How much does it cost to feed 5 chickens per month
Feeding 5 laying hens costs about $11.41 a month and $137 a year at the published price of $15.00 for a 50 lb bag of layer feed (University of Maryland Extension FS-2025-0783, Backyard Layer Flock Economics (page dated Aug 2026), 2026-09-19). Each hen eats 4.0 oz (113 g) of complete feed a day (Mississippi State University Extension, Feeds and Nutrition (undated), 2026-09-19), so 5 hens eat 38 lb (17.3 kg) a month, 0.8 (buy 1) bags, one bag every 40 days. In the UK that is 0.9 (buy 1) of a 20 kg sack a month; multiply by your sack price. The tables give the week and the year, other bag prices, and 5 chicks raised to lay.
Open the chicken feed calculator
Feed and cost for 5 hens per day, week, month and year
Standard laying hens at 4.0 oz of complete feed each a day, no scratch share, 50 lb bags at $15.00 (University of Maryland Extension FS-2025-0783, Backyard Layer Flock Economics (page dated Aug 2026), 2026-09-19). A month is 30.44 days and a year 365.25; bags are exact, so round up to whole bags when you buy.
| Period | Feed | Bags (50 lb) | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per day | 1.3 lb (0.6 kg) | 0.03 | $0.38 |
| Per week | 8.8 lb (4 kg) | 0.18 | $2.63 |
| Per month | 38 lb (17.3 kg) | 0.76 | $11.41 |
| Per year | 457 lb (207 kg) | 9.1 | $136.97 |
5 hens in kg, UK sacks
No neutral source publishes a UK price per sack, so the table stops at sacks: multiply by what you pay for a 20 kg sack (British Hen Welfare Trust shop (registered charity), Small Holder Feed Natural Free Range Layers Pellets, 2026-09-19).
| Period | Feed | Sacks (20 kg) |
|---|---|---|
| Per day | 0.6 kg | 0.03 |
| Per week | 4 kg | 0.2 |
| Per month | 17.3 kg | 0.86 |
| Per year | 207 kg | 10.4 |
5 hens with a 25 kg sack
| Period | Feed | Sacks (25 kg) |
|---|---|---|
| Per day | 0.6 kg | 0.02 |
| Per week | 4 kg | 0.16 |
| Per month | 17.3 kg | 0.69 |
| Per year | 207 kg | 8.3 |
The cost for 5 chickens at other bag prices
The published $15.00 is one fact sheet's price on one date; yours will differ by store, brand, bag size and month. The cost moves in step with the bag price, so read off the row nearest your price for a 50 lb bag, or type the exact price into the calculator.
| Bag price (50 lb) | Per hen per month | 5 hens per month | 5 hens per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| $10.00 | $1.52 | $7.61 | $91 |
| $12.00 | $1.83 | $9.13 | $110 |
| $15.00 | $2.28 | $11.41 | $137 |
| $18.00 | $2.74 | $13.70 | $164 |
| $20.00 | $3.04 | $15.22 | $183 |
| $25.00 | $3.80 | $19.02 | $228 |
If the 5 birds are chicks or pullets
Chicks eat starter for their first 8 weeks and pullets eat grower until about 18 weeks (University of Kentucky Extension ASC-191, How Much Will My Chickens Eat? (2012), 2026-09-19), each at its own bag price, so the monthly bill differs from the hens’.
| Birds and feed | Feed a day each | Bags a month | Cost a month |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 laying hens, layer feed | 4.0 oz | 0.8 (buy 1) | $11.41 |
| 5 pullets, 8-18 weeks, grower | 2.3 oz | 0.4 (buy 1) | $6.87 |
| 5 chicks, 0-8 weeks, starter | 1.6 oz | 0.3 (buy 1) | $5.04 |
Raising 5 chicks to point of lay takes 76.7 lb (34.8 kg) of starter and grower, 0.5 (buy 1) bags of starter and 1 of grower, about $25 in all. The chick feed guide has the amounts per chick and stage. The chick figures are averages over the stage: the first week is far less, the last weeks more.
What the feed bill for 5 hens does not include
- Grit and oyster shell, bought a few times a year.
- Scratch and treats: they replace complete feed rather than adding to it, and are best kept at the cap in the cost guide.
- Waste: feed raked out of an open trough, soaked by rain or eaten by rodents; a covered feeder closed at night is the cheapest fix.
- Bedding, water, housing and the birds themselves.
Other flock sizes, and your own figures
The chicken feed cost guide has the monthly cost for 3, 5, 10 and 20 hens side by side and flocks up to 50; there is also a page for 10 chickens per month. The per-month guide has the feed per bird by stage. The chicken feed calculator takes your birds, their stage, the feed per bird, a treats share and the bag you buy at your price, in lb and $ or in kg and £ or €.
Amounts are published averages for planning, not veterinary advice; prices are a fact sheet’s example, not a quote.
Frequently asked questions
- How much does it cost to feed 5 chickens per month?
- About $11.41 a month for 5 standard laying hens at $15.00 per 50 lb bag of layer feed (University of Maryland Extension FS-2025-0783, Backyard Layer Flock Economics (page dated Aug 2026), 2026-09-19), $2.28 per hen. At $10.00 a bag it is $7.61 and at $25.00 $19.02; the price table has the steps between.
- How many bags of feed do 5 chickens need a month?
- 0.8 (buy 1) bags of 50 lb a month (38 lb of layer feed), 9.1 (buy 10) a year. With 20 kg sacks: 0.9 (buy 1) a month and 10.4 (buy 11) a year. With 25 kg sacks: 0.7 (buy 1) a month.
- How long does a 50 lb bag of feed last 5 chickens?
- About 40 days for 5 laying hens at 4.0 oz each a day, fed complete feed only. Scratch or free-ranging stretches it; waste from an open feeder shortens it.
- How much does it cost to feed 5 chickens a year?
- About $137 a year at $15.00 a bag: 457 lb of layer feed, 9.1 (buy 10) bags, fed every day of the year. Free-ranging in summer replaces part of the bought feed, so the bill is usually a little under that.
- How much does it cost to raise 5 chicks to laying age?
- About $25 of feed from hatch to 18 weeks at the published bag prices (University of Maryland Extension FS-2025-0783, Backyard Layer Flock Economics (page dated Aug 2026), 2026-09-19): 27.3 lb of starter to 8 weeks and 49.4 lb of grower after, 76.7 lb in all. The chick guide has the details by stage.
More guides
- How much to feed chickens per day
Complete feed per hen per day by stage, and feed per day, per month, bags and cost for flocks of 3 to 50 birds, from published figures with their sources.
- How much feed does a chicken eat per month (and per year)
Feed one chicken eats per month and per year in lb and kg by stage, how long a bag lasts one bird, and feed, bags and cost per year for flocks of 3 to 50.
- How much feed does a chick eat per day, and to point of lay
Starter per chick per day to 8 weeks and grower to 18 weeks in oz and g, feed per chick to point of lay, bags and cost for batches of 3 to 50 chicks.
- How much does it cost to feed chickens per month: 3, 5, 10 and 20 hens
Monthly feed cost for 3, 5, 10 and 20 chickens on layer, grower or starter feed at published bag prices, per hen and per year, and what bag price changes.
Last updated 2026-09-29. Figures are planning estimates built from published feeding guidance, each with its source and year: adjust for your own animals and follow the guide on the bag. Not veterinary advice.