
The sunny side of renting chickens
While many people idly muse about backyard farming, for those not ready to take the plunge permanently, there's a solution: renting a henhouse, complete with egg-laying birds.
'I really want to try it out and see whether I like it or not,' said the Los Angeles-area resident as she took delivery of two chickens and all the equipment they need to live a happy egg-laying life.
'Some people I know have chickens at home, but it's a lot of work for them – they had to adjust the whole garden themselves. So I think renting a chicken is a good start.'
Hiring hens began to gain ground in the United States around a decade ago in Pennsylvania when a farming couple set up 'Rent The Chicken'.
Chickens sitting inside a portable coop on a trailer before departing from a farm to a client's home. - AFP
Since then, the project has expanded to more than 40 cities across North America, with local farmers setting up their own offshoots.
The service saw an uptick in interest during the Covid-19 lockdowns, when people were stuck at home.
But it has skyrocketed in recent months as consumers recoil over the soaring cost of eggs, thanks to a bird flu pandemic that has seen the wholesale culling of egg-laying birds.
'Especially this year, we have had a much higher interest, I would say, three to four times as much as we were seeing this time last year,' said Victoria Lee, who serves the Los Angeles region from her farm in Agua Dulce.
Some Americans have been forking over more than US$10 for a dozen eggs, up to three times their usual price, with supermarkets putting daily limits on the number of cartons a shopper can buy.
Fresh eggs being delivered along with chickens and a portable chicken coop to a client's house. - AFP
The eyewatering costs were a regular feature of last year's presidential campaign, with candidate Donald Trump pledging to lower grocery bills when he got to the White House.
But prices have continued to climb, and in March, eggs were 60% more expensive than a year earlier, according to the United States Department of Agriculture.
Lee is quick to point out, however, that raising chickens at home is not cheaper than buying eggs at the store.
Instead, it's a question of quality.
'By the time they get to the grocery store, (eggs) are on average 48-60 days old,' she said.
'As eggs sit, no matter the quality at the start of that countdown, over time, the protein in the eggs begins to break down.'
Kim looking inside a portable chicken coop and her egg-laying chickens after they were delivered to her house. — AFP
Backyard eggs, in contrast, are only as old as however long it takes the owner to pick them up off the henhouse floor.
'Rent the Chicken' offers different options that range from around US$500 to over US$1,000 for six months, depending on location and number of birds desired.
Packages include the birds, food, waterers and feeders, additional treats and a chicken care guide. But it is the included coop that is most striking – a sort of mini house with what looks like a patio, completely protected by fences.
It's also movable, thanks to wheels on the bottom.
'Every day, our renters will lift this up ... and move it forward ... with the chickens having access to fresh grass each day.
Lee unloading chickens and a portable chicken coop from her truck as they are delivered to a client's house. — AFP
'They're getting the experience of being on wide-open pasture with that new stimulation, new bugs to look for, new grass to dig through, while still being safe in a predator-proof coop.'
The convenience is what made the package attractive to Kim, a university professor living in La Crescenta, near Los Angeles, and when her new coop arrived, she was absolutely thrilled.
'Free eggs!' Lee exclaimed while unloading the new backyard tenants and handing over a complimentary dozen laid the previous week.
A client with two chickens can expect up to 14 eggs per week, Lee explains.
Kim, whose son is an athlete who eats a lot of eggs, says although the supply crisis prompted her to rent the chickens, it's 'bigger than that'.
'I really wanted to have something for the kids, also to learn as a way of life, and to compare the taste of the eggs,' she said. — AFP
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Star
26 minutes ago
- The Star
Tariff negotiations with US 'not finished', says Philippines
MANILA: Negotiations over the Philippines' new 19 per cent US tariff rate are "not finished", a key government economic adviser said Thursday (July 24), tamping down fears over the deal's potential impact on the agriculture sector. President Ferdinand Marcos (pic) flew back to the country late Wednesday after a three-day trip to Washington that saw him emerge from a meeting with Donald Trump having shaved a single point off a 20 per cent levy on Filipino goods. What might "seem like a very small concession" was in fact a "significant achievement", Marcos told reporters who questioned if the Philippines -- a longtime US treaty ally -- was getting the short end of the stick. The US president, meanwhile, touted "zero tariffs" on American goods headed to the archipelago nation of 115 million. But Marcos economic adviser Frederick Go said Thursday that tariffs would not be dropped in every category. "The negotiations are not yet finished. Our technical working groups will continue to work with their counterparts from America to finalize the details of this arrangement," he told reporters in Manila. "There are still many things to be discussed." Since the Trump meeting, the Marcos administration has downplayed the potential effects of the tariffs, noting just 16 percent of the country's exports go to the United States, with about two-thirds being electronic components not subject to levies. On Thursday, Go said that while tariffs would disappear for certain agricultural products like soy and wheat, key areas such as sugar, corn, rice, fish and pork would remain protected for Filipino farmers. "I can guarantee to you we studied our biggest industries in the country where we are a significant market producer. We didn't include those in our arrangements with the United States," he said. Go also touted the benefit to Filipino consumers of dropping some tariffs, particularly on pharmaceuticals. "Medicines are expensive in the Philippines. If they are tariff-free, then that can lower the price of medicine in our country," he said. Jesus Felipe, an economics professor at Manila's De La Salle University, told AFP the actual number of Philippine exports hit by the full tariff would likely be low. "That's the number (19 per cent) that has been flagged, but our feeling is that many products -- a substantial share of Philippine exports to the US -- will have to be exempted." While predicting the effect on Philippine GDP would effectively be "nothing", Felipe said the "imperialist attitude" with which the United States was treating smaller countries remained worrying. Countries with far larger US trade deficits like China, Mexico and Canada had "much more power and leverage" to fight back, he said. "The Philippines cannot retaliate." - AFP


New Straits Times
26 minutes ago
- New Straits Times
Why Japan's PM is in danger, and who wants his job
JAPAN'S Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba looks on thin ice. AFP looks at the reasons and at who might instead helm his moribund party, at a challenging time for the Asian powerhouse. Japan has a rapidly ageing population, colossal national debt, and the economy is teetering on the brink of recession as inflation pinches consumers. Despite a new trade deal with President Donald Trump, Japanese imports still face tariffs of 15 per cent and Tokyo has promised US$550 billion of investments into the US economy. The close US strategic ally is also under pressure to further hike defence spending and be more muscular in case of confrontation with China over Taiwan. Diligent career politician Ishiba, 68, is from Japan's tiny Christian minority and is partial to policy nitty-gritty, model battleships and cigarettes. Seen as a safe pair of hands, he became the ninth person since 2000 to lead the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) on his fifth attempt in September, promising a "new Japan." But his poll rating has plummeted because of anger over rice prices and a party funding scandal. Ishiba's gaffes have also prompted ridicule on social media. One survey in the Yomiuri daily conducted over the long weekend after Sunday's election put backing his cabinet at just 22 per cent. "Ishiba, who had been seen as someone who could reform the LDP, failed to demonstrate what he wanted to do after taking office," Sadafumi Kawato, professor emeritus at the University of Tokyo, told AFP. The LDP has governed almost non-stop since 1955, but one of the world's historically most successful parties needs a reboot. Sunday's upper house election calamity means that the ruling coalition is now in a minority in both chambers, a first for a Japanese government since 1945. Support has leaked to smaller parties, including notably the populist "Japanese first" Sanseito, although the fragmented opposition is seen as unable to cobble together an alternative government. Rising cost-of-living concerns resulted in "unpleasant anti-foreign rhetoric" during the election campaign, Moody's Analytics economist Stefan Angrick told AFP. "You need a government that actually has a forward-looking agenda, that has a vision for where to take the economy," he said. Despite comments on Wednesday interpreted by some media as ruling this out, multiple reports still say that it is just a matter of timing. The Mainichi Shimbun newspaper reported that Ishiba will announce his resignation by the end of August. Kyodo News said that his departure is "inevitable." The LDP's Youth Bureau held an online meeting where a majority of participants said Ishiba's "immediate resignation" was necessary, the bureau's head and MP Yasutaka Nakasone said. Despite the challenges, the Yomiuri suggested no fewer than nine possible successors in a leadership contest that could happen in September. One is Sanae Takaichi, a hardline nationalist and onetime heavy metal drummer who lost to Ishiba last time. She would be Japan's first woman premier. Others include the liberal-leaning, US-educated Taro Kono, reputedly short-fused former LDP secretary-general Toshimitsu Motegi, and chief cabinet secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi. All are in their 60s. A younger option is Shinjiro Koizumi, 44, the telegenic, surfing son of an ex-premier who was recently tasked with lowering rice prices. "(This) could be a great opportunity to break through the sentiment of stagnation or decline of national power, especially if political leadership shifts to a younger generation," UBS economist Masamichi Adachi said. Japan's "decline will not halt without a significant shift in politics that can push through reforms that have not been seen in the last 40 years," he said. * The writer is from AFP


The Sun
26 minutes ago
- The Sun
Philippines-US tariff talks ongoing, key sectors protected
MANILA: Negotiations between the Philippines and the US over a revised 19 percent tariff rate remain unresolved, a senior economic adviser confirmed Thursday. Frederick Go, economic adviser to President Ferdinand Marcos, stated discussions are ongoing to finalise terms, easing concerns over potential harm to local farmers. 'The negotiations are not yet finished. Our technical working groups will continue to work with their counterparts from America to finalise the details of this arrangement,' Go told reporters. He emphasised that critical agricultural products like sugar, corn, rice, fish, and pork would retain protections. The announcement follows Marcos' recent meeting with US President Donald Trump, where the Philippines secured a marginal reduction from an initially proposed 20 percent tariff. Marcos defended the outcome, calling it a 'significant achievement' despite scepticism over the limited concession. Go highlighted potential consumer benefits, particularly in pharmaceuticals. 'Medicines are expensive in the Philippines. If they are tariff-free, then that can lower the price of medicine in our country,' he said. Economist Jesus Felipe of De La Salle University noted the actual impact on Philippine exports may be minimal, as electronics—comprising two-thirds of shipments to the US—are largely exempt. However, he criticised the US for an 'imperialist attitude' in trade dealings with smaller nations. 'The Philippines cannot retaliate,' Felipe said, contrasting the country's position with larger trade partners like China and Mexico. – AFP