BUCKS FOR CLUCKS: Chicken rentals in Kamloops, Okanagan on the rise
Global supply chain issues, inflation and a pandemic driving people to experience new things are all driving interest in rentable backyard chicken farming, says the co-founder of a chicken rental.
“I do think because of the ramifications of all of the things, people are making different choices,” said Rent The Chicken co-founder Jenn Tompkins.
READ MORE: Chicken rentals offer test runs for would-be backyard farmers wanting eggs
The business has been providing rentable chickens in the Thompson Okanagan region since 2016. In 2020, there weren't enough chickens or coops to meet the demand as more residents spent time at home.
“We feel like those renters may have spent money on chickens instead of their vacation. In 2021 and 2022, people were making big life changes, moving from urban to more rural areas, and they noticed more rural renters were participating, less so than in the city.
“There’s definitely an uptick on demand for chickens this afternoon,” she said. If people order now, they can get their chickens in May.
“If they wait until May, we may be looking at May 2023. So you want to place your reservation sooner than later.”
Chickens come from a farm in Kamloops and roughly 50% of renters end up keeping them, Tompkins said.
Rent The Chicken comes with two or four egg-laying hens, a mobile coop, food and water dishes, and a food supply.
The rental fees start at $485 for two hens from May to October. The price includes feed, a coop, a guide on how to care for them and delivery and pick up for Kamloops, Vernon and Kelowna locations.
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