🐣 $1M a Year to Babysit Chickens?

🥚 Why Are People Paying to Babysit Chickens?

In an age where kombucha brewing, beekeeping, and backyard gardening are trendy hobbies, it was only a matter of time before chicken co-parenting made it onto the list.

Families are craving rural vibes without the full-time farming commitment.
Enter: chicken rental.

It’s a lifestyle statement.
Fresh eggs, family bonding, an educational activity for the kids—and zero long-term responsibility.

It's wholesome, it's weird, and yes, people will throw money at it.

If you think we’re coo coo, check out this couple that makes $1M a year doing this

💸 Cracking the Startup Cost

Here’s what you’d need to start a chicken babysitting empire:

• Coops ($250–$500 per portable coop, or DIY for less)

• Chickens ($15–$30 each for reliable egg-layers)

• Feed & Supplies (~$20/month per customer package)

• Transportation Setup (a trailer or van to deliver the packages)

• Marketing Materials & Booking Site (~$100-$600 depending on Shopify, Squarespace, or Honeybook)

👉 Estimated Upfront Investment: $3,000–$7,000 for a small test market

🚐📍 Where to Hatch Your Business

Best Regions:

• Suburbs and exurbs with families (think Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Texas, Oregon)

• Anywhere with a strong farmers’ market culture

• Areas with HOA flexibility or backyard animal allowances

Avoid:

• Dense urban zones with strict zoning laws

• Areas with harsh winters outside the April–October season

Use this chicken ordinance lookup tool to make sure you're allowed to deliver chickens in your target city.

🐥 How to Stand Out from Other Backyard Rentals

• Offer themed coops (Rustic Farmhouse, Kid’s Clubhouse, Cottagecore Chic)

• Include “Meet the Chickens” profile cards with fun bios

• Add laminated egg-collecting charts and kid-friendly learning guides

• Provide a bonus delivery-day “starter video” (you can use Loom)

→ Long-term, you can scale by selling a chicken farming course!

🎀 Branding Ideas That Make People Cluck

This isn’t just a chicken rental. It’s a backyard family adventure.

Name ideas:

• Eggscape & Co.

• Cluck Club

• The Happy Coop-er

• Laycation Rentals

Brand it like it’s a boutique pet service meets Montessori experience. Think pastel palettes, hand-drawn graphics, and playful font pairings.

Use Canva Pro or Looka for affordable, aesthetic branding kits.

Check out this branding kit we created for you as inspiration

📣 How to Market This Effectively

• Influencers: Focus on mom bloggers, suburban TikTokers, and homeschool content creators

• Facebook Groups: Hyper-local mom & parenting communities are gold

• Local Events: Rent booth space at farmer’s markets, spring festivals, or family expos

• Flyers: Old school works—especially in community centers or schools

📦 Scaling the Chicken Dream

Once you have demand:

• Expand to neighboring cities

• Add a “Chicken Sitting” tier for full-season customers

• Offer branded merch: aprons, egg cartons, “I Babysat a Chicken” tees

• Create a referral program for customers

• Franchise your concept or offer license packages to aspiring chickenpreneurs
  

🐓 Common Coop Problems & Clever Solutions

📊 Profit Potential

If you rent 500 chicken pairs at $600 average per season:

500 x $600 = $300,000 (just one season!)
With 2,000 customers like the couple who inspired this?
$1.2 million a year 🐔💸

With minimal overhead, plenty of repeat customers, and marketing that leans into wholesome + hilarious—it’s the kind of weird business that works.

Know someone who’d love this type of business?