Feeding a small backyard flock costs most keepers about $15 to $25 a month, or roughly $3 to $4 per hen. Feed is the single biggest ongoing expense of keeping chickens, so it's worth knowing exactly what drives the number and how to keep it down. Here's the full breakdown, with the real per-bird and per-flock math.
Quick answer
A standard laying hen costs about $3 to $4 a month to feed. A typical backyard flock of six runs around $20 to $22 a month at normal feed prices, before free-ranging or seasonal adjustments. Feed price, flock size, bird size, foraging, and season are what move that figure.
How much does chicken feed cost per month?
For a standard flock of laying hens, budget about $3.50 per hen per month at a feed price of roughly $22 for a 50 lb bag. A single hen eats around 8 lb of feed a month once you include normal waste, so the cost scales cleanly with flock size. The table below shows typical monthly feed cost at that price, before any free-ranging or winter adjustment.
| Flock size | Feed per month | Monthly feed cost | Cost per hen |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 hens | ~24 lb | $10.60 | $3.53 |
| 6 hens | ~48 lb | $21.19 | $3.53 |
| 10 hens | ~80 lb | $35.31 | $3.53 |
| 15 hens | ~120 lb | $52.97 | $3.53 |
| 25 hens | ~200 lb | $88.28 | $3.53 |
Notice that cost per hen stays flat as the flock grows: feed cost scales almost linearly with the number of birds. What changes with flock size is your fixed startup cost per bird (coop, feeder, waterer), which spreads thinner across a bigger flock. To see the exact figure for your own flock size and local feed price, run the numbers in our feed cost calculator.
How much does it cost to feed one chicken?
One standard laying hen costs about $3 to $4 a month, or roughly $40 to $48 a year, to feed at typical prices. That comes from a simple chain: a hen eats about a quarter-pound (0.25 lb) of feed a day, which is about 1.75 lb a week and near 7.5 lb a month. Add a realistic waste allowance of around 7% and you land close to 8 lb a month, and at a feed price near $0.44 a pound that's about $3.50 per hen.
Smaller bantam breeds eat noticeably less, while large breeds like Brahmas or Jersey Giants eat more, so treat the per-hen figure as a standard-size baseline and adjust for your birds.
What actually changes your feed cost
Five things move the real number up or down. Getting a feel for them is what turns a rough guess into an accurate budget.
- Feed price per pound. The biggest lever. A 50 lb bag can run anywhere from about $18 for conventional layer feed to $40 or more for organic. Buying in bulk usually saves around 20%.
- Flock size. Cost scales with the number of birds. Six hens cost roughly double what three cost to feed.
- Bird size and breed. A bantam eats a fraction of what a large breed does. Heavier breeds eat more per bird for the same number of eggs.
- Free-ranging and scraps. Foraging birds and those fed safe kitchen scraps buy less feed, commonly around 15% less for a flock with real range access.
- Season. Chickens eat about 10% more in the coldest months to stay warm, so winter feed bills run a little higher.
Feed waste sits underneath all of these. Feed kicked out of a poorly-hung feeder or left to spoil in the damp is money gone, and it's often a bigger line item than people expect. A spill-proof feeder and dry, pest-proof storage are among the cheapest ways to cut your real cost. For exactly how we derive these figures, see how we calculate.
A real example
Say you keep six standard laying hens and pay $22 for a 50 lb bag of layer feed. Six hens eat about 1.5 lb of feed a day between them; add a 7% waste allowance and that's roughly 1.6 lb a day, or about 48 lb a month. At $0.44 a pound that's close to $21 a month. Let those same hens free-range in the yard and the purchased feed drops nearer 41 lb a month, around $18. Small percentages, but across a year the difference is real money.
How to lower your chicken feed cost
The cheapest flocks combine a few habits: buy feed in bulk and store it dry, use a feeder that doesn't spill, let the birds forage or eat safe garden and kitchen scraps, and choose an efficient breed that lays well for what it eats. Breed choice alone makes a real difference; see our guide to the cheapest chicken breeds to raise. Getting the feed type right for each life stage matters too, which our chicken feeding chart by age lays out.
Key takeaways
- Feeding one standard hen costs about $3 to $4 a month; a flock of six runs around $20 to $22.
- A hen eats roughly 8 lb of feed a month including waste.
- Feed price, flock size, bird size, free-ranging, and season are the five things that move the cost.
- Free-ranging cuts purchased feed by about 15%; winter adds about 10%.
- Cutting waste with a spill-proof feeder and dry storage is one of the easiest savings.
Feed is the number the whole budget of keeping chickens is built on, so it pays to get it right for your own setup. Enter your flock size and local feed price in the feed cost calculator for your exact monthly figure, then check whether your eggs beat the store with the break-even calculator.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to feed one chicken per month?
About $3 to $4 a month for a standard laying hen at typical feed prices. A hen eats roughly 8 lb of feed a month including waste, and layer feed runs around $0.40 to $0.50 a pound, which works out to a few dollars per bird.
How much does it cost to feed a flock of 6 chickens?
Around $20 to $22 a month for six standard hens at a feed price of about $22 for a 50 lb bag, before any free-ranging or seasonal adjustment. Free-ranging can cut that by roughly 15%.
Is chicken feed getting more expensive?
Feed prices rise and fall with grain markets and have trended higher in recent years. Because feed is the biggest ongoing cost of keeping chickens, even small price changes per pound add up across a year, so it's worth buying in bulk and reducing waste.
Does free-ranging really lower feed costs?
Yes. Chickens that forage or get kitchen scraps eat noticeably less purchased feed. A common real-world estimate is around 15% less bought feed for a flock with good foraging access, which lowers your monthly bill directly.
What is the cheapest way to feed chickens?
Buy feed in bulk, store it dry and pest-proof to avoid spoilage, use a spill-proof feeder to cut waste, and let the flock free-range or eat safe kitchen and garden scraps. Choosing an efficient breed also lowers feed cost per egg.
Do chickens eat more in winter?
Yes, commonly about 10% more in the coldest months because they burn extra energy staying warm. Budget a little more for feed from late fall through winter, especially in colder climates.