How Much Do Chickens Cost?

Keeping chickens can be a relatively low cost pet, but unlike lots of other pets they produce food for you! You can even sell the eggs to friends and family. There are start up costs which can be expensive but the cost of keeping chickens when you have got all the things you need is surprisingly cheap.

A group of hens free ranging in the garden looking for some worms to eat

Below is a rough guide to the cost of keeping chickens. These costs are based on having 4 chickens. As with most things how much you spend can vary massively. You can choose to keep chickens on a budget or spend a lot of money. You tend to get better quality with higher priced items. It is generally better to spend more at the start on purchasing good quality products rather than going for the cheap option and ultimately having to spend more to replace broken things. Items with an * are optional. You may not need to buy these things.

One Off Costs

Item	Price
Coop	£350 - £1000
Feeders and Drinkers	£10 - £40
Chicken Fencing *	£50 - £100
Chickens (per chicken)	£5 - £50 (x4) = £20 - £200
Total (based on buying 4 chickens)	£415 - £1340

A happy hen enjoying some free ranging in the garden in search for some juicy insects

Running Costs - For 1 Year Keeping 4 Chickens

Item	Price
Feed (for 1 x 20kg bag which will last 4 chickens a month)	£9 - £15 (x12) = £108 - £180
Bedding (will last a month)	£3 - £13 (x12) = £36 - £156
Health supplements (wormer, mite powders, tonics, supplements)	£60 for the year
Total	£204 - £496

As you can see from the above tables, chickens can be quite cheap compared to other pets. And when you factor in the savings you are making from no longer having to buy eggs they are even cheaper.