I tried the Rent A Hen

[ShrekDawg]

I just noticed another post and I think this post is supposed to be a reply to the below linked one?

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/ct-rent-a-hen-anyone-tried-this.1000879/

 

[ShrekDawg]

And sorry you had such a bad experience. :/

 

[Duckstail]

Is this for real? Thats double the price of the stores.... Unfortunately these people dont know how to run a business. Its sad to see!

Bedding Hay $10.00 per bag

Pine Shavings $10.00 per bag

1 gallon water container $15.00

 

[JDN]

On the webpage of CT Rent a Hen there are contradictory statements which doesn't mean a business can legally pick and choose which one is truthful. Also from the first page:
"Our hens not only provide wonderful brown eggs..."

And again:
"We provide the coop, three egg laying hens, water and feed container and everything else you need to have your own hens."

The "hens" delivered to the OP do not provide any eggs at this point at all and may not for several months.

The buyers in the case you linked bought "chickens" which definitely is an ambiguous term given the context presented there (of course we aren't shown the contract). The idea behind these rent a chicken places is that the customer is supposed to get all the benefits of having chickens without the learning curve and preparation right from the start. One of the main reasons people want chickens is for eggs. If they are delivering chickens that don't do that then they shouldn't be advertising the rental of hens that provide eggs.

Just wondering: if the company had no language specifying the chickens were alive, would you think it was ok if they delivered some butchered female chickens and a coop?



It also said they provided "everything else you need" which turned out to be false advertising. I wouldn't have accepted delivery but then I wouldn't have rented hens to begin with but it doesn't matter that the OP took delivery or not, that doesn't change the fact that the company advertised something it didn't deliver.

They didn’t make any claims as to the volume of eggs or time scale to lay. What if they delivered a chicken that lays 50 eggs a year? Still staying within their promises. They state exactly what comes with the birds. And the time period. It isn’t dishonest, OP got excited about having chickens and didn’t read what I found in 40 seconds of reading their website. They’re pretty up front about what you get. Now, the status of the chickens age is up for debate. What if they said “the chickens are new to their environment and might take a month to get comfortable?” Or, a breed that doesn’t lay heavily...the copy in their website is pretty basic as copy nondifferent than any other business.

Is this for real? Thats double the price of the stores.... Unfortunately these people dont know how to run a business. Its sad to see!

Bedding Hay $10.00 per bag

Pine Shavings $10.00 per bag

1 gallon water container $15.00

have you rented a car before? You pay the equivalent of a monthly payment for a week. Same with the rentacdnter for appliances. The value of the business is that you don’t have to worry about housing, what feeder to buy, what kind of feed, where yo get it, etc...You pay to have instant gratification....instant Instagram pics, instant life lessons with your kid, instant relief of anxiety about your eggs, etc...and if you don’t like chickens they’ll come haul it all away.

 

[Soon2BChixMom]

Most likely with all of the juggling going on from renter to renter, the hens wouldn't be comfortable enough to lay especially if their digs aren't that great either.
This isn't the first dissapointed post that I have read about these rent a chicken places.
Some people will do anything to make a buck. And, while it sounds interesting to try before you buy, I think it has more hassles and headaches to go along with it. Researching before you pull the plug would be just as valuable for a new chicken owner. I researched for quite awhile before getting chickens. Even after receiving them there are still little nuances that you learn. I think owning poultry might always be a learning and tweaking experience.

@home town girl Do you think you will full out own chickens once this is done?

 

[nminusyplusm]

They didn’t make any claims as to the volume of eggs

Where did I mention number of eggs?

or time scale to lay.

They say on their website that the hens are laying and the owner told the OP that the hens would be 1-1/2 years old so past POL.

What if they delivered a chicken that lays 50 eggs a year? Still staying within their promises.

I'm not sure what this has to do with my posts.

They state exactly what comes with the birds. And the time period.

They also claim everything needed is included which contradicts the part where bedding and feed are only one month's worth.

It isn’t dishonest, OP got excited about having chickens and didn’t read what I found in 40 seconds of reading their website.

Can you point out where they say they will deliver pullets not yet at the point of lay?

They’re pretty up front about what you get.

I disagree.

Now, the status of the chickens age is up for debate.

The site makes it pretty clear that customers should expect birds that have reached POL and the owner told the OP 1.5 yrs. It's not really debatable unless you were in on that conversation and you heard different.

What if they said “the chickens are new to their environment and might take a month to get comfortable?” Or, a breed that doesn’t lay heavily...the copy in their website is pretty basic as copy nondifferent than any other business.

Or what if they were honest and said the might deliver birds that are too immature to lay for a month or more?

have you rented a car before?
You pay the equivalent of a monthly payment for a week. Same with the rentacdnter for appliances. The value of the business is that you don’t have to worry about housing, what feeder to buy, what kind of feed, where yo get it, etc...You pay to have instant gratification....instant Instagram pics, instant life lessons with your kid, instant relief of anxiety about your eggs, etc...and if you don’t like chickens they’ll come haul it all away.

Where did I bring up what they charge?

That's another conversation entirely. I'm interested in the bait and switch part of it and that's what my posts to you have been about.

ETA: I agree with you that one is paying for instant gratification and that's my point. That's what they advertise, that's what the OP rightfully expected... and yet, the company delivered pullets that the OP will have to further raise before she gets what she paid for. It's bait and switch, false advertising.

 

[featherhead007]

Yikes!

YES, this is a job for Super Chicken! bok bok bok bok!

 

[ShrekDawg]

I rhink technically you could argue that the egg laying hen bit doesn't necessarily mean laying atm or POL, it could mean egg laying breeds as opposed to meat or something else. Lots of people use it that way. So not technically lying according to the law I would think cause it's just vague enough and is only differentiating egg layers from meat birds.

BUT.

That said, if the owner really did say they would be 1 1/2 years old/past POL or there's multiple packages where you pay more for laying adults as opposed to babies and she got babies then yes, that is definitely deceptive. Especially since you're theoretically paying for 3 months or 6 months or whatever it is of eggs and you're only getting 2 months or 5 months yet paying full price. I get the confusion and deception but that one specific line on their website does not necessarily indicate POL and could mean type/breed. If owner told OP one thing though then that is different.

 

[nminusyplusm]

I rhink technically you could argue that the egg laying hen bit doesn't necessarily mean laying atm or POL, it could mean egg laying breeds as opposed to meat or something else. Lots of people use it that way. So not technically lying according to the law I would think cause it's just vague enough and is only differentiating egg layers from meat birds.

BUT.

That said, if the owner really did say they would be 1 1/2 years old/past POL or there's multiple packages where you pay more for laying adults as opposed to babies and she got babies then yes, that is definitely deceptive. Especially since you're theoretically paying for 3 months or 6 months or whatever it is of eggs and you're only getting 2 months or 5 months yet paying full price. I get the confusion and deception but that one specific line on their website does not necessarily indicate POL and could mean type/breed. If owner told OP one thing though then that is different.

Also here's the owner on a local tv show when asked about how the rental price compares to buying and DIY saying that the eggs you get per month from his hens offsets the rental price and that if you were to go out and buy hens that were already laying (what he's ostensibly renting) you'd pay $25-30:

So it's clear that he means that they are already laying.

Additionally he says in the video that he copied the business model of rent-a-chicken companies in other states which have as a main selling point that the customer doesn't have to wait for them to reach POL:
"Ms. Suitor, who founded her company in 2009 with her husband, Mark, saw several problems bedeviling chicken owners. One was that they were often accidentally buying rooster chicks, which, of course, did not produce the desired eggs and made a disquieting noise. Some owners also incorrectly assumed that they would start eating organic, farm-fresh eggs for breakfast the morning after they brought home chicks, not realizing it can take several months or more for hens to mature and begin producing them.

Ms. Suitor’s company avoided these problems by delivering only hens in their egg-laying prime. “They get the payback right away,”"

https://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/27/business/rentals-that-let-you-fly-the-coop.html?_r=2&

 

[aart]

Despite all the debate here over details stated by the company ....

.....the OP spells out exactly what I expected would happen when these 'rent a hen' deals came out a few years ago.

It sucks newbies in just like the ads for the tiny dollhouse coops.
All Romance and no Reality.
What a SMH shame.