Latest news with #JennTompkins
Boston Globe
18-03-2025
- General
- Boston Globe
Eggs too pricey? No problem! Just raise backyard chickens, Trump official says.
Yay! The CDC is reporting that the avian flu has already closer to birds, no matter the 'free' eggs (free, if you don't count time, money, and possible plague). Advertisement And yet, bookings at Get Winter Soup Club A six-week series featuring soup recipes and cozy vibes, plus side dishes and toppings, to get us all through the winter. Enter Email Sign Up 'People want to take back some control over their food sources,' said Jenn Tompkins, the company's cofounder. A reliable brunch supply is important, of course. And if you talk with chicken people, you quickly grasp that arrangements that start out as merely transactional — I feed you, you feed me — often deepen. Give a person wearing a T-shirt that declares them The pleasure of snuggling with a Speckled Sussex. 'Chicken math,' which holds that once you get one flock, inevitably you'll fall so in love you'll get another and another. And, perhaps their favorite topic: their chickens' sense of humor. I have never shared a laugh with a chicken, I admit. But I am someone with a pet, a goldendoodle with a dry wit. So when I learned how close people get to their birds — naming them, knitting them sweaters, looking forward to seeing them after work — it made me think about how scared I'd be if dogs were at risk. Caylee Kozak stepped into her boots only before entering her backyard. Barry Chin/Globe Staff There have been nine positive cases of bird flu in backyard flocks in Massachusetts since the first case was detected, in March of 2022, according to the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources, with two of the cases coming this year. The infections are typically due to a backyard flock coming into contact with wild birds that had bird flu, a spokesperson said, and require the flock be destroyed. Advertisement I figured that such worries would be rife in chicken circles, and they are — except for the backyard chicken conspiracy theorists, who think that bird flu is a COVID-like hoax, mounted by the mainstream media or the government or shadowy forces trying to prevent people from being self-sufficient. Or something. Missi Salzberg, the owner of Owners have stopped letting their 'girls' free range. They're covering their coops with dropping-proof tops to protect their flocks from migrating birds. They're not even taking in needy chickens. On the South Shore, Caylee Kozak, a senior communications specialist with the Gemological Institute of America, is so serious about 'biosecurity,' that when her parents recently came to chicken sit, she emphasized — and emphasized again — that they each needed to bring a bird-coop-only pair of boots. Any eggs they collected, she instructed, should go immediately into the refrigerator, spending no time on the counter. She didn't want her cats anywhere near them, she said. Touching surfaces contaminated with animal secretions or excretions is a risk factor for bird flu, according to the Centers for Disease Control's website, which also, thankfully, reports that 'consuming properly prepared and cooked (or pasteurized) products is safe.' Advertisement Bird flu and egg shortages are getting all the attention. But those issues are just the tip of a subculture that can be, according to Tompkins of Rent The Chicken, kind of 'crazy.' Her driver's license identifies her as Jennifer Tompkins, but if you ask her for her name, she'll give it as 'Homestead Jenn Tompkins' — and kind of insist you use the honorific. When I asked Her Homesteadliness how she got the idea for the company, she responded that her husband was 'the visionary.' In the Boston area, $600 at Rent The Chicken gets you two hens for the season (five or six months), a coop, organic feed, tutorials, access to a help line — and about a dozen eggs a week. If you 'chicken out,' Tompkins said, allowing herself a little chicken humor, you can return the birds, no judgment. Conversely, if the experience is good, you can also name the birds and rent the same ones next year — or you could buy the flock! Meanwhile, in the popular imagination, and indeed in reality, one of a chicken's most defining characteristics is squawking. But that's not the whole story, said David Herlihy, a lawyer from Newton who, along with his wife and many others, got chickens during the pandemic. 'There's something very zen about it,' he said. Caylee Kozak in her backyard with her partner, Jory Block, at right, and their 5 Dominique hens. Barry Chin/Globe Staff Beth Teitell can be reached at
Axios
25-02-2025
- General
- Axios
People are flocking to backyard chickens, and they're allowed in metro Richmond
One way to deal with the ongoing egg shortage: Hatch your own. Why it matters: When egg prices skyrocket, more Americans consider getting — and even renting — backyard chickens. By the numbers: 11 million U.S. households have backyard chickens and 8 million U.S. households consider their chickens pets, making chickens one of the most popular pets in the country, according to the latest data from the American Pet Products Association. That's way more than had backyard chickens in 2018 (5.8 million), per APPA data. Zoom in: Richmond, Chesterfield, Hanover and Henrico all allow backyard chickens, up to six hens apiece in each locality, plus other restrictions. Or you can even rent the whole setup, chickens and all, through The Chicken Rental Place, a locally-based all-inclusive egg-laying chicken rental service. They're currently sold-out for 2025, but could have some openings in the spring, per their website. State of play: 2025, similar to 2020, is already shaping up to be a big year for backyard chickens, according to Jenn Tompkins, co-owner of national backyard chickens company Rent The Chicken. Yes, but: Caring for chickens instead of buying eggs at the store is still eggspensive. It can cost $500 to get a decent coop, plus $20 a month for food. But, two adult hens can yield about a dozen eggs a week.
Axios
20-02-2025
- General
- Axios
Chicken rentals are available in Nashville amid egg shortage
One way to deal with the egg shortage: rent chickens. Why it matters: Nashvillians looking for a reliable egg source without a huge commitment could try keeping backyard chickens for a few months. Rent The Chicken offers delivery and setup up of a coop on wheels, two or four young egg-laying hens, chicken feed, and food dishes for a five-to-six month rental period in Nashville. The one-time cost to have two hens from spring through fall is $495 in Middle Tennessee. Zoom in: Davidson County residents can own backyard chickens, but for most properties it requires a permit. The city's website has tips on taking care of hens, maintaining coops and the permitting process. Zoom out: 11 million U.S. households have backyard chickens, making chickens the third most popular pet in the country, according to the latest data from the American Pet Products Association (APPA). That's way more than in 2018 (5.8 million), according to APPA data. State of play: 2025 is already shaping up to be a big year for backyard chickens (as was 2020), according to Jenn Tompkins, co-owner of Rent The Chicken. She's taking reservations now for rentals to start in April or May. "People truly want to know where their food's coming from [and] they're not trusting that the grocery store is going to have what they need," Tompkins tells Axios. Go deeper: Read Axios' Carly Mallenbaum's story about the rising popularity of backyard chickens.
Yahoo
13-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Scrambling to find eggs? Try renting a chicken.
With cases of bird flu spiking across the United States, the subsequent egg shortage has left many Americans scrambling to keep the fridge stocked. The solution for many shoppers has been going straight to the source -- by acquiring a chicken. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, 159 flocks tested positive for bird flu, also known as avian influenza, in the last 30 days. When a bird becomes infected with the virus, the animal needs to be culled and the eggs need to be destroyed, leading to a decrease in the overall number of eggs produced in the country. With a limited quantity of eggs available, the USDA predicted that egg prices will rise up to 20% in 2025. But for those who refuse to forgo the breakfast staple, there's another option to ensure a steady stream of eggs: renting a chicken. Rent The Chicken, which was founded in 2013, strives to "provide people a chance to try out having backyard hens for fresh eggs without the long-term commitment," according to co-founder Jenn Tompkins. The organization partners with farmers in the United States and Canada to provide rental opportunities across North America. Tompkins said customers will see a dozen eggs per week with two hens, and about two dozen with four hens. MORE: As bird flu spreads, what is the risk from eggs and milk? With shortages and price hikes caused by the spate of bird flu in many states, Tompkins said the company's phones are "ringing off the hook." "Our online inquiries are filling up very quickly as well," Tompkins said. "We will run out of hens available for rent. If anyone is interested, please make sure to put their reservation in sooner than later." In most regions, Tompkins said prices start at around $500 for a 5-6 month rental period. This one-time fee for most standard packages includes two hens, a coop, food and instruction book. While it may not be cheaper than buying eggs at the grocery store -- it amounts to spending roughly $20 per week for eggs, without factoring in the upkeep -- renting a chicken will provide food security and minimize stress when eggs are scarce, said Connecticut farmer Joe Defrancesco. "It's actually getting pretty popular, because everyone wants to know where their eggs come from," Defrancesco told ABC News. "It's not basically the price of the eggs, it's more of: 'I want to make sure that I have eggs.'" Scrambling to find eggs? Try renting a chicken. originally appeared on
