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

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 • Feb. 4, 2025

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 • Oct. 20, 2023

Insinuating that Michelle Obama might throw her hat into the presidential race, which she's gone on the record saying she'd never do, is throwing chicken feed to the cluckers.

From Salon • Sep. 9, 2023

That’s chicken feed compared with the 350 million tons of meat consumed around the world — a number that is only expected to grow.

From New York Times • Jun. 21, 2023

Nana put down the bowl of chicken feed.

From "A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khaled Hosseini