Chicken Feed Calculator
Estimate how much feed your flock will eat, how long a bag lasts, how many bags to buy and what feeding your chickens will cost.
Enter your flock and feed details below — everything recalculates instantly.
Feed Your Flock Will Use
Your 50 lb bag
Lasts approximately
33days
Bag Planning
Feed Cost
Your feed plan
6 standard adult hens are estimated to consume about 1.5 lb of complete feed per day, or roughly 46 lb per month. A 50 lb bag should last about 33 days. At $24.99 per bag, that's approximately $23 per month in feed.
This calculator estimates feed consumption and purchasing needs. It is not a rationing tool. Adult laying hens should have appropriate complete feed available according to the feed manufacturer's directions and their management needs.
Compare Feed Bag Sizes
How long each common bag would last for 6 chickens at 0.3 lb per bird per day.
Purchase Planner
Estimates use Roosted planning rates. The standard 0.25 lb/bird/day figure aligns with Mississippi State and Utah State Extension guidance; the bantam and large-breed rates are Roosted planning estimates scaled by body size. Actual consumption varies with weather, breed, age and how actively your hens are laying.
How Much Feed Do Chickens Eat?
For standard adult laying hens, a useful planning estimate is around 1/4 pound of complete feed per bird per day, though actual consumption varies with bird size, weather and productivity. Mississippi State Extension gives an average range of roughly 1/4 to 1/3 pound per day and recommends full-feeding laying hens rather than restricting them.
That means a small backyard flock goes through more feed than people expect. Six hens eat about a pound and a half a day — roughly 46 pounds a month — so a single 50 lb bag lasts about a month. The chart below covers common flock sizes at the standard planning rate.
Chicken Feed Per Day, Week & Month Chart
| Chickens | Per Day | Per Week | Per Month | 50 lb Bag Lasts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0.5 lb | 3.5 lb | 15 lb | 100 days |
| 4 | 1 lb | 7 lb | 30 lb | 50 days |
| 6 | 1.5 lb | 10.5 lb | 46 lb | 33 days |
| 8 | 2 lb | 14 lb | 61 lb | 25 days |
| 10 | 2.5 lb | 17.5 lb | 76 lb | 20 days |
| 12 | 3 lb | 21 lb | 91 lb | 17 days |
| 20 | 5 lb | 35 lb | 152 lb | 10 days |
Figures assume standard adult hens at about 0.25 lb per bird per day. Bantams eat less and large breeds a little more — use the calculator above to match your flock and bag size exactly.
How Long Does a 50 lb Bag of Chicken Feed Last?
For six average adult hens consuming around 0.25 pound each per day, a 50 lb bag lasts approximately 33 days. Larger flocks empty a bag faster: about 20 days for 10 hens, or roughly 25 days for 8. Smaller flocks stretch it further — closer to 50 days for 4 hens.
Bag life is simply the bag weight divided by your flock's daily consumption, so the Compare Feed Bag Sizespanel in the calculator shows how 10, 20, 25, 40 and 50 lb bags stack up for your exact flock. Buying a larger bag is usually cheaper per pound, but only buy what you'll use while the feed is still fresh.
How Much Does It Cost to Feed Chickens?
Feed cost comes down to how much your flock eats and what you pay per bag. At about $25 for a 50 lb bag, six standard hens cost roughly $23 per month to feed — about $3.80 per hen — or on the order of $275 per year. Enter your own bag price above and the calculator breaks cost down by day, month, year and per chicken.
Feed is usually the largest ongoing cost of keeping chickens, but it is not the only one. For the full picture — coop, run, bedding, and other supplies — pair this with our other planning tools below.
What Changes How Much Feed Chickens Eat?
The calculator uses a steady planning rate, but real flocks vary day to day. The biggest factors that move consumption up or down are:
- Breed and body size — heavier breeds eat more than light or bantam birds.
- Temperature — chickens often eat more in cold weather and less in extreme heat.
- Age — growing birds and productive layers have different needs than birds in a lull.
- Laying activity — hens in full lay use more energy than hens that have stopped.
- Foraging — good pasture or free-ranging can reduce purchased-feed use by a hard-to-predict amount.
- Feed waste — spilled or billed-out feed inflates how much you buy without feeding anyone.
- Feed formulation — energy density and form (crumble, pellet, mash) affect how much a bird eats.
If you track how long your bags actually last, use the Advancedoption in the calculator to calculate your flock's real per-bird rate and feed every estimate from your own numbers.
Should Chickens Have Feed Available All Day?
For most backyard keepers, yes. A complete layer feed is designed to be offered free-choice, and adult hens generally self-regulate how much they eat. Mississippi State Extension specifically notes that restricting laying hens can reduce egg production, so this calculator is a planning and budgeting tool — not a rationing guide.
Use the numbers here to estimate how much to buy and what it will cost, then let your flock eat to appetite from a clean, complete feed. Manage feed waste and body condition rather than limiting access to a complete layer ration.
Chicken Feed Questions, Answered
How much feed does one chicken eat per day?
A useful planning estimate for a standard adult laying hen is about 1/4 pound (4 ounces) of complete feed per day. Mississippi State Extension gives an average range of roughly 1/4 to 1/3 pound per day, which varies with bird size, weather and how actively the hen is laying.
How much feed do 6 chickens eat per day?
Six standard adult hens eat about 1.5 pounds of complete feed per day at a planning rate of 0.25 pound per bird. That works out to roughly 10.5 pounds per week and about 46 pounds per month.
How much feed do 10 chickens eat per day?
Ten standard adult hens eat about 2.5 pounds of complete feed per day, or roughly 17.5 pounds per week and about 76 pounds per month, using a 0.25 pound per bird planning rate.
How long will a 50 lb bag of chicken feed last?
It depends on flock size. For 6 average adult hens eating about 0.25 pound each per day (1.5 pounds total), a 50 lb bag lasts roughly 33 days. For 10 hens it lasts about 20 days, and for 4 hens about 50 days.
How many chickens will a 50 lb bag feed?
A 50 lb bag feeds any size flock — the question is for how long. At 0.25 pound per bird per day it provides about 200 bird-days of feed, so it lasts roughly a month for 6 hens or about 20 days for 10 hens.
How much chicken feed do I need for a month?
Multiply your flock size by about 0.25 pound per day and then by 30.4 days. Six standard hens need about 46 pounds per month, 10 hens about 76 pounds, and 4 hens about 30 pounds. The purchase planner above turns that into the number of bags to buy.
How much does it cost to feed chickens per month?
Cost depends on your feed price and flock size. At about $25 for a 50 lb bag, six standard hens cost roughly $23 per month, or about $3.80 per hen. Enter your own bag price in the calculator for an estimate based on your local prices.
Do chickens eat more in winter?
Often, yes. Chickens tend to eat more in cold weather because they burn energy staying warm, and less during extreme heat. Treat the calculator's figure as a year-round planning average and expect some seasonal variation.
Do free-range chickens need less feed?
They may consume less purchased feed when good forage is available, but the amount varies too much with season, acreage, vegetation and insects to predict with a fixed percentage. Keep a complete feed available and compare the calculator with your flock's actual bag usage over time.
Can chickens overeat layer feed?
Healthy adult laying hens generally self-regulate on a complete feed, and Mississippi State Extension recommends full-feeding rather than restricting laying hens, since restriction can reduce egg production. Manage waste and body condition rather than rationing a complete layer feed.
How much feed should I buy at once?
Buy what you'll use before the feed loses freshness, plus a small buffer so you don't run out. Use the purchase planner above to turn your shopping horizon — a week, 30, 60 or 90 days — into a specific number of bags, and store feed in a cool, dry, rodent-proof container.
More Roosted Tools & Guides
Find out how much coop and run space your flock needs, with roost length and nesting boxes.
Feed is just one line item. See startup and ongoing costs for a backyard flock.
Laying activity is one of the biggest drivers of how much your hens eat.