Selling Eggs In Very Urban Area

[Vora]

Hmm, well, my girls aren't quite laying, and when they do, it probably won't be enough to sell. However, I am curious about anyone who has experience selling eggs in the city: not New York, New York sort of city, but the kind where the house next to you is literally right NEXT to you. Is there still a market for "fresh eggs" in these sorts of areas? If so, what sort of sign would you put up, would you hand out fliers, etc?

 

[Mac in Wisco]

In my experience those are the best places to sell eggs. The rural areas are usually loaded with eggs and competition. Those in the city want a little of that "country life" and find things like farm fresh eggs from free range layers to be trendy.

My wife has a small egg delivery route in a nearby city. She started a few years ago by visiting businesses, not the large franchises, but the locally owned doctors offices, insurance companies, welding shops, industrial supply shops, etc. She would take in a carton of our organic brown jumbo eggs and inquire with the receptionists whether anyone there would be interested in buying some farm fresh eggs. Some told her to get bent, some of the receptionists bought some, others actually asked the other employees if they wanted some and would take orders and collect money.

She now has a regular route that she does every two weeks where folks generally have a standing order. Some are only one carton stops, others are 5 or 6 cartons. She sells around 50 dozen every two weeks at $3 a dozen.

 

[hcppam]

I live in Calif. I cant sell to stores or mom and pops RED TAPE, I have a sign that simply says county fresh eggs in front of my home, no price, nothing about for sell, in-case code enforcement sees it. Once people know you have eggs the word gets around. $3 dz.

 

[sabianshepherds]

There's a community garden in the heart of the hood here, where the lady leaves the eggs outside in some kind of slot, and people leave money on the honor system.
There is someone who lives not far from me who has a sign outside there house ( I live 5 miles from downtown), but there is a law prohibiting the sale of eggs.

 

[LoreenH]

Fortunately I already have buyers for my eggs-to-be (my girls should start laying in a few weeks). My co-workers have been bringing in egg cartons and some of them want to buy when I have enough. A lot of my neighbors know we have chickens and will want eggs from time to time as well. If I didn't have customers already lined up I was going to make a sign that simply said 'Fresh Chicken Eggs' and put it out when I had some available. Good luck!

 

[snyd08]

how many girls do you have?

 

[perchie.girl]

I have a friend in PA who sold shares in her six hens that pay for the feed and entitle the share holders so many eggs per week. She has a horse boarding place and all her customers are boarders.

But I was wondering has anyone done this set up a Co-op for eggs.

 

[catsew]

perchie.girl :

I have a friend in PA who sold shares in her six hens that pay for the feed and entitle the share holders so many eggs per week. She has a horse boarding place and all her customers are boarders.

But I was wondering has anyone done this set up a Co-op for eggs.

This is basically what we are doing with our neighbors. Unfortunately we did not end up with the chickens this year and I had so much fun raising the chicks that I will probably just wait to raise them again in the spring. We haven't worked out the details about the money that was already contributed. It wasn't that much that we have a problem giving it back for right now or anything.​

 

[chickiepie]

I would think you would be able to sell them easily. We are members of a CSA in nearby New Jersey, and they sell farm fresh eggs for $4.50 a dozen!!! And the farmer said they could sell them for much more at market, but they stick with the CSA. The eggs sell out within hours I hear. I think in more urban areas, fresh eggs are a novelty and also, as a previous poster said, 'trendy' and you will probably have a good market. You might stick to word of mouth customers unless you know for sure that you are allowed to sell eggs.

 

[ThinkingChickens]

I was going to mention looking into a CSA. I have been giving mine away to neighbors as in my area of California it's illegal for us to sell our eggs or else we aren't zoned for having chickens. We can give them away or use them ourselves and then we're able to have twelve girls.