How much do chickens cost per year?

[Dragonfly Ranch]

I agree with others - they are as expensive as you want them to be. The joy, education, eggs and most important stress relief from having these adorable pets is worth any price. I have always dreamed of having chickens and glad that I have been able to accomplish that dream - they are the best! Get some.

 

[Missy3b]

"More than it would cost for you to buy a years supply of eggs at the store...but I cant watch those eggs run around my yard and that my dear is.....PRICELESS!! Use recycled material and free range as much as you can!!"

I absolutly agree. My chickens are my morning cup of coffee. I wake up and go outside to watch them come out of the coop. I have roos beginning to crow and just watching and listening puts a smile on my face.

And if you have ever eaten a "real egg" compared to a store bought egg, there is no comparison.

 

[The Zoo]

Very responsible to look into the cost BEFORE you buy the chickens.

Our smallish coop and pen cost $500 in materials (helped out by a Happy Anniversary check from my mil). The coop fits 4-5 chickens and the pen is big enough for 4-5 as well (though I let them freerange in the backyard when I'm home).

Feed is around $13-$15 for a 25lb bag of layena from my feed store and they go through a bag about every 3+ months. I also buy a 25 lb. bag of scratch as a treat and that costs me about the same as the layena. Now I live in an expensive part of the country so those are probably high prices. Oyster shells are minimal in cost.

The chicks cost me $1.50 each. I've found that the best feed dishes are old cottage cheese containers I've wired to the pen (under the coop to keep them out of the rain). The water thing cost me about $5. I use a dog bowl (my chickens are big enough to not fall into it) out in the yard for them for water.

In winter I buy a bale of hay to put on the floor of the pen to keep things drier. The hay goes in the garden as mulch when we change it every week. I use cedar shavings in the coop but those go straight in the compost when I clean things out so they remain useful.

The biggest expense was the coop but if you can find one on craigs list or make one from recycled pieces that will help. I borrowed my neighbors heating lamp and raised the chicks in a cardboard box in my guest bathroom till they were big enough to go outside.

 

[crazy huhn]

Depending on if you can let your chickens free range during the day and the size of your chickens (large fowl or bantam), they will consume about 2 # of layer feed per week. One bag with 50 # costs me around $15, a bag of scratch ( around $12) will last at least 6 month, because you only feed a handful as you do not want to make them fat. Shavings for the chicken coop will cost you around $5 for a big bag at the feed store, they last me at least 3 month, because I free range my girls.
Thank God, I never had to consult a vet, but preventative supplies like DE is about $ 25 at my feed store and I probably have it now for almost a year. Treats, like berries, tomatoes, fruits etc. I have endless in my backyard. Maybe you want them to have oyster shell or grit, which is around $12 for a # 50 bag and in 3 years I never had to buy any new bags.
I do not know, if you are considering coop costs and its maintanance in the costs, but everything is possible right there. Also, if you are having your own rooster and a broody chicken breed, you will save the replacement costs for the chickens in the future.
So having split up the costs for you here, you should be OK with around $30 a month for 10 chickens, probably less if you can let them free range, but a lot more, if you spoil them like I do. However, the enjoyment my entire family gets out of it, priceless.

 

[wjallen05]

Yall crack me up!!!

Feed is around $13-$15 for a 25lb bag of layena from my feed store

Seriously?! At my feed store, a 50lb bag of layer pellets costs $8. Chick starter (50 lbs) costs $9.

I have been trying to figure out how much I spend feeding my chickens. Just for fun. I think it's about $40-50 a month, at most.

"a few hens for eggs" turned into about 50 something chickens *LOL* I can't help myself!! Love the little things! I never dreamt that this would have turned into such a huge passion for me. I can't wait until we move (currently renting, so didn't want to spend too much on coops)... I am going to have a chicken paradise for my feathered babies!

 

[a2ms4chickens]

Coop- $0.00 to ? (however much you want to spend on a coop)

Layer feed- $30.00/month for 26 chickens (mine don't freerange)

Grit- $5/2 month for 26 chickens

Oyster shell- $8/2 months for 26 chickens

Feeders, waterers, etc- $0.00 to ? (depends on what you have laying around the house)

Chickens- $0.00 to $10 each (depends where you get them)

Watching them for hours on end provides relaxation, humor and maybe even some cuddling- PRICELESS

 

[SeramaLife]

You made me think. For how many eggs we are getting now, (with 100 chickens) I would need to charge $10 an egg just to break even.

Our chickens range in age from hatching 6 hours ago to 9 1/2 years old, so about 50% are unproductive due to age (to old/to young). My 30 little seramas are the moneymakers though, when I sell chicks.

 

[The Zoo]

Seriously?! At my feed store, a 50lb bag of layer pellets costs $8. Chick starter (50 lbs) costs $9.

I said I live in an expensive part of the country! Bay Area, CA.
And I thought that was actually a *very* good price - especially given what I pay for dog and cat food monthly!

 

[Puck-Puck]

The big thing is the cost of feed. You need to know about how much a hen of the sort you'd like, eats in a month; and you need to know how much a bag of feed costs in your area.

I live in a non-grain-growing part of the country, and a 50 lb. sack of regular feed costs $15 CDN, and the organic feed costs $19 CDN. I can't tell you yet how much my 13 birds eat in the course of a year, as I've only had them for a few weeks, and they're still growing! But I can tell you that, even though I live on a modest income and feed prices are high, I feel that I can afford to keep laying hens, and trust I'll be able to break even if I sell the eggs I can't eat (urp!). The local market will bear $4 a dozen for local, large, free-range/organic eggs. Sure, people can pick up factory eggs at the distant, special-trip supermarket for $2.79/dozen, or $3/dozen at the local general store. But there's a general feel-good factor about supporting happy chickens and local producers, especially among the vacation cottagers. And even if this hobby/chicken 101 course ends up costing a little, rather than earning a little, I'm enjoying it thoroughly, for the same reasons that many have eloquently stated!

Be ingenious and thrifty with the coop, shop smart with the feed, put the chickens' needs first to avoid vet bills, and I am sure you will find yourself an affordable, practical hobby.

Edited to add: 13 chickens are cheaper to keep than my two dogs, who don't lay eggs, and I certainly don't want to eat them! :O Does that help answer your question?

 

[chickenkate]

Thanks, everyone; some of your replies really helped. I would get my chicks for free, and build my coop myself with some materials I
already have, and some I don't. I would get about 7 chicks for free, and they would have some opportunities to free-range. I'm not really obsessed with chickens, I just want to help some factory-chickens, and the lady who needs to get rid of the chicks. I'm also interested in fresh eggs