Grauer is installing a mobile chicken coop in a private garden. The operator of a chicken rental service provides customers with cages, fences and chickens on a trial basis. — Photos: Bernd Weibrod/dpa
IT took less than half an hour to build a chicken coop in the Bock family’s garden in a southern German city.
The next job was to stretch out the mobile fence to surround the wooden coop, giving the four hens enclosed plenty of space to roam.
Raphaela Grauer fetches litter, fills the feeding and drinking bowls then gives the Bock family a brief introduction to caring for hens.
What do they eat?
“Finely chopped carrots, apples or lettuce,” Grauer says.
What should they avoid eating?
“Cabbage, spicy foods and sugary foods” are not suitable, she adds.
Now, all the Bock family has to do is look forward to freshly laid eggs.
Three weeks later, Grauer returns to Tubingen to collect the animals, equipment and supplies the family had borrowed.
Her chicken rental service is thriving, and others are eager to get in on the action. In fact, the business is doing so well that she plans to expand.
“I’ll expand next year, then another coop will be added. My dad is already building it,” she says.
The chicken season begins in March and runs through to the end of October. “Our chickens have a winter break between November and February,” says Grauer.
She also has other work as she and her husband run a gardening business and keep dozens of chickens themselves.
Hens on loan run around in the garden of a family that has borrowed the chickens. The rental company provides customers with cages, fences and chickens on loan.
Can anyone keep chickens?
Anyone who owns a home with a garden is eligible to use her chicken rental service.
They should bear in mind that chickens are social animals and should be kept in groups of at least three.
But how many chickens you should get depends mainly on the space, the budget and how many eggs you want.
Some chicken breeds lay about 150 eggs a year, says the German Federal Information Centre for Agriculture.
Anyone wanting to borrow a chicken should plan on 15 to 20 minutes of work a day to care for them.
This includes opening and closing the coop door, feeding the chickens, refilling their water bowls, collecting eggs, cleaning the coop, and checking on the animals. Additionally, the coop should be cleaned regularly and fresh bedding added.
“If all of this doesn’t put you off, you must register your chickens with the relevant veterinary office and the animal disease fund. This enables the authorities to take quick action in the event of an outbreak. Chickens also need to be vaccinated,” says the agricultural centre.
Germany is embracing the business of keeping chickens, as several states confirm.
“I read something about keeping chickens at home around five years ago and told the family. My sister remembered that I would like something like that, and then gave it to me as a birthday present,” says Annika Bock.
Her four-year-old daughter Frieda was thrilled when the chickens arrived. “She was very excited this morning and has been asking every day for the last two weeks when the chickens will finally arrive.”
The family is now confronted with the question whether to get chickens permanently after the experiment is finished, says Bock. It’s a bit like the dream of living in the countryside. “And you can teach the children where food comes from.”
Meanwhile, the four chickens, who have already experienced several gardens and temporary carers, are happily settling in.
Grauer offers patrons a range of packages, all of which are “all-inclusive.”
There’s the “mature laying hens” package, priced at €180 (RM852) for three weeks. She charges an extra €40 (RM189) for building the coop and fence, plus a fee if she drives more than 15km. “I don’t drive further than 65km,” says Grauer.
Next comes the “hatching package” for people to hatch chicks. It comes with precise instructions and an incubator with fertilised eggs.
Once the chicks hatch, the families keep them for another two weeks and can watch as they grow. “I’m also available to answer any questions people may have,” says Grauer.
After that, there’s the “sitting hen with chicks” package. “We supply the sitting hen with chicks with a coop and an outdoor enclosure. We only rent it out when the chicks have hatched and are around two weeks old.”
Grauer says that 70% of her clients are kindergartens and schools, with the remaining 30% being regular families.
The Grauer family started their chicken rental service in 2020, just as the pandemic broke out.
“And so it has grown little by little. I do it mainly because I just want to bring joy to children or simply give them the experience of having chickens or even chicks and for them to enjoy experiencing nature,” says Grauer. – dpa
