Do you make an actual profit from selling eggs/chicks?

[Katy]

Quote:
Comparing big commercial hatcheries or egg operations to the majority of BYC people is like comparing apples and oranges....they're both fruit/chickens but they really aren't the same at all.

 

[sonew123]

NOPE!!! I make 3$ a dozen for eating eggs and about 5-8$ a dozen for shipping them fertile-that covers their food costs and partial electric bill which I am dead when DH sees the 300$ electric bill from the garage/coop! ouch-yup 300$ Heat is set to not go below 32 but is usually 40 in there-he always tells me to turn it up a little like last night-because It was 1 below today--can we afford that? Nope, but he also has a big heart-a roof over our heads-food in fridge-etc...and chicks hatching right now He also knows how happy my chickens have made me which in turn makes us- as a couple very happy-and you cannot put a price on that in my eyes...I dont think I will EVER turn a real profit and Im ok with that...

 

[mjdtexan]

I do. I aint making live on money but these girls more than pay for themselves. They buy their own feed and manage to feed me three eggs every day. I sell the eggs at $1 a dozen. Folks bring me their egg cartons all the time. I am considering raising my dozen price to $1.25 so that when I order chicks every Oct/Nov the girls will have paid for that too.

 

[HEChicken]

Quote:
Comparing big commerecial hatcheries or egg operations to the majority of BYC people is like comparing apples and oranges....they're both fruit/chickens but they really aren't the same at all.

Agreed. When I wrote that post, either I hadn't read the OP's post very well, or he edited it after I started writing, because I understood the original question to be "is it possible to make a profile selling eggs and/or chicks?" After I had hit "submit", I saw that his post now specifies that he is referring only to backyard chicken raising.

 

[dichotomymom]

No. It does help cover the feed cost though. I love the interaction and conversations that result from selling eggs. People talking about having chickens growing up etc.....it's a great sub-culture.

 

[ChickBond 007]

It is a mindless piece of work that I must do daily, choring the chickens, and gives (usually) immediate gratification in collecting the eggs. After a day of my completely stressful job, these chores are part of my relaxation routine to wind down from the job. So, what is a little sanity worth to ya?

 

[Katy]

Quote:
Are you figuring in housing costs and all those kinds of items?

 

[Marlinchaser]

Quote:
You are getting 12 dozen eggs for every bag of feed your chickens eat? + whatever you are eating? AND you have no other costs? I would like to see a breakdown of how you figure you are making a profit. What about from the time they were chicks to the time they started laying. Assuming housing is not factored in either.

 

[pbjmaker]

I don't make a profit, but the girls do pay for their own feed spring, summer, and fall. I hatch chicks and sell them locally and it gives me enough money to feed them. It also helps that they free range during those seasons. Currently though they are eating me out of house and home since there is nothing to eat but feed and they are eating three times as much trying to keep their own body heat up. Our coop only cost us $40 to build and we have enough free materials to build a second small coop this spring.

I just set 39 eggs to raise up as point of lay pullets and am going to actually right down the cost of everything to see if I make more money that way. Now if they would only all hatch as pullets and no roosters...

 

[Justino]

Nope, but they literly pay for themselves with feed and stuff