Rent the Chicken, a company founded in 2013 outside of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, offers customers the option of renting two to four birds for their homes so they can have fresh eggs every day without having to worry about price fluctuations.
Jenn Tompkins, co-founder of the company, assured the Efe agency that there has been an increase in the number of clients in recent months.
“When people rent one of our hens, they know they don’t have to worry about the price of eggs, or shortages, or purchasing restrictions. They just need to come to the yard to pick them up,” he added.
Since late 2022, the price of eggs in the US has been rising steadily, driven by an outbreak of bird flu that has resulted in the culling of more than 100 million laying hens.
According to official data, the price of eggs peaked for the first time in January 2023, under the government of Democrat Joe Biden (2021-2025), but it was in February of this year, under the government of Republican Donald Trump, that it broke all records, reaching US$ 5.89.
However, the Trading Economics portal (which already offers data from March) states that at the beginning of this month a dozen cost on average more than 8 dollars.
Trump, who took office in January, has repeatedly criticized his predecessor, blaming him for passing the problem on to him.
Although the Department of Agriculture assures that the price is now at a more normal level, around 3 dollars, these changes, the purchase limits imposed by some supermarkets and the fact that they are often not available on store shelves have led citizens to look for solutions.
The co-founder of Rent the Chicken emphasizes that many people have chosen to “open the door to all the benefits” that these birds offer, beyond the economic ones.
“Fresh eggs have less cholesterol than store-bought eggs. But chickens also act as therapy. They can help you interact with your neighbors when you go out into the yard, and they can keep kids away from screens by teaching them how to care for an animal,” he said.
The company offers its services in 35 major markets across the country and several others in Canada, although with advances in technology, business has expanded even further in recent weeks.
They are most popular in Pittsburgh, Connecticut and Toronto (Canada) and, although they can be a good option for those who live in big cities, where life is traditionally more expensive, he regrets that they are not a good alternative for those who live in apartments.
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