Backyard Chickens: Try Before You Buy

The backyard chicken craze has risen in the past few years, thanks to the increasing interest in locally grown foods. But if you’re like me, the thought of owning your own chickens is a bit daunting, even with the reward of farm-fresh eggs. Now, a few new companies have sprouted across the U.S. to tend to that fear by offering backyard chickens for rent.

A recent article from Modern Farmer talks about companies like Rent-a-Chicken in Michigan, Coop and Caboodle in Alabama, Rent a Coop in Maryland and more. They offer a test run for customers to try their hand at backyard chickens before taking on full commitment. A standard rental includes two chickens and a moveable coop, but prices differ for each company.

For companies mentioned in the article, the price of renting varies from $100 for two weeks to $250 for a whole season. A few of the companies, like Rent a Coop, are expanding their business with new chicken breeds because of customer demand. People are requesting chickens that lay blue or green eggs, instead of white or brown.

What do you think of the idea? Would you try before you buy with backyard chickens?