Chicken Feed Calculator
| Flock | Lbs/month | 50-lb bags/month | Yearly at $21/bag |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 hens | ~23 lb | 0.5 | ~$126 |
| 6 hens | ~45 lb | ~1 | ~$252 |
| 12 hens | ~90 lb | ~1.8 | ~$504 |
Chicken feed runs a quarter to a third of a pound per laying hen per day - a six-hen flock eats 45 to 60 pounds a month, which is one 50-pound bag every three to four weeks at 18 to 25 dollars a bag - and the feed bill is the line that decides whether backyard eggs cost 3 dollars a dozen or 8.
Bottom line: six hens at a quarter pound a day is 480 dollars a year of layer feed before scratch, oyster shell and the treats that make chickens friendly - and the free-range discount is real but capped, because pasture replaces at most a third of the ration for a laying hen that is producing an egg a day.
The honest part: feed cost per egg is where the backyard arithmetic usually loses to the supermarket - 4 dollars of feed for 30 eggs a week is 4 dollars a dozen against the store's 3 - and the honest backyard case runs on fresher eggs, better yolks and the entertainment the flock provides, not on the spreadsheet's bottom line.
How to use
- Enter the flock size and read the monthly pounds - a quarter pound per laying hen per day, scaled up for heavy breeds and down for bantams.
- Price the feed from the local farm store - 50-pound bags of layer pellet run 18 to 25 dollars - and add the oyster shell and grit lines at a few dollars a month combined.
- Watch the actual consumption for a month: the feeder that never empties is being overfilled, and wasted feed is rodent bait that costs twice.
Frequently asked questions
How much feed does one chicken eat per day?
A laying hen eats a quarter to a third of a pound of feed a day - about a half-cup of layer pellet - plus whatever she finds free-ranging. Heavy breeds and cold-weather flocks run toward the third of a pound; bantams eat about half of a standard bird. The feeder that empties faster than the math is feeding sparrows and mice.
How long does a 50-pound bag of chicken feed last?
One laying hen stretches a 50-pound bag for about two months at a quarter pound a day; six hens empty the same bag in twelve to fourteen days. The bag in the garage is also the rodent magnet - a metal can with a locking lid is the difference between a feed budget and a mouse subsidy.
Is backyard chicken keeping cheaper than store eggs?
Usually not on feed alone: 4 dollars of feed for 30 eggs a week prices the dozen near the store's carton, before the coop was paid for. The honest case for backyard eggs is freshness, yolk quality, the pest control the flock provides and the entertainment - the spreadsheet closes, and the flock stays for better reasons.
What is the cheapest way to feed laying hens?
Buy the 50-pound bag instead of the 10-pound sack, ferment or moisten the feed to stretch consumption, and let the flock free-range a few hours a day to replace up to a third of the ration with forage. Kitchen scraps - leafy greens, squash, cooked rice - cut the bill further, as long as the layer ration stays the main course.