Chickens for rent: Wyanet woman offers alternative approach to high prices for eggs

With the price of eggs rising, Abby Nielsen of Wyanet has taken upon herself to give people an option to obtain their eggs from home — by starting Chickens for Rent.

Her service provides four hens, a 4-by-6-foot mobile chicken coop, feed and support for six months from April to October, allowing customers to collect fresh eggs at home. For $450 or $90 a month, the hens will produce 15 to 20 eggs a week.

Egg prices have averaged between $4 and $5 a dozen at Illinois Valley grocery stores in the past month.

Nielsen said she came up with the idea from a Facebook group she’s a part of and thought the business would give people who wanted to give raising chickens a try.

“We keep a lot of animals,” she said. “We have property and we know how lucky we are to have that option and for a lot of people, the setup of getting to the point of keeping the chickens is the hardest part.”

She said her business allows people who want to give raising chickens a try but don’t know if they can commit to it.

“I think a lot of people feel pressure about where they can get food and the cost of rising food prices and all that,” she said. “So, this is just a fun, easy way for somebody to have a new experience.”

Nielsen said the customers are responsible for knowing the ordinances in their community, feeding and watering the chickens daily, and moving the coop every one to two days to ensure they have fresh grass.

“My intention would be to come by monthly to check on them,” she said. “Just to make sure everything looks OK.”

Nielsen will also provide a feeder, food and water containers and chicken treats; such as meal worms or black sunflower seeds.

“I think I also may include apple cider vinegar, cinnamon, oregano and chili powder, which are all beneficial for gut health and preventing parasites,” she said.

Nielsen said potential customers may want to consider the neighborhood they live in — as chickens can become easily stressed.

“The coop is safe, so as long as they are locking it at night, I don’t see a predator issue,” she said. “But maybe just inspecting daily to make sure nothing tried to get in there.”

She said dogs or raccoons could be a threat – the coop itself is safe from those things, but if there was damage, she would need to be notified.

“They’re kind of low maintenance,” she said. “If they’re stressed out from maybe a dog running around, the would probably lay a little bit less. But, they also get used to things.”

Nielsen has dogs around her chickens and they lay eggs fine.

One of the benefits of completing a six-month rental from April to October is the weather, as the coops are not meant for winter but offer shade during the summer months.

“Chickens are really resistant to heat and cold and our chickens are used to normal weather,” she said. “Like in the summer when it gets really hot, I might recommend putting sweet corn in a cup of water and freezing it. So, they can peck at it and it will cool them off.”

If anyone is interested in renting chickens, they can call or text Nielsen at 847-502-9510.