--- title: Why I Became a Backyard Chicken Farmer description: A backyard full of egg-laying chickens can be a great value, even if they cost more than they save. authors: - name: Lisa Burkhardt url: https://money.com/author/lisa-burkhardt/ former_staff: true published: '2016-02-16T15:00:45.000Z' modified: '2024-04-16T10:01:02.000Z' section: Pets tags: - money well spent word_count: 464 canonical: https://money.com/backyard-chickens-cost/ type: Article source: structured-blocks --- > **Disclosure:** We research all brands listed and may earn a fee from our partners. Research and financial considerations may influence how brands are displayed. Not all brands are included. [Learn more](https://money.com/page/disclaimer/). ![chicken](https://img.money.com/2016/02/chicken.jpg) I owe some of my favorite childhood memories to chickens. Every summer, my brother and I traveled from our home near Miami to the Ohio town where my aunt and uncle owned a chicken farm. In the mornings we'd gather the eggs, and then we'd sell them at our roadside stand. Pure bliss for a girl from the burbs. So it was no surprise when, years later, I told my husband that I longed to leave the suburbs and move a few miles farther out to the Kentucky countryside so we'd have space for a mini chicken farm. I wanted our kids, then ages 13, 11, 8, and 2, to appreciate life's simpler pleasures too. So off we went. The kids and I wasted no time poring over a "hatchery" catalogue (yes, there are such things). We wanted to make sure we got eggs, so we ordered 15 chicks of a prolific breed called Barred Rock. At only $2.85 each, I wondered if they'd keep up their end of the bargain. ***More Money Well Spent: [The Ultimate Baby Monitor](https://money.com/nanny-ultimate-baby-monitor/)*** We spent about $70 for a scrap-lumber coop and six weeks' worth of feed, but the big investment was time. The chickens were a lot of work, especially for the kids: cleaning out the straw bedding, replacing the water and food, and keeping away the roaming raccoons at night. We let "the girls" free-range during the day, and the kids marveled that the birds knew when it was time to hit the hay—literally. In most months, our beloved hens produced about $32 worth of farm-fresh eggs—people were delighted to pay two bucks for a dozen. That barely covered the hens' room and board, not to mention the cost of the fancier breeds the kids wanted: Columbian Wyandottes, Buff Orpingtons, Araucanas, and the delightful Top Hats, with the flourish of feathers perched high on their heads. In the 13 years we've had chickens we've probably spent a few hundred dollars more than they've earned. ***More Money Well Spent: [Why I Love My Screwy Souvenir](https://money.com/money-well-spent-corkscrew-italy/)*** Yet the chickens would make me happy even if they never earned a dime. From my kitchen window, I watch them scratch for bugs and take their dust baths. They seem so content. And we still get eggs: beautiful brown ones, lovely blue and green ones, and our little Top Hat named Lula Belle lays the tiniest white ones. I have heard of cat ladies—are there chicken ladies? If so, I am one. Buying and caring for them was the best investment for my children, and for me. *Lisa Burkhardt lives with her chickens (and her family) in central Kentucky.* *Do you have a purchase you consider Money Well Spent? Email us about it and what it means to you at wellspent@moneymail.com.* ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "@id": "https://money.com/backyard-chickens-cost/#breadcrumb", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://money.com" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Pets", "item": "https://money.com/pets/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "money well spent", "item": "https://money.com/tag/money-well-spent/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Why I Became a Backyard Chicken Farmer" } ] }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://money.com/#website", "url": "https://money.com", "name": "Money", "publisher": { "@id": "https://money.com/#organization" } }, { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://money.com/backyard-chickens-cost/#webpage", "url": "https://money.com/backyard-chickens-cost/", "name": "Why I Became a Backyard Chicken Farmer", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://money.com/#website" }, "datePublished": "2016-02-16T15:00:45.000Z", "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://money.com/backyard-chickens-cost/" }, "inLanguage": "en-US", "breadcrumb": { "@id": "https://money.com/backyard-chickens-cost/#breadcrumb" }, "dateModified": "2024-04-16T10:01:02.000Z" }, { "@type": "Article", "headline": "Why I Became a Backyard Chicken Farmer", "articleSection": "Pets", "image": [ { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://img.money.com/2016/02/chicken.jpg", "width": 1960, "height": 1366, "caption": "chicken" } ], "author": [ { "@type": "Person", "name": "Lisa Burkhardt", "url": "https://money.com/author/lisa-burkhardt/", "@id": "https://money.com/author/lisa-burkhardt/#author" } ], "publisher": "https://money.com/#organization", "datePublished": "2016-02-16T15:00:45.000Z", "description": "A backyard full of egg-laying chickens can be a great value, even if they cost more than they save.", "abstract": "A backyard full of egg-laying chickens can be a great value, even if they cost more than they save.", "@id": "https://money.com/backyard-chickens-cost/", "inLanguage": "en-US", "dateModified": "2024-04-16T10:01:02.000Z", "wordCount": 464, "keywords": [ "money well spent" ], "about": [ { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Pet", "sameAs": [ "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pet" ] } ] } ] } ```