Chicken Flock Calculator

This calculator sizes a laying flock to hit a weekly egg target, then estimates the coop space and feed cost that flock implies. It starts from your chosen laying rate (the percentage of days an average hen lays) and derates it for winter: rather than applying the winter drop year-round, it assumes 8 months of normal production and 4 months at the reduced winter rate, averaging the two into a single annual rate that's more realistic than assuming peak output every day of the year. That annual rate converts to eggs per hen per week, and the calculator divides your weekly target by that figure — rounding up, since you can't own a fraction of a hen — to get the number of hens needed.

Coop size is a straight multiplication of hens by your chosen square-footage-per-bird allowance (4 sq ft is the commonly cited minimum for interior coop space). Feed cost assumes roughly $17.50 per month for every 6 hens, scaled to your flock size and annualized; dividing that annual cost by total annual eggs (converted to dozens) gives your feed-only cost per dozen — note that it excludes bedding, coop amortization, and other supplies, so your real cost per dozen will run higher. Meat birds are handled separately and don't affect the laying-hen math at all: the calculator simply caps your requested annual broiler count at 50 per batch, a practical ceiling for a single processing day, without adjusting for grow-out time or seasonal scheduling.