Hats for rent to fight the egg crisis: the « Rent the Chicken » phenomenon grows in the United States

For Americans, eggs are a basic food and, in front of the very strong increases of the last few months and the empty shelves of supermarkets, several have decided to find alternatives in order not to give up a fundamental element of breakfast and many dishes. In this context, a trend that is spreading more and more is to take « chickens to guarantee a domestic egg production.

« Rent the chicken »

« I really want to try and see if I like it or not, » said Yong-Mi Kim, a woman residing near Los Angeles to the FP as she took two hens and all the equipment they need to live from a « rental » service. The phenomenon began to spread in the United States about a decade ago when a pair of farmers founded « Rent the chicken » in Pennsylvania. Since then, the project has spread to over 40 cities of the United States, where several territorial branches have been born on the initiative of local farmers. But this year with the surge in egg prices there was a real boom. « We have found a much greater interest, I would say three or four times greater than the same period last year, » confirmed Victoria Lee to the FP, which serves the Los Angeles region from its farm to Agu Dulce.

The price of eggs

In recent months, a 12 egg cardboard in the United States had come to cost between 8 and 12 dollars. Now the prices are falling, even if less than what Trump claims. On April 24 he said: « The price dropped by 87%. » But the data deny it. The data of the Bureau of Labor Statistics published on April 10 show that the average retail price of the eggs reached $ 6.23 the dozen in March, exceeding the previous 5.90 dollars record set in February. According to the Department of Agriculture of the United States, wholesale prices have decreased since Trump came in office, but only 52%, going from 6.55 dollars to a dozen large white eggs in January to 3.15 dollars. However, the average retail price of a dozen eggs rose from $ 4.95 to January to 6.22 dollars in March, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics data.

How much the « rental » of hens costs

To push the Americans to rent hens are not only the costs but also the limit to purchases imposed by many supermarkets to avoid the exhaustion of the stocks and above all the empty shelves. It cannot be said, in fact, that the rental service is particularly cheap. The options offered by « Rent the Chicken » oscillate from 500 to over $ 1,000 for six months, depending on the position and number of birds. The rental packages, explains the AFP, include chickens, feed, sketches, feeders, chicken coops and also a guide on how to take care of birds. Making this investment is not a question of savings but of quality, highlights highlight: « When they arrive at the supermarket, the eggs have an average of 48-60 days ».