The Cost of “Free” Eggs

Four years ago I read a memoir called Still Life with Chickens. The author Catherine Goldhammer shares her story of divorce, moving to a quaint little home by the sea, and raising chickens with her teenaged daughter. It’s honestly one of the best memoirs I’ve ever read. Her stories are funny and heartwarming and her writing is like prose.

When I read the book I’d already been considering backyard chickens for a few years, but the time hadn’t been right. Our then-recent debt free accomplishment plus reading this book inspired me. “We’re doing it,” I announced to my family.

So for the next year I researched and researched and researched some more to learn all the things that a new chicken owner should know. And apparently, there’s a lot to know.

I should disclaim that we live in a neighborhood without an HOA and inside a city that permits backyard poultry. We also own a little over an acre of property. So it violated no laws or local rules to own chickens and made practical sense for our size lot.

After researching chicken coops for months, I decided to build one myself. I wanted about 8-12 chickens and most of the largest coops on the market really only housed about 6 chickens comfortably, despite claims to the contrary. Since we live in a neighborhood and also have several predators around (there once was a fox that regularly followed me and my dogs on our early morning walks), I knew free ranging them was not an option, so I had to get a home large enough for them with a spacious run that they would have ample space to be happy little chickens. So I built it myself.

I’d never built anything larger than a planter box before, so this was quite the project to tackle. I learned as I went. And it took months. But it was a hundred percent worth it to me. I learned new skills and enjoyed the pride that came with the accomplishment.

But even building the structure myself, it was expensive. Wood and building materials were especially pricy during that time, and the coop cost ended up being about $800 all in. This includes a $250 automatic chicken door that opens when the sun rises and closes at dusk. It keeps them safe and is ultra convenient. While it wasn’t essential, to me it’s worth every penny.

There are other one-time expenses that come with chicken owning. We got ours as one-day-old chicks so they were way too tiny and featherless to live outside. So they lived in a small tent in our living room for a couple months. And they required a heat source, so we got a little chicken heater for them to huddle under (and consequently poop all over). Plus feeders and waterers. Those are pricier than one may think. For example our 5 gallon water dispenser was $45 real American dollars. Woof.

And the chickens? Well they are truly a delight. Our nine little hens all have names and unique personalities. Make no mistake. Our feathery little flock is not made up of volunteer service workers; it’s made up of pets.

And pets are expensive, y’all. The chicken coop and supplies aside, we have to feed and water our fluffy-butt friends, and a $21 bag of feed lasts us about 2 weeks. That’s 550 bucks a year. Plus worms and produce. Yes they love getting our wilty lettuce, wrinkly tomatoes, and kitchen scraps, but we also buy them heads of cabbage for a special well-loved snack. And worms? Yowch. No one warned me that their favorite treats, dried mealworms & black soldier fly larvae (I promise they’re not as gross to handle as they sound), cost $50 for a 5lb bag. That bag lasts several months but it’s quite the up-front investment.

I’ve done the math. Of course I have. And let me tell you, the eggs we get “for free” are anything but free.

During our first full year of chicken owning, we spent about $1,800 all in. During that time, the chickens laid about 1,050 eggs. That means our first year, each egg cost us $1.71. Not per dozen, per egg…

Now that math paints an exaggerated picture because most of that $1,800 spent was a one-time investment and chickens don’t start laying until they’re about 20 weeks old. Higher costs and fewer eggs equals greater cost per egg. Our second year, our eggs only cost about 0.32 each. But at $3.84 a dozen that’s still more than most grocery store eggs.

I’m sharing all of this because 1) I have loads of people ask me about getting their own chickens “for free eggs,” and I try to both encourage and inform them of those invisible but impactful costs. And 2) Because it’s costly to have pets of any kind, and I find it extremely common for people to overlook those expenses.

We love our pets dearly. And while having fresh eggs every day is a lovely bonus, we don’t have them just for the eggs. They’re also sweet companions, hilarious entertainment, and great for teaching kids about raising livestock. Caring for them is rewarding, both with eggs and joy. They’re worth every nickel to our family, but every family is different.

Have you ever embarked on a new journey that in the end cost far more than you expected? I’d love to hear about it!