Backyard Chicken First-Year Cost Calculator
Estimate the true total cost of starting a backyard flock — setup, birds, feed, and supplies — so you know what you're committing to before you build anything.
Your setup
Results update as you type.
Section A — Your flock
This drives all cost estimates below.
Day-old chicks: $3–8 each. Rare breeds: $10–25.
Section B — Housing
Basic prefab for 4–6 birds: $150–400. Quality prefabs for 6–10 birds: $400–800. Manufacturer capacity claims are usually 50% inflated.
Section C — Equipment (one-time)
A basic hanging feeder: $10–25. Treadle/anti-waste feeder: $40–80.
Basic plastic waterer: $10–20. Heated waterer for cold climates: $40–70.
Heat lamp + fixture: $20–35. Brooder plate: $60–90. Add bedding and a cardboard box for minimal cost.
Fencing staples, hardware cloth repairs, nesting box material, first bag of bedding. A realistic buffer is $30–75.
Section D — Ongoing monthly costs
Use the Feed Consumption Calculator for a precise figure. Rough estimate: $20–30/month for 6 standard layers.
Pine shavings: a $6–10 bag lasts 2–4 weeks for a small flock.
Oyster shell, grit, occasional treats, replacements. $3–10/month is typical.
Your cost estimate
One-time setup costs
- Chickens total
- $30.00
- Coop + run cost
- $350.00
- Equipment total
- $120.00
- Total one-time investment
- $500.00
Ongoing monthly costs
- Monthly feed
- $23.00
- Monthly bedding
- $8.00
- Monthly miscellaneous
- $5.00
- Total monthly ongoing cost
- $36.00
First year totals
- Annual ongoing cost
- $432.00
- Total first-year cost
- $932.00
- Average monthly cost (year 1)
- $77.67
- Cost per dozen eggs (year 1)
- $6.66
Assumes 140 dozen eggs/year at 280 eggs per hen.
Year 2+ comparison
- Annual cost from year 2 onwards
- $432.00
- Year 2 cost per dozen eggs
- $3.09
- Savings vs year 1 per dozen
- $3.57
Starting a flock of 6 hens with a prefab coop and day-old chicks will cost roughly $932.00 in the first year — about $77.67 per month averaged out. That works out to around $6.66 per dozen eggs. From year 2 onwards, with setup costs behind you, the same flock costs about $432.00 per year ($36.00/month) — or about $3.09 per dozen eggs.
Your first-year cost per dozen is higher than typical grocery store prices. This is normal — setup costs are front-loaded. By year 2 the math improves significantly.
Note: Day-old chicks won't lay for 18–22 weeks. Your actual egg production in year 1 is roughly 8–9 months of laying, not a full 12. This calculator uses a full-year production estimate — real first-year cost per dozen will be slightly higher.
What does it actually cost to start keeping backyard chickens?
The honest range in the US in 2026: $400 to $2,000 for the first year, depending almost entirely on how much you spend on the coop.
The breakdown looks like this for a typical 6-hen starter flock:
- Coop and run: $150 to $800 (the biggest variable)
- Day-old chicks: $20 to $50 for 6 birds
- Equipment (feeders, waterers, brooder): $50 to $150
- Feed for 12 months: $250 to $350
- Bedding and supplies: $80 to $120
Total first-year range: roughly $550 to $1,470. The median for a basic but functional setup lands around $650 to $800.
Why the coop dominates the budget
The coop is where most of the financial variation lives. A basic DIY coop built from reclaimed lumber and basic hardware cloth costs $150 to $300. A quality prefab from a farm supply store that actually fits the birds it claims to fit costs $400 to $800. Custom-built coops go higher.
The trap: cheap prefab coops. A $150 coop marketed for "up to 6 chickens" typically fits 2 to 3 comfortably. When you overstock it, birds get sick, pecking increases, and you eventually spend more fixing the problem than a better coop would have cost. The Coop Size Calculator gives you the actual square footage needed before you buy.
Day-old chicks vs started pullets — the real cost comparison
Day-old chicks cost $3 to $8 each at most hatcheries. Started pullets (16 to 20 weeks old, about to lay) cost $15 to $35 each. On a per-bird basis, pullets look expensive. On a total-investment basis, the math is more interesting.
With day-old chicks: add brooder setup ($30 to $90), starter feed for 18 weeks (included in the calculator above), and 18 to 22 weeks of waiting before your first egg. With pullets: no brooder, no waiting, eggs in 2 to 6 weeks.
If your goal is eggs as soon as possible, pullets are frequently worth the premium. If you enjoy raising chicks, the experience has value the calculator doesn't capture.
Year 2 changes everything
Most people are surprised by how much cheaper year 2 looks. Setup costs don't repeat. If year 1 cost you $750 total, year 2 costs only the ongoing feed, bedding, and supplies — roughly $350 to $450 per year for a 6-hen flock. That is a very different economic picture.
This is why the break-even calculation in the Egg Production Calculator uses year 1 and year 2 figures separately. The first year is the investment year. From year 2 onwards, the flock is just a monthly operating cost.
What this calculator does not include
A few real costs that are hard to predict:
Veterinary care. Backyard chickens don't visit vets often, but a respiratory illness in a flock or a prolapsed vent can mean a $50 to $200 vet bill. Some keepers never see one. Others see one in year 1.
Predator-proofing upgrades. After your first predator loss, most keepers spend $50 to $200 improving their setup. Hardware cloth buried in a predator apron, a better latch, motion-activated lights. Budget for this mentally even if the calculator doesn't include it.
Your time. Daily chicken chores take 10 to 20 minutes. At minimum wage, that is $600 to $1,200 per year in labor. Most keepers don't count this because they enjoy it, but it is a real economic input.
Common mistakes that inflate first-year costs
- Buying a coop sized for the marketing claims, not the actual bird count. The calculator tells you what you need before you buy.
- Buying day-old chicks when you wanted eggs quickly — 5 months of waiting plus brooder costs add up.
- Not budgeting for the first molt at 14 to 18 months. Production pauses, you still pay for feed.
- Skipping the quality feeder. A $15 open tray feeder wastes 20 to 30 percent of feed to scratching. A $40 anti-waste feeder pays for itself in 2 to 3 months.
Where to go next
Once you have your first-year budget estimate, three calculators connect directly:
- The Coop Size Calculator ensures your coop budget goes toward the right square footage, not the wrong prefab.
- The Feed Consumption Calculator gives you a precise monthly feed cost to replace the default estimate above.
- The Egg Production Calculator uses your first-year total to compute when the flock breaks even on the grocery bill.
Related calculators
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to start keeping backyard chickens?
Typically $550 to $1,500 for the first year with a 6-hen flock in the US in 2026. The coop is the biggest variable — budget realistically, not optimistically.
How much does a chicken coop cost?
Basic DIY: $150 to $300. Entry-level prefab (sized for what it claims): $300 to $500. Quality prefab or built setup: $500 to $1,000+. Anything under $200 that claims to fit 6 birds almost certainly doesn’t.
Are backyard chickens worth the cost?
Depends entirely on what you value. On pure egg economics, year 2 and beyond is usually competitive with grocery eggs. Year 1 rarely is. The eggs are fresher and higher quality than commodity store eggs, and many keepers find the keeping itself worthwhile regardless of economics.
How much does it cost to keep chickens per month?
From year 2 onwards, a 6-hen flock costs roughly $30 to $45 per month in the US — feed, bedding, and miscellaneous supplies. Year 1 averages $50 to $70 per month when setup costs are amortized.
Can I start keeping chickens for under $200?
Technically yes with a fully DIY coop, free or salvaged materials, and day-old chicks from a local source. Realistically, cutting below $300 requires either carpentry skill, free materials, or accepting significant compromises on coop quality.
Do I need a rooster to get eggs?
No. Hens lay eggs without a rooster. You only need a rooster if you want fertilized eggs for hatching. Most backyard keepers keep hens only.