Chicken Keeping Cost Calculator
What it costs to start keeping hens, in the order you will do it, with the space they need.
Part of the 🌾 Farmers toolkit, with more tools made for the job.
Many places limit how many hens you can keep and where, and have rules on bird diseases. Check your local rules before you buy.
Plan the flock
How many hens you want. This sets the space they need and the price of the birds and their gear.
How many you plan to keep.
Check the rules and plan
Some places limit flock size, coop position or require registration.
Build or buy the coop
The shelter where they sleep and lay. Usually the biggest single cost.
Make the run
The fenced outdoor space where they scratch and graze.
Feeders, drinkers and bedding
The everyday kit for feeding and watering them.
Get the birds
Hens ready to lay cost more than chicks, but chicks need a warm brooder.
Fill in step 1 first. The items priced per unit use the number from there.
Feed and health to start
Feed and health supplies for the first weeks.
Running it afterwards
Once it is done it can still cost something. This is not part of the cost above.
Your keeping chickens, step by step
What each stage adds, and the total.
Type some prices in the steps above and the whole cost appears here, stage by stage.
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Type how many hens you want. This shows the space they need, then takes you through each stage of getting started, from the coop to the first feed, with a running total and the yearly cost of keeping them.
Most people price the hens and forget everything else. The coop is usually the biggest single cost, and the run, predator-proofing, feeders, bedding, a heated waterer in cold climates and the first feed all add up. Extension services and keepers say the start-up can run from a few hundred to well over a thousand, and that the yearly cost of feed, bedding and health care is a real ongoing bill. Going through it in order, with the space check at the start, helps you plan a flock you can look after properly.
How it’s worked out
- Step 1, the flock: type the number of hens. The space check shows common planning figures for coop floor, run, perches and nest boxes, which guides give as ranges.
- Steps 2 to 4, the home: any permit, the coop with its nest boxes and predator-proofing, the run, and the feeders, drinkers and bedding.
- Step 5, the birds: hens are priced per bird and multiplied by your flock. If you start with chicks, add the brooder, heat source and chick feed.
- Step 6, the first weeks: feed and health supplies.
- Step 7, running it: feed and bedding per month and health care and new birds per year, which add up to the yearly cost.
- The summary adds each stage with a running total, plus a share for surprises. If you leave it empty, 15 percent is used.
For 4 hens, a coop at 500 plus 140 for nest boxes and predator-proofing, a run at 390, 110 of kit, 180 for the hens and a brooder, and 90 for permits and the first weeks come to about 1,410 before surprises. Keeping them then costs about 25 a month in feed and 8 in bedding, plus health care and new birds, which is a few hundred a year.
Common mistakes
- Budgeting for the hens and forgetting the coop. The coop is usually the biggest cost, and predator-proofing is a separate line.
- Making the run too small. Guides suggest at least about 10 square feet (around 1 square metre) of run for each hen, and more is kinder.
- Forgetting the winter. In freezing weather you may need a heated base for the waterer, and the birds eat more.
- Ignoring the running costs. Feed, bedding and health care are a real monthly bill, and eggs rarely pay for them in a small flock.
- Not checking the rules. Many places limit flock size and coop position, and have rules on bird diseases.
Questions
How much space do hens need?
Guides vary. Common planning figures are about 3 to 4 square feet of coop floor per hen, at least 10 square feet of outdoor run per hen, 8 to 12 inches of perch, and a nest box for every 3 to 4 hens. More room is kinder, and cold climates and large breeds need more.
Is it cheaper to start with chicks or hens?
Chicks cost less each, but they need a brooder, a heat source and chick feed, and they do not lay for around five to six months. Hens ready to lay cost more per bird and start sooner.
Will the eggs pay for the hens?
In a small backyard flock, often not. Extension economists note that the feed, bedding and care add up. This tool shows your yearly costs so you can compare them with the eggs you use, in the hens and eggs calculator.
Do I need a rooster?
No. Hens lay without one. You only need a rooster for fertilised eggs, and many places restrict them.
Where the method comes from
Estimates only
These are estimates and general information, not agronomic, financial or professional advice. Yields, laying rates, feed amounts, prices and rainfall vary a lot, so use your own numbers and local advice.
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