Pa. couple's chicken rental service catching on

FREEPORT, Pa., Sept. 1 (UPI) -- A Pennsylvania man says his and his wife's chicken-rental service is catching on.

Phil and Jenn Thompkins of Freeport said they were giving folks who like the idea of farm-fresh eggs an opportunity to see if they were up to the task keeping hens before taking the plunge.

"I think it's something a lot of people are into," Mr. Thompkins told the Indiana (Pa.) Gazette. "We've actually had a lot of positive feedback."

"It really is a trial period for someone who wants to have chickens long term," he added. "A lot of people don't know where to start."

For $350, customers get two laying hens along with feed, a water dish and a chicken coop on wheels they can use from May until November. They estimate the rental chickens will turn out 8-11 eggs a week.

Customers can renew their rental in the spring or buy the birds and their supplies outright.