CHICAGO — For a few hundred bucks, you can get your very own chicken coop, two hens and plenty of fresh eggs on the way.
Rent-A-Chicken, a Michigan-based business that provides customers with a coop, a pair of egg-laying chickens, food and a water container, has recently expanded to Chicago. Rent-A-Chicken founder Leslie Suitor said Chicago chicken enthusiasts are quite common, from families with young kids to baby boomers who "always wanted the bucolic farm lifestyle without all the work."
"There are a lot of chicken fanciers out there," Suitor said. "And we're getting word out that this is available."
The coops, birds, food — about 50 pounds of seed — and other supplies are provided by a supplier in Joliet. The rental fee is $400, which includes a "predator-proof" coop, Suitor said. Renters can wind up owning the chickens for an extra $200 or return them, usually in the fall. Customers also can request the same two hens for the next season. Rental fees are $400 for each year, although it's possible discounts could be offered for repeat customers, Suitor said.
No roosters are rented because the hens don't need them to lay eggs and they make a lot of noise, Suitor said.
Two hens are always provided, Suitor said, because each hen lays about six eggs per week, which is perfect for a family of four.
Local chicken consultant Jennifer Murtoff said hundreds of people have coops in Chicago. Most of those she said are in the Logan Square/Humboldt Park area. Murtoff said most of her customers are families with two kids under the age of 15.
That makes sense, Suitor said, because families who have chickens multiple times want to teach the children lessons on how to take care of animals.
The chickens can eat more than 50 pounds of seed, but that amount usually lasts all summer and into the fall because the chickens also dine on leftover pasta, rice, vegetables and fruit, Suitor said.
Rent-A-Chicken was founded in 2009 and has quickly expanded. Chicago is the largest city in the company's market, which includes 18 states and urban areas like Sacramento, Portland, Oklahoma City, Minneapolis-St. Paul and Long Island.
Keeping chickens and other livestock animals is perfectly legal in Chicago, unlike in several of the surrounding suburbs. Chicken owners can sell and eat the eggs, but they can't kill the chickens themselves; instead they must take them to a certified butcher.
"The city allows it, and it's very liberal about having chickens," Suitor said.
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