Rent a hen

[TJC44]

In CT I found. Business called rentahen, that will provide a co-op, a month of bedding, and 3 laying hens.www.ctrentahen.com
Will look at it closer when I have Internet again.

[hawgrider]

Interesting idea. They will be the most expensive eggs you ever eat though.



$149.99 delivery, set up, training, instructions and pick up

$54.00 monthly rental

[RubberDuck]

Lets say you get a full dozen a week that's a little ovet $13 a dozen after you get passed the set up fees.
Not sure who they intend this for but it's not the average Joe

[hawgrider]

I can see its value to just try it out to see if its what you want to do long term before you invest in the coop and gear yourself.

I didn't build my coop so it cost me $300.00 then I bought a 10 x10 dog kennel to attach to it. Then I bought the gear.... Feeders, fountains, hot plate. then I bought more fencing and posts. So roughly I spent about 800.00 bucks and I am still eating the most expensive eggs known to man .... But they sure are GOOD!

[rice paddy daddy]

I can see its value to just try it out to see if its what you want to do long term before you invest in the coop and gear yourself.

I didn't build my coop so it cost me $300.00 then I bought a 10 x10 dog kennel to attach to it. Then I bought the gear.... Feeders, fountains, hot plate. then I bought more fencing and posts. So roughly I spent about 800.00 bucks and I am still eating the most expensive eggs known to man .... But there sure are GOOD!
My wife and I have been doing this for twenty years now, so the return-on-investment has been met. We have had as many as 50, as few as 7, right now we have been hatching our own and are at a comfortable 30.
After losing birds to predators over the years, we use dog kennels now, too. Have them in 10X10, 6X10, and 6X13. A total of six. With peaked tarp tops for weather protection.
These are inside a 70 X 50 foot "compound" surrounded by 6 foot high chain link.
We have to keep the different little flocks separate, so the roosters don't kill each other, or kill the other's hens. That's why we have 6 pens, and let one group per day out to roam the large enclosure.
Inside each pen we have an igloo dog house for a laying box, plus little hutches we scored used on Craigslist.

We get anywhere from 18 to 20 eggs per day, but we don't sell them. We barter them down at the local produce co-op, give them to friends who do things for us, etc.

[Arklatex]

I buy all my eggs from a friend that has chickens. 2.50 a dozen for great local fresh eggs. A bunch of other guys at work do the same. Thanks to us he gets free eggs and chicken and we all get great quality eggs cheap. Of he gives it up I will buy chickens and do it myself. There's a YUGE difference in store bought and fresh!

[TJC44]

I can see its value to just try it out to see if its what you want to do long term before you invest in the coop and gear yourself.

I didn't build my coop so it cost me $300.00 then I bought a 10 x10 dog kennel to attach to it. Then I bought the gear.... Feeders, fountains, hot plate. then I bought more fencing and posts. So roughly I spent about 800.00 bucks and I am still eating the most expensive eggs known to man .... But there sure are GOOD!
That's what I was thinking, using them as a training tool for a season or 2. Figure out what works for you.

[Inor]

Dammit! The name "Rent-A-Hen" is taken?!?! That is what I was going to call my cathouse! I even had a great business model for it. I was going to run it by hand until we got it going!

[hawgrider]

Dammit! The name "Rent-A-Hen" is taken?!?! That is what I was going to call my cathouse! I even had a great business model for it. I was going to run it by hand until we got it going!Somehow I don't see Mrs Inor as a Madam.. Hope you changed the hay in the dog house recently.

[Jeep]

This is a horrible idea for someone to buy into. If you can build a coop, and you live near people with chickens, or can order online. I bought 10 chickens. My neighbor was an egg farmer, he gave me 70 1 year old hens. I was getting about 440 eggs per week. and since they were free range, I was selling them to our Co-op for anywhere between 2.50 and 3.20 per dozen. Costs for me was feed and that was minimal since I let them run