Will Raising Your Own Chickens Save You Money?

Yes, no, maybe.

Let’s get one thing out of the way: chickens cost money. The initial chick cost, heat lamps, shavings, a coop or shelter of sorts, etc. all add up. Then, the feed cost must be considered because it never ends. Feed is not cheap and if you want to feed any specialty feed such as corn free, soy free, or organic, feed REALLY isn’t cheap.

Now, if you have the means to do so, absolutely encourage free ranging. Free ranging can reduce your feed cost substantially. For us, we let our chickens out first thing in the morning and do not feed until much later in the day. This encourages the chickens to forage and they can often be found in the yard, under the rabbit hutches, or their seemingly favorite spot, the horse pasture scratching through uneaten hay. If free ranging is not encouraged, allowed, or even possible (location, predator load, and the time of year are all factors to take into consideration) then your chickens are going to rely on their feed even more, if not completely. For obvious reasons, more feed = more money.

In my opinion, often those who say that it is cheaper to raise your own chickens for eggs than buy eggs from the store are a.) not considering all the costs and/or b.) viewing chickens as pets. I believe the first point speaks for itself but allow me to explain my second point. If you have a dog (or cat), do you really have any idea how much money you spend on them a month? Or even a year? Because I sure don’t! Admittedly, we view our dogs and cats more or less as “free” because we lump the cost into our everyday living expenses. The same goes for our horses, they cost what they cost and I’m not really sure how much that is. Our chickens, on the other hand, I have indeed added up cost and am fully aware of our expenses down to the cent and I can assure you that eggs from the store are cheaper.

That being said, the value of having chickens is unmatched. The convenience of walking out to your coop and collecting one of the most nutrient dense foods simply can’t be beat. Not to mention, the quality of the egg you’re able to produce in your very own backyard surpasses anything you can find in the store. The importance of knowing where your food comes from cannot be overstated. Our food system is incredibly fragile and any kink in it could cause egg supply to decrease and therefore egg prices to increase, as we have all seen firsthand. In addition, for most, chickens are an enjoyable animal to own. So will raising your own chickens save you money? Probably not, but the value they bring to your family? You can’t really put a price on that.