Nanny McCluckin sees eggs-plosion of business as rent-a-chick takes off amid pandemic

A Calgary business that rents out chicken eggs so families can hatch them at home says the pandemic has put their eggs in high demand. 

Kathy Torgerson, one of the founders at Nanny McCluckin's Chick Hatching Experiences, says parents are looking for something safe to do with their kids and this offers a fun, educational experience.

• Watch the above video to see the baby chicks play in this Calgary home.

"This is something that families can do together. It's relatively low cost, it is very easy. We give you everything and it's magical. I mean, who doesn't love a little bit of magic and fun in nature and birth?" she told the Calgary Eyeopener.

Torgerson says clients receive a kit that includes a fertilized egg, an incubator, housing bin, food, a heater and shavings. The total cost is $157.50.

"Everything that you're going to need for the experience as well as the instructions, and you're going to take that kit to your home, you're going to set it up and you're going to watch your eggs incubate," she said.

Around Day 10 of being an egg caregiver, Torgerson says you will start seeing the growth of the chick inside the egg. Fast forward to Day 21, and the chick will be ready to meet you.

"You can actually watch your baby chicks hatch out of their shell and then you get to keep them for about a week and just experience all the magic that comes with that," she said.

From there, she says, the final step is bringing the chick and its kit back to the business, and the baby bird will then be transported back to the farm it came from.

"Because we're back at the farm every month, it's actually really cool because we see the chickens as they're growing," she said. 

"So we can post pictures and say, 'Hey, these are your chicks from last month,' so they can still check in and see how their birds are doing."

As well, she says, the chickens will live a long, happy life.

"We work with the intent on growing (the farms') flocks," she said. "That part was really important to us to make sure that these birds were not just hatched and then culled. They are kept for purpose."

Nanny McCluckin's Chick Hatching Experiences is already sold out of eggs for 2020, but Torgerson says Calgarians can join a waiting list and hopefully get one next year.

With files from the Calgary Eyeopener.