Costs of Keeping Chickens

Unless you go into keeping chickens on a large scale you are not going to make your fortune! However the fact that you will be having delicious and free eggs will more than compensate for the set up costs and the ongoing cost of food and bedding.

Below are the costs for keeping 3 or 4 ordinary chickens which should yield on average about 1½ to 2 dozen eggs per week (probably enough to feed an average family).

One Off Costs

Chicken coop – you can get a good wooden coop with run for about £250 which should last at least 5 years.
You will also need feeders for water and corn which should cost no more than £20 altogether.
An ordinary chicken will cost you no more than £10 ( you will pay more for rarer breeds – and while they may look prettier, they do not lay as many eggs). A hybrid chicken should lay about 300 eggs a year for about 2½ to 3 years.

On-going Costs

The biggest outgoing is food. A bag of course mash is about £6.75 for 20kg and this should last about a month. If your chickens are kept in a small pen and do not forage around the garden you should add grit an oyster shell to their diet. A 1kg bag will cost about £1.50.
You will also need wood shavings for the nesting box and floor of coop (makes cleaning easier). A large bail of wood shavings costs bout £8.00 and will last you a good 2 or 3 months.

Total Cost / Week

For 4 chickens the total cost over 3 years would be approx :-

Chicken coop - £250
Feeding equipment - £20
4 Chickens - £40
TOTAL - £310

This equates to just under £2 per week over 3 years.
Food will cost about £7.25 per month or £1.70 per week.
Wood shavings will cost about £8.00 every quarter or 62p per week.
Total cost per week is therefore £4.32 per week.
For this you will get on average about 1½ to 2 dozen eggs per week.
1½ to 2 dozen large free range eggs in the supermarket would cost £4.50 to £6.00.
SO – this means you chickens will easily pay for themselves!