iStockphoto
As many people are painfully aware, egg prices in the United States have gone through the roof this year. This, despite President Donald Trump promising last year, “When I win, I will immediately bring prices down, starting on day one.”
Because of the exorbitant cost of eggs these days, a couple of new industries have popped up and they are growing at a rapid rate: rent-a-chicken businesses and illegal egg smuggling.
The rising cost of eggs can largely be blamed on several variants, some new, of bird flu that have been running rampant worldwide. Some have speculated that the spread of bird flu could have been mitigated slightly if it weren’t for a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) bird flu study being withheld for weeks because President Donald Trump halted all external communications by federal health agencies.
Regardless of the reason, bird flu has become so widespread that it has now been found in dead birds on Antarctica for the first time ever. The State of Mississippi also recently reported its first outbreak of the deadly H7N9 bird flu on a poultry farm since 2017.
Now, companies like Rent The Chicken in Goffstown, New Hampshire are giving diehard egg-eaters the chance to bring the product suppliers right to their own homes. For $595, Rent The Chicken will provide two egg-laying hens that will produce 8 to 14 eggs per week total.
The Standard Package deal also comes with a “deluxe chicken coop that can be easily moved – made for four chickens but only comes with two providing nearly twice the space!” They will also thrown in 100 pounds of organic chicken feed, a quick guide for taking care of your Rent The Chickens, and a copy of Fresh Eggs Daily by Lisa Steele.
For an extra $200, customers can upgrade to the Deluxe Rental Package, which doubles the number of egg-laying hens and organic chicken feed. That’s 16 to 28 per week.
Another option is black market eggs. Yes, black market eggs.
According to Metro, U.S. Customs and Border Protection has reported that in 2025 there have been more than 3,200 seizures of eggs being smuggled across the American border, compared to just 134 seizures of fentanyl.