ARKANSAS Chicken or Eggs SWAP

[heritagehabitatfarms]

i think that's about right for mixed breed eggs... try selling some on EBay and u will get an idea what they are worth... i defiantly think u are to low on the eating eggs tho... i would bet u are losing money on every dozen... 2 years ago Whitmore farms did a year long test and there eggs cost them in feed 3.05 per dozen... and feed prices have gone up sense then... a friend of mine told me that free range eggs are selling for 6 to 7$ a dozen at the farmers market in LR... there is still ppl selling eggs here in Clinton for 2 to 3$ a dozen but i would not even bother for less than 4 or 5$...

Howdy! Got a question..I'm selling hatching eggs-they are production reds. I got them from Ideal Poultry in TX. They are mixes, the roosters I have in there a black cooper marans, and a Basque. They are all beautiful! Just wondering how much should I be selling them for? Right now I'm selling $5.00 a dozen...I also ship, and I add that on as well, but I really would like to be getting some money back on these guys. If I'm not selling hatching eggs, then I'm selling eating eggs at $2.00 a dozen.

So what do y'all think? I am also looking into getting a website set up so I can be able to take orders, and people can see what I have available..I do plan on getting a pen set up for pure silkies, and pure polish. Any advice would be wonderful, I am really hoping that I can set things up right. I really want to offer to the masses so we can have these breeds be able to give others such joy and love as in my family have experienced! The lessons my daughter is learning from this is so priceless, I've not regretted this adventure once.

Thanks everyone!

 

[Arkansas81]

i think that's about right for mixed breed eggs... try selling some on EBay and u will get an idea what they are worth... i defiantly think u are to low on the eating eggs tho... i would bet u are losing money on every dozen... 2 years ago Whitmore farms did a year long test and there eggs cost them in feed 3.05 per dozen... and feed prices have gone up sense then... a friend of mine told me that free range eggs are selling for 6 to 7$ a dozen at the farmers market in LR... there is still ppl selling eggs here in Clinton for 2 to 3$ a dozen but i would not even bother for less than 4 or 5$...

Thanks heritage! Yea I am needing to get some more money out of my eggs but was hesitant to go to high. I really want to supply ppl with organic eggs, etc, but I also need to be able to pay for my birds and time. I take pride in what I do and I try to do a good job, but it takes up a lot of my time. This something I've always wanted to do and I feel like I'm finally living my dream. Again thanks for the advice! I will do a little rethinking.

 

[TheJadeChicken]

He is still availalble. I also edited my post.

 

[draye]

Looking for at least three (3) Polish hens. I prefer either: Red or Golden Laced, but at the moment I'd take just about any color. Anyone have any available please PM me.

 

[groundpecker]

i think that's about right for mixed breed eggs... try selling some on EBay and u will get an idea what they are worth... i defiantly think u are to low on the eating eggs tho... i would bet u are losing money on every dozen... 2 years ago Whitmore farms did a year long test and there eggs cost them in feed 3.05 per dozen... and feed prices have gone up sense then... a friend of mine told me that free range eggs are selling for 6 to 7$ a dozen at the farmers market in LR... there is still ppl selling eggs here in Clinton for 2 to 3$ a dozen but i would not even bother for less than 4 or 5$...

I do not bother selling eating eggs around my area. There is an older lady that sells them for 1.50 a dozen. I lost all my customers over the $1 difference in the price. So i just give them away to family and friends now. I do not see how she can sell them so cheap.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I do not bother selling eating eggs around my area. There is an older lady that sells them for 1.50 a dozen. I lost all my customers over the $1 difference in the price. So i just give them away to family and friends now.  I do not see how she can sell them so cheap. 

I don't know either but my father never bought a bite of chicken feed in his life. In the winter he would supplement their feed with a small amount of corn that we grew mainly for the cows and horses, some was also ground for corn meal, but most of the year the chickens free ranged and foraged for all their food. They may not have laid double extra huge eggs every day but they laid well enough to raise five kids. Chicken feed cost was essentially zero.

Broodies hatched and raised all replacement pullets and plenty of cockerels for the table. We ate pullets and older hens too. Again, zero cost to us.

I don't know how she manages her chickens but there are ways to really get the costs down. This is the method practically every small farm I ever saw managed their chickens. They did not keep breeds separate, did not have the ornamental breeds, and certainly did not show their chickens. They just extremely efficiently provided eggs and meat for the table. Some of this depends on your climate and the quality of the forage obviously.

 

[Arkansas81]

I recently have only been selling hatching eggs, but when I do sell eggs for eating most people are happy to pay the $2.00 a dozen. That money is given to my daughter which she is happy about cause she has some money to spend on whatever.


Now that I am getting interest in hatching eggs I haven't sold a lot for eating, which is fine for me so they can help with the feed bill. I am trying to teach my little girl the price of having animals, responsibilities, and plus she gets a little play money.


I hope to be able to donate some eggs to our church's food pantry when all the hens get going good in the summer, we have lots of plans. I want to start getting some ornamental breeds and bred them to the SOP standards, maybe even let my daughter show some in the summer. I just love having chickens! Love this website!!

 

[Ridgerunner]

I don't sell eggs either. My wife takes some to church for church members to buy if they want to. The money goes to a specific charity fund there. One year it went to the Heifer Foundation, one year it helped provide safe drinking water in Haiti. I think this year it will go to an Old Folks Home in Little Rock.

Since it is a donation, people donate what they will. The minister usually donates $1.00 but he really likes those small pullet eggs no one else wants. Some people donate as much as $5.00 a dozen. I have green eggs this year which really got some folks excited.

I occasionally give some to relatives, but they don't live close enough for that to amount to much.

Any that I have left that we don't eat get donated to a local food bank. I give extra garden produce to that food bank too.

I could sell some and get some feed costs back but it's only a hobby for me. If I went "commercial" I'd have to become more businesslike to take care of my customers. Nope, not going to do it.

 

[Arkansas81]

I don't sell eggs either. My wife takes some to church for church members to buy if they want to. The money goes to a specific charity fund there. One year it went to the Heifer Foundation, one year it helped provide safe drinking water in Haiti. I think this year it will go to an Old Folks Home in Little Rock.

Since it is a donation, people donate what they will. The minister usually donates $1.00 but he really likes those small pullet eggs no one else wants. Some people donate as much as $5.00 a dozen. I have green eggs this year which really got some folks excited.

I occasionally give some to relatives, but they don't live close enough for that to amount to much.

Any that I have left that we don't eat get donated to a local food bank. I give extra garden produce to that food bank too.

I could sell some and get some feed costs back but it's only a hobby for me. If I went "commercial" I'd have to become more businesslike to take care of my customers. Nope, not going to do it.

Sounds like you are good ppl. That is my hope to be able to donate at some point. I am really enjoying these chickies!!

 

[arcountrychick]

I do not bother selling eating eggs around my area. There is an older lady that sells them for 1.50 a dozen. I lost all my customers over the $1 difference in the price. So i just give them away to family and friends now. I do not see how she can sell them so cheap.

I sell to friends only right now. $1.25 a dozen. It doesn't put a dent on what I spend on feed, not to mention the time spent. The biggest profit I get is seeing my daughter being interested in chickens and the lessons she learns from caring for them. In a time when kids had rather play video games than even think about going outside, it's a big benefit in my eyes. Plus, chickens are pretty yard decor!

If we decide at some time in the future to sell to the general public, yeah, the price will go up. My daughter thinks that she will to set up an "egg stand" on the highway and make a fortune