Chicken Feed Calculator — Daily, Monthly & Annual Cost

How to use this calculator

The defaults reflect a typical backyard flock: six adult standard hens, kept on commercial feed, laying through their first or second year. Change the inputs to match your situation — flock size, life stage of the majority of birds, breed weight class, how much pasture they have access to, and the bag size and price you actually pay locally.

If your flock is mixed (e.g. three layers + two pullets + a rooster), pick the type that describes most of the birds and round the totals up by 10–15%. The calculator updates instantly — there's no submit button.

How the calculation works

The core formula is simple:

daily_feed = birds × daily_consumption_per_bird × free_range_adjustment

A standard adult laying hen on commercial feed eats about 4 ounces (0.25 lb / 113 g) of feed per day — the canonical figure from US poultry-extension publications. Heavy breeds eat about 20% more, bantams about 40% less. Chicks under 8 weeks eat much less, but consumption ramps quickly: by week 8 they're eating roughly four times what they did in week 1.

Daily consumption per bird (lb)

• Adult layers: 0.25 standard, 0.30 heavy, 0.15 bantam
• Adult non-layers (roosters, retired hens): 0.22 standard, 0.27 heavy, 0.13 bantam
• Pullets (8–20 weeks): 0.20 standard, 0.25 heavy, 0.12 bantam
• Chicks (0–8 weeks): 0.05 standard, 0.06 heavy, 0.03 bantam (8-week average)

Free-range adjustment

• None / very limited: × 1.00
• Partial free-range: × 0.85 (about 15% less commercial feed)
• Heavy free-range: × 0.70 (about 30% less)

Cost per dozen eggs assumes 230 eggs per hen per year — typical for a healthy backyard mixed-breed flock on commercial layer feed. Baseline figures are drawn from Penn State Extension and Mississippi State Extension publications.

Practical considerations

• Winter increases feed consumption by 10–25%. Birds burn extra calories staying warm, especially in unheated coops below 32°F. Bump your annual budget up if you're in a cold climate.
• Layer feed vs. all-flock feed changes nothing about quantity but affects nutrition. This calculator assumes a complete feed; if you free-feed scratch grains alongside, your real costs will be higher and your hens slightly under-nourished.
• Free-choice oyster shell and grit are extras not counted here. Budget another $1–3 per month for a small flock.
• Treats and kitchen scraps can reduce commercial feed intake but should stay under 10% of total diet. Over that, you start trading egg production for entertainment.
• Wasted feed from poorly designed feeders can add 20–30% to your real-world consumption. Use feeders with anti-scratch lips and elevate them to back height.

Common mistakes

• Underestimating chick feed in weeks 6–8. A chick eats about 0.02 lb in week 1 and 0.10 lb by week 8 — consumption literally quintuples. Plan accordingly.
• Assuming free-range birds need zero commercial feed in summer. They still need adequate protein for laying. Even on excellent pasture, commercial feed should make up at least 60–70% of the diet.
• Buying tiny bags repeatedly. 25 lb bags are typically 20–30% more expensive per pound than 50 lb sacks. Unless storage is the real constraint, the bigger bag wins.
• Storing feed where moisture or rodents reach it. A galvanized trash can with a tight lid pays for itself in a single bag of saved feed.
• Mixing layer feed with chick feed. The calcium in layer feed is harmful to chicks. Use grower or starter feed for anyone under 18 weeks.