The real cost of raising backyard chickens

We are not going to print a dollar figure for keeping chickens, because any number we wrote would be out of date by the time you read it and wrong for your region anyway. What we can give you is better: the consumption figures, which are published and stable, and live prices on this page, so you can do the arithmetic for today.

The one-off setup costs

This is where first-time keepers are surprised, and it is almost entirely the coop. The spread is enormous — a budget flat-pack coop and a shed-grade or premium plastic coop differ by more than ten times — and the cheap end needs upgrades the expensive end does not.

• Coop — the dominant cost, and the widest range. Coops by flock size.
• Run — either attached (included) or separate (cheaper per sq ft). Walk-in runs.
• Predator hardware — hardware cloth, a two-step latch, an apron. Cheap in absolute terms and the most commonly skipped line.
• Feeder and waterer — modest, unless you buy a treadle feeder, which is a real line item.
• A heated waterer if your winters freeze. Not optional in that case.
• A metal feed bin. Needed, and routinely forgotten.
• The birds themselves — point-of-lay pullets cost more than chicks, and chicks need a brooder setup.

The recurring costs, with the figures

Feed — the main one

Six hens go through roughly eleven 50 lb bags a year. That is the number to multiply by whatever a bag costs where you are — and it is the single biggest recurring expense by a wide margin.

Bedding

Depends heavily on method. Deep litter — adding fresh material on top rather than stripping out — uses far less than frequent full changes. A 300-liter hemp bale or an equivalent volume of shavings covers a small coop for several months.

Grit and oyster shell

Genuinely minor. Consumption is low and erratic, and a 5 lb bag of each lasts a small flock months. Do not economize here.

Electricity, if you heat the water

A heated waterer draws 60-125 W and, if it is thermostatted, only runs near freezing. Multiply the wattage by your estimate of freezing hours and your electricity rate. It is a real cost and a small one.

The costs nobody budgets for

• Replacing the coop. A budget flat-pack coop does not last a decade. Plan on it.
• Veterinary care. Avian vets are not universal and not cheap. Worth knowing where yours is before you need one.
• Mite treatment, which most flocks need at some point.
• Replacing birds. Laying declines each year, and predators and illness happen.
• Fencing or netting after the first predator visit, which is when most people buy it.

Where the money actually goes

Two feed bag sizes, bedding, and grit — the four recurring purchases, with live prices.

#1 · The cheapest cost per pound for a bigger flock

$41.39·on Amazon

$43.99 6% off

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Nutrena Country Feeds 16% Layer Pellets, 50 lb

Nutrena

8.8/10★★★★◐Assessed on specs and owner reports

50 lb of 16% layer pellets with the protein figure published. For eight or more hens this is the sensible format — provided you have a sealed bin to keep it in.

Published specifications

Type	Layer pellets
Protein	16%
Weight	50 lb
For	Laying hens

Specifications per Manufacturer figures as published on the Amazon product listing, as published at the date above.

What it does well

• Lowest cost per pound of any layer feed here
• 16% protein stated
• 50 lb is about six weeks for eight hens

Where it falls short

• 50 lb needs a rodent-proof metal bin, or you are feeding mice
• Heavy to move and awkward to pour
• Too much feed for a flock of three — it will stale before it is finished

Our rubric

Fit for purpose

9.0

Mess and waste

8.0

Quality

8.0

Value

10.0

#2 · The standard bag for a six-hen flock

$35.98·on Amazon

#ad How we are funded · Price as of October 5, 2026

Purina Layena Layer Crumbles, 25 lb

Purina

8.3/10★★★★☆Assessed on specs and owner reports

25 lb of complete layer crumble — roughly a month for six hens. Crumble suits mixed-age flocks and bantams that find full pellets awkward.

Published specifications

Type	Layer crumbles, nutritionally complete
Weight	25 lb
For	Laying hens
Protein	Not published by manufacturer

Specifications per Manufacturer figures as published on the Amazon product listing, as published at the date above.

What it does well

• Complete layer ration from the most widely stocked brand in the US
• Crumble is easier for bantams and smaller breeds to eat than pellets
• 25 lb is about a month for six hens — fresh all the way down the bag

Where it falls short

• Crumble generates more dust and more billed-out waste than pellets
• Protein percentage is not stated on this listing
• Needs an airtight bin once opened or it absorbs moisture

Our rubric

Fit for purpose

9.0

Mess and waste

7.0

Quality

9.0

Value

8.0

#3 · Low dust in a small or poorly ventilated coop

$74.95·on Amazon

#ad How we are funded · Price as of October 5, 2026

RentACoop Premium Hemp Bedding, 300L

RentACoop

8.0/10★★★★☆Assessed on specs and owner reports

300 liters of hemp hurd per 30 lb bale. Hemp costs more than pine up front but absorbs more per liter and throws far less dust — which is the thing that actually damages chicken lungs.

Published specifications

Material	Hemp hurd
Volume	300 L
Weight	30 lb
Intended use	Chickens, rabbits, horses

Specifications per Manufacturer figures as published on the Amazon product listing, as published at the date above.

What it does well

• Volume and weight both published, so the real cost per liter is comparable
• Markedly less dust than pine — the single biggest respiratory factor in a closed coop
• Absorbs more liquid per liter than shavings, so the litter stays drier between changes
• Composts readily

Where it falls short

• Costs several times what an equivalent volume of pine does
• Finer particles can sift through widely-spaced slatted floors
• Not stocked in most feed stores, so you are ordering it

Our rubric

Fit for purpose

9.0

Mess and waste

8.0

Quality

9.0

Value

6.0

#4 · Insoluble grit for hens eating anything but pellets

$19.02·on Amazon

#ad How we are funded · Price as of October 5, 2026

Manna Pro Poultry Grit with Probiotics, 5 lb

Manna Pro

9.0/10★★★★◐Assessed on specs and owner reports

Insoluble crushed granite — the grinding stone a hen's gizzard needs to process grass, scratch and kitchen scraps. It is not a calcium supplement and does not replace oyster shell.

Published specifications

Type	Insoluble crushed granite grit
Weight	5 lb
Added	Probiotics
Function	Gizzard grinding material

Specifications per Manufacturer figures as published on the Amazon product listing, as published at the date above.

What it does well

• States 'insoluble crushed granite', which is exactly what grit should be
• 5 lb lasts a small flock a very long time — it is offered free-choice, not mixed in
• Essential the moment hens eat anything other than a complete pellet

Where it falls short

• Routinely confused with oyster shell; they do different jobs and you need both
• Not needed at all for birds fed only complete crumble indoors
• Offer it in a separate small dish, not mixed into feed

Our rubric

Fit for purpose

10.0

Mess and waste

9.0

Quality

9.0

Value

8.0

Do backyard eggs save money?

Honestly: usually not, and that is fine. The feed cost per dozen eggs is often comparable to or above supermarket prices once you account for the setup amortized over a few years, the moult, the winter slowdown and the declining laying of older birds. The economics improve with scale, with cheap feed bought in bulk, and if you would otherwise buy premium pasture-raised eggs — but a backyard flock of three hens is not a cost-saving measure.

What you actually get is eggs you know the provenance of, a genuinely enjoyable animal to keep, kitchen scraps turned into compost, and a garden with chickens in it. Those are good reasons. Breaking even is not usually one of them, and anyone telling you otherwise is selling something.

Working out your own number

1. Pick your flock size. Read the feed table above for annual bag count.
2. Multiply by today's bag price for your region. That is your dominant recurring cost.
3. Add bedding, which is modest with deep litter.
4. Add grit, oyster shell and electricity — small.
5. Separately, total the setup: coop, run, predator hardware, feeder, waterer, feed bin, birds.
6. Divide the setup over the years you expect it to last, and add that to the recurring figure.

That gives you a number you can trust, using today's prices rather than a figure from an article written three years ago.