AUDIO TRANSCRIPT: Fresh Eggs and a New Best Friend? “Rent the Chicken” Service Brings Renters A Therapeutic Outlet
BROOKE KILLGORE: Backyard chickens are a great way to save on rising egg prices, but they offer more than just their product. Manager of CNY’s affiliate of “Rent the Chicken” Lisa Stevenson says that chickens are surprisingly therapeutic past those furry feathers.
LISA STEVENSON: We’ve had them at group homes, where the, the residents like go out there and they, they just spend time with them and talk to them. Chickens don’t talk back so they can just tell them all their secrets.
BROOKE KILLGORE: And for many renters, a few months with chickens leaves a lasting impact. Some decide to keep them, just ask Fayetteville’s Kathleen Hergert.
KATHLEEN HERGERT: They fit very well. My- I have three children that loved the chickens and they all liked them for different reasons and by the end, no one wanted to see them go.
BROOKE KILLGORE: For farm-fresh eggs and a new best friend, a backyard chicken could be right for you. Brooke Killgore, NCC News.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) — When Kathleen Hergert first received her flock from “Rent The Chicken” last spring, she didn’t realize the positive impact it would leave on her family.
Hergert, a nurse practitioner at Upstate University Hospital, knew that she’d have cheaper eggs than at the supermarket amid rapid inflation. But she soon also learned of the therapeutic effect they’d have. The chickens proved to be so effective that she adopted them from the rental program.
“They fit very well,” Hergert said. “I have three children that loved the chickens and they all liked them for different reasons and by the end, no one wanted to see them go.”
“Rent The Chicken” is a nationwide company started in 2013 by husband-and-wife pair Phil and Jenn Tompkins. Anyone can rent their chickens, which are delivered alongside coops, feed, and everything a flock may need. Their rental services extend throughout the United States and have an affiliate in Central New York.
Lisa Stevenson helps run the “Rent The Chicken” farm in Hastings. She has seen the impact of her chickens on families across the area. Stevenson has brought flocks to preschools, senior care facilities, and memory centers and has seen their effect up close.
“We’ve had them at group homes, where the residents go out there and they just spend time with them and talk to them,” Stevenson said. “Chickens don’t talk back so they can just tell them all their secrets.”
Stevenson said renters often make signs to welcome their new chickens and even tears shed when she comes to pick them up.
For those looking to save money on eggs—and perhaps make a new feathered friend—renting a chicken might be the perfect choice.