chicken feed

American  

noun

Slang.

1. an insignificant sum of money.

   He's so rich that $1000 is chicken feed to him.

2. small change, as pennies and nickels.

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chicken feed British  

noun

1. slang a trifling amount of money

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chicken feed Idioms  

1. Trifling amount of money, as in I'm not going to mow lawns for $5 an hour—that's chicken feed. This expression alludes to the fact that chickens can be fed corn and wheat grains too small for other uses. [Slang; early 1800s]

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Etymology

Origin of chicken feed

An Americanism dating back to 1830–40

Example Sentences

If Penkovsky was a loyal Soviet agent trying to deceive the CIA, he’d hand over what spies call “chicken feed”—secret information that is true, but not truly valuable.

From Literature

“Their needs and their wants are completely different than what we need here,” said Pamela Davis, 40, who was loading bags of chicken feed into the back of her SUV in Yuba City.

From Los Angeles Times

That might be chicken feed for a company of the size of Red Bull.

From BBC

Grooming services became a bigger part of the business in recent years, as had selling organic chicken feed and dog food made from avocados.

From Los Angeles Times

Mr Da Conceicao said that Mozambique has banned the importation of chickens and their derivatives from South Africa, including eggs and chicken feed.

From BBC