CT Rent-A-Hen - anyone tried this?

Just saw there is a chicken rental business that has popped-up in CT, called CT Rent-a-Hen: http://www.ctrentahen.com

And saw a small TV clip about it:
http://wtnh.com/2015/03/30/how-to-rent-a-hen/

I don't have chickens yet and was wondering if this is something that would make sense to try or not... Been reading about chickens and how they need to feel safe and that stressful events can affect their egg laying... doesn't getting carted around to different people seem like that would cause issues for the birds?

Thoughts? ...and has anyone here actually tried it?

I've seen some advertising...nothing about anyone who's actually done it tho.

What I've seen is that the coop/runs they provide are way too small.

Not good idea, IMO...
.....wonders what happens when there's a problem, sick bird, predators issues, etc?

Here's someone who did it;
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/899356/rent-a-chicken-business-is-thriving#post_13689345
You could message them and ask how it went.

I saw a similar story on the news in NY. The family they interviewed loved them and was able to keep them & the set up for about $600.
Glad I got my chickens before my husband saw the story!

I rented 5 chickens from them this year.. May through Oct. The chickens were great. Healthy and great pets.
I did not use their coop I had my own small barn and we added on a run to that so they had lots of room and were safe at night.
I would highly recommend them to anyone. Nice people to work with and showed up on time with the delivery of the chickens.

Will be doing this again next year for sure.

paws1234 said:

I rented 5 chickens from them this year.. May through Oct. The chickens were great. Healthy and great pets.
I did not use their coop I had my own small barn and we added on a run to that so they had lots of room and were safe at night.
I would highly recommend them to anyone. Nice people to work with and showed up on time with the delivery of the chickens.

Will be doing this again next year for sure.

Click to expand...

Where are you located?
Name of company?
Cost?
Production?

$45.00 a month, plus other expenses for possibly three eggs a day?
That's insane, unless you have extra cash, and are just bored or something.

You could easily buy more than 6 dozen eggs for 45 bucks. Assuming the chickens lay six days a week.

The cool thing is that you don't have to rent year round. No overwintering, no dealing with frozen water, no snowy runs, no feeding hens that are in a molt, no worries about culling old birds. It sounds like a nice option for those that want to dabble in chicken keeping without the commitment, want to teach their kids about caring for animals, want to feel as though they are more connected to where their food comes from; or live in urban areas where there are strict limits on maximum number of birds.

I don't think it is cost effective if you calculate the cost per egg, but that isn't everyone's motivation when it comes to chicken keeping. It seems these companies have found a niche market. As long as that's all they are exploiting, I'm okay with it.

TalkALittle said:

The cool thing is that you don't have to rent year round. No overwintering, no dealing with frozen water, no snowy runs, no feeding hens that are in a molt, no worries about culling old birds. It sounds like a nice option for those that want to dabble in chicken keeping without the commitment, want to teach their kids about caring for animals, want to feel as though they are more connected to where their food comes from; or live in urban areas where there are strict limits on maximum number of birds.

I don't think it is cost effective if you calculate the cost per egg, but that isn't everyone's motivation when it comes to chicken keeping. It seems these companies have found a niche market. As long as that's all they are exploiting, I'm okay with it.

Click to expand...

I agree, it's an interesting niche, and could work very well if executed properly,
with both a renter and a rentee with integrity, common sense and a strong sense of responsibility.


But...I've seen folks running these deals picking up chickens from all over to go with their tiny coops.
The lack of experience and knowledge on both sides,
while looking for profit on one side and instant gratification of fad desire on the other,
could make for an ugly situation for the birds involved.

Tho IMO responsibility does not include making a food animal just 'go away' so easily when you're 'done' with it,
but it could avert some one from making the mistake by taking on an a long term endeavor that they really don't want to deal with.

You know me, always considering the worst case scenario aspect of a situation.

Hi Aart,

My name is John and I own and operate CT Rent-A-Hen along with my partner Marisa and we are located in Killingworth, Connecticut.

I appreciate your concerns and questions regarding the business of renting hens and wanted to take a moment to share with you our experience from our first year in business.

First and foremost, we were very concerned with the well-being of our hens once they were rented out. If we felt that renters could not provide adequate care and that the birds were stressed, we would immediately stop the rental and end our business. To our delight, our renters have done an excellent job in caring for the hens. We had 63 renters this year and some of our flock is returning now as renters begin to end their rental period. The hens are coming back in very healthy conditions, unstressed and continue to produce large brown eggs. We have found that our renters have become quite fond of the hens and consider them pets and family members. Most folks are requesting the same hens back next spring. We will board the hens throughout the winter and our renters will resume possession of the hens in April.

The triangular coop that we provide is 96 inches in length and 52 inches wide at the base and affords 64 cubic feet of space for the hens to comfortably call their home. The roosting bar is 63 inches long and each hen has plenty of room to perch. Our coop can accommodate from 3 to 4 hens. We are proud to report that our coop is extremely safe and no predators were able to break into the coop.

I am a retired elementary teacher and taught 5th and 6th grade for over 20 years. One of our main objectives was to provide young families the opportunity to experience the joy of having hens. I strongly believe that children can benefit in many ways from this type of stewardship in their backyards. We have definitely achieved this goal and Marisa and I have thoroughly enjoyed creating and managing this niche business.

We encourage you to visit our website, www.ctrentahen.com, for more information. If you are ever in Connecticut, please drop by and we will introduce you to our girls and give you some wonderful brown eggs!
Thanks,
John and Marisa
CT Rent-A Hen, LLC

Thank you!