Do you sell eggs to your friends & neighbors - or give away?

[Cara]

I agree about being careful about people coming to expect them for free. We have a couple of acquaintances who just 'tell me' they are out of eggs and expect me to give them to them, and are put out if I tell them I don't have any.

 

[mtnhomechick]

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I so agree. It's not the same if you only have a few to give away or " a few " to feed. In my case there's no profit.......it goes to them. But I totally get where you're coming from here.

 

[ORChick]

I have only 2 close neighbours - both were very disappointed when I said I wasn't getting a rooster! So now they have to put up with the crowing that the rooster, that they "made" me get, does! For that, they get a half dozen eggs when I have them from my 5 girls - this winter there have been none extra. The one neighbour family (the daughter) watches out for the chickens and the cats when we are away - I pay her, but also don't mind giving them eggs when I have them. They never ask. My best friend (since grade school) also gets some when there are extra. But she lives quite a way away, so that doesn't happen very often. So far no one seems to expect me to give them eggs, and I can't do it often anyway with so few hens. Those I do give to though, I do it gladly because I like them.

 

[PQ4evr]

The neighbor pays my son different amounts it equals to about the price of feed. But mom buys the feed he put that money in his savings account. The word has gotten out and now not enough supply for the demand.

 

[halo]

I usually take whatever eggs I have left at the end of the week in to work. I can sell whatever I bring, but I only ask $1.50 per dozen (or for a few struggling people, $1). Its considered by everyone merely a contribution to feeding the chickens, not "buying" eggs. Everyone is struggling right now, and people who can get these really nice eggs at that price are extremely appreciative and go out of their way to get them. And it gets me a bag or two of laying crumbles, which feeds my "entertainment", so it works for me.

 

[PAJerry]

I give some to family, but can easily sell what is 'extra' to guys at work. I only charge $1.50 a dozen because they aren't really into paying extra for 'organic' or 'cage free' - we work in a foundry after all. The guys all say that they taste better and do appreciate the quality and sometimes the compliments are better than the money.

 

[girlsaint]

Before I moved,my fav place to buy eggs used to have a refrigerator outside their door, and when you opened it, the eggs were there, along with a little bucket for the money, and the price written on it. I think that took away the awkwardness of the transaction, made it convenient (they did not have to be home).
You have to be very trusting, and rely on the honesty of others, but in my community, that isn't really an issue.
If we ever sell eggs, I might try it that way. (The layers are more my daughter's than mine so it will be up to her what she does with them)

 

[Fowl Visions]

I give to my son and very close friends otherwise I sell for $2.00/dozen.

 

[Solsken Farm]

We give folks a dozen here and there. Usually they ask if they can buy more. Especially as we explain the proceeds are going into our kids college fund. (which is true)

We sell ours for $2 a dozen. If I put a sign up at our house for table eggs, it will be $3 a dozen.

 

[NurseNettie]

We sell our eggs. Most of them are sold to the folks I have met through work, the others stop in for them. We refurbished a "Fresh Eggs" sign left here by the previous owners, and it's out by the road-- we get drop ins, and the folks I work with know they're for sale. I get no complaints-- and everyone loves them.
I felt funny about selling at work-- we live in a very small area, because another girl was selling them, but her egg production started falling, and is now down to nothing ( they think they've got a weasel problem). Her customers started asking me to let them know when mine were starting to lay ( this is our first year) and when I told them they were, her customers came my way-- with no hard feelings from her. I ask her often if hers are laying, and they aren't-- and they're probably going to be freezer birds soon so they can make way for larger livestock endeavors.

All that rambling said-- we've got a handful of regular customers, and occasional new and one timers ( fishermen, snowsledders and hunters visiting in the area!) We still have more than we need and would like some more customers, but when we get "overstock" we pickle them, and the fishermen buy those too.

Don't feel guilty for selling to anyone---- they are a valuable commodity and worth much more in effort than you can sell for.

(we have given eggs away--- a few dozen to a woman who was cleaning out her father's barn and let us take a really nice brooder hood home with us, and a friend of DH's who helped us wire our barn-- but that was really more like bartering. And if we knew anyone having hard times, we'd give to them too)

Enjoy your eggs!
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