Keeping chickens is inexpensive and rewarding and everyone seems to want to keep chickens these days. After all, chicken feed is to some extent not that expensive and you also get the benefit of beautiful and healthy eggs .

There is an upfront cost to get started, though, and that cost scares some people away from pursuing the hobby. The truth is, you don’t have to spend a lot of money to get started with chickens. If you’re one of the people who hasn’t started because you’re worried about the upfront cost, let me ease your mind and share some ways you can start the hobby for next to nothing.

1. Save money on chickens when acquiring Chicken house

Granted, it’s not unusual to spend a few  thousands–or more–on chicken house because it’s usually the biggest expense. But spending that money is not necessary. You can also build your own. For instance, you might save money by making a house entirely out of recycled materials, like wooden pallets. Even if you decide you want to purchase one rather than use recycled materials, a house you build yourself for Ksh 3000 might have been ksh 10,000 or more if you had purchased a similar model already built.

If you’re not up to building your own, you can convert something.  You can convert an old storage shed, a doghouse, a play house or any number of things into a chicken house and save money on chickens that way.

2. Save money when outfitting your chicken house

Chickens don’t need much equipment. You don’t  need anything special. In fact, even if you purchase fancy nests, you may find your chickens prefer the corner of the house on the floor. One popular, inexpensive solution for nests is to recycle plastic buckets, laid on their side. You might use an old drawer . Or save money on chickens by simply building your own wooden nest from scrap. The cost of nests can be negligible.

It’s often a good idea to purchase feeders and waterers simply because if you use an open, makeshift pan to feed and water your flock, it tends to be a lot of work keeping them clean, and feed can be wasted. They’re not terribly expensive, either. But  if every shillings counts, and if you’re handy and enterprising, you can save money on chickens by even building feeders and waterers.

3. Save money on chickens when acquiring your flock

Chickens are not expensive to begin with: baby chicks normally cost only less. Even rare breeds don’t usually cost that much. One pitfall to avoid when you’re looking for ways to save money on them: hatching eggs. Yes, you might save money by hatching eggs rather than buying chicks but it’s usually the case that starting with chicks will be less expensive than starting with eggs when you figure everything together.

If you looking forward to save money on chickens,just go with these pointers.