Considering a farm stand for eggs

[DonyaQuick]

So, I have an egg problem. Some years back, I was going to have a mere 4-6 hens to embark on a self-sufficiency journey and now I have "about 20" chickens, which is to say 10 pullets, 16 hens, and 9 cockerels/roosters. At this point I keep chickens because I like to go outside first thing in the morning and be smothered by a hoard of happy feathered creatures trying to get hugs. I do use a lot of eggs, but I'm going to be getting more than a dozen a day soon as the youngest pullets are getting in on it, and that rather exceeds my capacity for egg utilization. I will be giving water glassing a try this year, but even doing that for winter prep I will still be drowning in eggs in the warmer seasons. I give some eggs to some neighbors but they don't see them that often and they also don't need many. A decent many people in my area do farm stands and I would like to have a go at it, but not having done anything like that before there are a couple aspects that make me a bit nervous.

The main population I would probably be aiming to sell eggs to would be the abundant tourists renting AirBnBs from mid-spring through fall. There have been a lot of them the past couple years. That both makes me optimistic they’d have interest in unusually colored eggs (I’m getting blue eggs now) but also worried about what behavior to expect. So…at this risk of expressing a completely dim view of humanity, how much do I need to worry about people trying to steal the whole darned setup, table and all? Does it need to be so large, heavy, and nailed down that it’s impossible short of a team of dudes and a U-Haul, or is that me being paranoid? I know people taking things off unmanned stands without paying is a thing, which would cerainly be annoying but isn't a dealbreaker to me since it's more that I don't want to just waste eggs – so even having a stand that’s just “free eggs” is something I’ve considered. However, even if I decide not to try to make a buck, I don’t exactly want to be donating furniture along with the eggs.

My main concern from a feasibility standpoint is refrigeration. I live in NY, and from everything I have read says I have to “refrigerate” eggs for sale regardless of whether they are washed or not. Does a cooler with ice work to satisfy that kind of constraint? A lot of people ignore that rule and just set egg cartons out (I mean, it really is a stupid rule for fresh-from-the-butt unwashed eggs in this relatively cool climate; I don't refrigerate unwashed eggs that I intend to use), but I don’t want to deal with the fallout if someone were to complain or report it.

If doing a farm stand type of thing doesn’t work out, I will ask around to see if I can donate eggs somewhere.

 

[Debbie292d]

One idea is to buy an incubator, incubate some of the eggs, and sell the chicks. If you don't know anyone who'd buy the chicks, just take a picture of them and post them in your local and state poultry groups on Facebook. Folks would message you about the price as that can't be posted. That's fun, but I'll warn you, it's very addicting!

I do know a few that do have a cooler out at the end of their driveway and a can attached for $$. I'd get a camera on it and put a sign that reads "You're on camera, smile" or similar. Blink on Amazon makes nice outdoor cameras, but there are many, or a deer cam works too.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

I'm holding my breath as I read your post. Personally, I do have a dim view of humanity having worked for a spell in law offices. Sorry to the decent folks out there.

I'd not trust anything that wasn't nailed down. More importantly I am concerned in the food handling legality. Even if farm to direct is allowed in your area, and check your local ordinances, even with some legally assumed buyer beware logic, you may be at legal risk if someone got sick from your eggs or, more realistically, blamed you for making them sick claiming they weren't stored correctly. I wouldn't trust an ice cooler to meet standards. You must figure out your liability on that. Some localities require raw egg warnings on the cartons, cartons must be new and not used, grower address and date on carton (so they can come get ya). And your state refrigeration requirements. It's not a problem until someone thinks they got sick then it's a big problem.

I too have a hobby that outgrew my egg needs but I have purposely shied away from sale to the general public for reason of broader food handling liabilities. I trade with neighbors for vegetables, sell (she donates 5$ for feed) to another neighbor, barter with my chiropractor...but I stay away from farm table and general public sales.

 

[hammyanne]

I’m in the same boat as you! I live in the Hudson Valley and set up a little pay-what-you-can egg stand—I know this isn’t an option for everyone, but because I raise chickens purely for fun, I’m happy to offer eggs to anyone who needs them. I have a sign that has suggested prices: $6 for duck eggs, $5 for chicken eggs. More often than not people don't pay the full price but that’s okay.

I have a small cooler that I cable lock to the stand, and I weigh the stand down with some concrete pavers. During the really hot months, I prefer to put the eggs in the cooler just to keep them insulated from the heat. But in my experience, the eggs go fast enough that I don’t really need to worry about them sitting out for too long.

It honestly seems like it would be more of a pain in the ass for someone to take the whole thing, but that’s always a risk.

..and of course every friend I visit now knows to expect a dozen eggs ◡̈