How we calculate your egg cost

Every number comes from what you type in. There is no hidden average and nothing is saved.

The formulas

Monthly feed = feed bag price × 30.4 ÷ days one bag lasts

Monthly running cost = monthly feed + other monthly costs

First-year dozens = hens × eggs per hen per week × (52 − weeks without eggs) ÷ 12

First-year cost per dozen = (monthly running cost × 12 + setup cost) ÷ first-year dozens

Ongoing cost per dozen = monthly running cost × 12 ÷ (hens × eggs per hen per week × 52 ÷ 12)

What is included

• Feed, based on the bag price and how long a bag lasts your flock.
• Monthly extras you enter, such as bedding, grit and routine supplies.
• One-time setup you enter: coop, run, equipment and hens.
• Weeks without eggs in year one, for example while chicks grow up.

What is left out

• Your time and labor.
• Major veterinary emergencies and replacement hens.
• Local permit or license fees.
• The value of eggs you give away or sell.
• Seasonal drops in laying. Enter a lower weekly average if your hens slow down in winter.

Where the reference numbers come from

Extension services publish guidance on feed use, budgeting and egg production. We link to them instead of baking their numbers into the tool.

• Mississippi State University Extension: typical laying-hen feed range of about ¼–⅓ lb per day.
• Oklahoma State University Extension: budgeting and break-even for backyard hens.
• University of New Hampshire Extension: factors that affect egg production.

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