Chickens exit the barn where they were laying eggs on the farm where they are raised as part of the "Rent The Chicken" service in Agua Dulce, California, on April 21, 2025. While many people idly muse about backyard farming, for those not ready to take the plunge permanently, there's a solution: renting a henhouse, complete with egg-laying birds. Hiring hens to householders began to gain ground in the United States around a decade ago in Pennsylvania when a farming couple set up "Rent The Chicken." Since then, the project has expanded to more than 40 cities across North America, with local farmers setting up their own offshoots. (Photo by Patrick T. Fallon / AFP)