does selling eggs really pay the bills?

[marceedee]

Selling eggs mostly payes for my feed. I tried feeding my hens organic feed and I could not break even on that! It was 2x the price of regular layer pellets. Now I don't feed commercial mix. Some weeks of course are better than others.

 

[toletiquesbysam]

I haven't sold eggs for about a month now, people just aren't buying them! I have been giving away eggs to our homeless shelter and a teacher of DD's who's DH is on medical leave from work. I'm happy to help with that, but I'd prefer to sell them to help pay for the feed. I did reduce my flock by 4hens and my last rooster as well. And now that the snow has melted they are out free ranging again and I'm not going through a 50lb bag a week, it's lasting much longer and less eggs to worry about!

 

[sonew123]

I sell almost every egg laid. I always keep the cracked ones for family to eat ( because Im clutsy LOL) and white eggs or small eggs
I sell the large eggs for 3$ a dozen Price going up June 2st to 3.50$
I have a large group for eating eggs and 3 small pens for fertile seling eggs that I sell

between all of this I have enough $ to make up for their feed bill-15$+ a week (50lb bag)

Now when winter rolls around any profit whatsoever go out the window with electric bills to heat the coops to stay above freezing-I dont make a penny in the end and probably totally in a deep "little" hole but for a hobby to try and help pay for their food is pretty awesome

 

[patandchickens]

As silkiechicken says, it depends how serious you are about it. If you keep only fairly high-performance hens of fairly high-performance breeds, and cull poor producers, and have low overhead (not building a fancy coop and such), then sure. But if you have chickens that only lay a few eggs per week per hen, and some that are laying even worse than that, egg sales may help REDUCE feed bill but probably won't COVER it.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[tcmstalcup]

I'm covering feed costs right now but not in the winter. I feed a mix of scratch and laying pellets. They also eat scraps and free range. My mom has a contact for bread for about 5-10 cents a loaf so I feed that to them too. I know my feed program has lots of folks on here rolling their eyes but my hens lay well and it works. I learned chicken care and feeding from my grandmother and mother. I incorporate some advice from books etc but mostly trust what they have told me all of my life. It works for me and my lovely hens.
My own family eats lots of eggs and I supply my parents and grandmother for free. I have lots of demand for eggs. People have started wanting to pay in advance for eggs not even laid yet!!!

 

[briteday]

I'm more than paying for feed with a little left over for the other necessities like bedding, brooder lamps, and coop upgrades. We have 15 laying hens, get an average of 9-12 eggs/day, sell them for $2-3/dozen. I don't keep hens for a second winter and my breeds are chosen for egglaying duties. Feed is about $13 per bag right now.

My birds have less than 1/4 acre of pasture. And since we are in the high desert it is mostly sagebrush, maybe a rare lizard runs through. The only other food they get is a small dish of kitchen scraps daily, if they're lucky.

Do the math...that's only a bit more than 5 dozen eggs to cover their feed for at least one month. And I get at least 5 dozen eggs in one week.

 

[Mrs. Fluffy Puffy]

I buy my feed with the money I get from my egg sales.
I don't keep feed out 24/7 I feed them in the mornings and the afternoons, and they get scraps when ever the scrap bucket is full. They also free range, too. The roosters do eat alot. How many roosters do you have?

 

[JoAnn_WI_4-H_Mom]

Winter - money pits, as heat, bedding and feed needs all have to be paid for. No way do egg sales cover this.

Spring, Fall, Summer - MUCH more profitable, as they pasture so no bedding or heat and feed needs greatly reduced.

So our main cost reduction ideas this year are aimed at how to make winter less costly.

 

[keetsms]

It also depends on the breed of bird. I have a Pearl White Leghorn, and Golden Comets that have and excellent feed conversion ratio. I think most of the sex-links are good. I pay my feed bill with eggs but I also day range my birds. I have also found that once the hens reach about two years old they begin to slow down. If your in a position to let them forage out of the coop/run you should see your feed bill decrease.

 

[sanchoman]

How about selling fertile hatching eggs?

-OR-

Hatch the chicks and raise them to about 12 - 16 weeks and sell them as "soon to be laying" pullets for $10 - $12 each?