We found an increase in our business because people want to know where their food [is] coming from,” says Jenn Tompkins, who is a co-founder with her husband, Phil, of RentTheChicken.com, a Freeport, Pa.–based company with 12 affiliate locations in the U.S. and Canada that will rent you your own egg-laying chicken. “Our customers don’t have to worry about keeping chickens long-term.”

It might give you peace of mind to know where your eggs come from, but — even accounting for the recent surge in egg prices — it still works out to be six times more expensive than buying a dozen eggs at a supermarket. It costs $400 to rent two chicken or $600 for four chickens for six months, including a coop, food and water dish. There’s free delivery within 50 miles of one of the company’s locations. The first plan works out at around $16 for a dozen eggs, assuming you get around a dozen eggs a week (the weekly average is between eight and 14). “If they’re paying so much at the store and they don’t know where they come from, why not pay a little more?” Tompkins asks. And customers can return chickens at any time.

RentTheChicken.com

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But companies have different fee structures: Rentacoop.com in Potomac, Md., operates in about eight states mainly on the eastern seaboard and charges $180 for a one-month coop and hen rental and $140 for an additional four weeks; delivery is $1 a mile round trip. Rent-A-Chicken.net, a Traverse City, Mich.–based company, operates in nine states, and rents two chickens for $350 to $450 for six months, with the price depending on location. They also sell chicken balls (not what you think): They are plastic toys filled with seeds for chickens to peck on. “It looks like they’re playing soccer — it’s hilarious,” says Leslie Suitor, owner of Rent-A-Chicken, which began in the fall of 2009. “Chickens are a lot of fun. They’re very curious and very friendly; they’re wonderful pets.”

But it appears that most people this season want them for eggs rather than entertainment. “With the egg scare and egg prices being what they are, they’re pretty much rented for this season,” Suitor says. “We have a waiting list for next spring. We’re a try-before-you-buy. It takes the fear out of it for the average person. If you’ve never had chickens before, it can be very intimidating. But they are very addictive, [so] you may end up wanting more and more.”

But flu fears aside, there are other reasons to consider home-grown eggs. “You avoid supporting industrial farms,” according to Green Earth America, a Washington, D.C.–based nonprofit group that encourages people to make more sustainable choices. Egg-producing hens on factory farms are often kept in such cramped quarters that they cannot stretch their legs or wings, walk around or participate in normal social behaviors, it says. And pasture-raised eggs have two to three times more omega-3 fatty acids and have one-third less cholesterol than industrially raised eggs.

Of course, you can always make the commitment to buy, but there will still be costs associated with maintenance. Prices for newborn chickens vary wildly between around $5 and $50 per chicken, depending on whether the breed is popular or rare, according to Backyardchickens.com, a resource for people who want to raise their own chickens. The average coop will cost $500, but you could pay up to $2,000 for a more elaborate coop, and feed and other costs such as straw and wood shavings for three hens will cost at least $25 a month.

“Starting with small chicks instead of buying mature chickens can save you quite a bit of money, though the downside is you will have to wait five to six months for eggs,” Backyardchickens.com advises. A chicken will lay the most eggs during the first three or so years of its life, Hopkins says, and egg production starts to decrease after that. Chickens tend to live five to seven years, so you will have to spend money on straw and wood shavings for the coop and — for those in urban or suburban areas — it’s wise to alert neighbors.

Rebecca Cuda, 37, lives in a duplex apartment in Glassport, Pa., with a 20-square-foot back yard, and rented two chickens from Tompkins in May. “I grew up on a 100-acre farm, and I have fond memories of collecting the eggs,” she says. “I did run it by my neighbors, and one neighbor was really excited about it. You don’t want smells and noises to annoy them. I didn’t get a rooster because that would definitely annoy them.” Cuba may yet buy her own chicken. “Just like choosing a car,” she says, “I thought I’d rent before buying.”

There are hundreds of breeds with different personalities and colors. Heritage breeds have been around for over 100 years and tend to be calmer and less skittish, Suitor says, and they do very well in a small backyard and around people and pets.

And there are reasons having chickens could actually make you a good neighbor. “Chickens clean up your lawn,” Suitor says. “They spend their time foraging. People in the Northeast like them because they eat ticks, which carry Lyme disease. They’ll eat ticks all day. They’ll run after a moth that flies into the yard. We’ve no grasshoppers this year on our 10-acre farm. They’ve eaten them all.”