Rent-a-chicken comes to California – From CBS-13, Sacramento

A farm in Davis has started a new program allowing people to rent chickens to get a first-timer’s taste of backyard chicken farming.

For those still trying to find a place in the pecking order of backyard chicken farming, this is for you. Flyway Farm in Davis has hatched a new idea where you can rent a hen and try before you buy—in case you chicken out.

MORE INFO: Rent-a-Chicken Sacramento

“If you have a landlord that maybe wants you to prove that having chickens isn’t disruptive, you can do that, too,” said Linda Easton. “You can see how your dogs are going to get along with the chickens, how your kids are going to get along with your chickens; so there are a lot of good reasons to rent.”

Easton says for about $75 a month, you can rent the hens along with all the feed and supplies you’ll need, as well as a hand-built coop on wheels.

“This space is just big enough for them to stay cool and protected in the summertime but also its small enough so they can use their body heat to stay warm in the wintertime, even on the coldest night,” she said.

The coop is designed to keep predators and the curious neighbor’s dog away, so the hens can lay about a dozen eggs a week.

“Fresh pasture raised eggs are actually more nutritious for you than the store-bought eggs,” she said. “They have a higher level of Omega-3s, lower cholesterol.”

Easton says raising backyard chickens isn’t necessarily easy and they do come with responsibilities.

“You do need to check on them every day,” she said.

But Flyway Farm will give the basic training you’ll need to put all your eggs in one basket.

“The work you put into it is definitely worth it especially when you get those fabulous eggs and you have these pets that are a lot of fun,” she said.