Our family started with chickens last year. We did not get the chickens as a money maker, but as a hobby so-to-speak. We started with four hens and are now up to 12 hens and a roo. We are averaging about eight eggs a day. We typically give the excess eggs way to family and a few coworkers. Again, did not start this to make money so we have never charged people for the eggs, we would enjoy the chickens just as much if they did not lay. About a month ago someone who works one floor up from me came down and asked about eggs. He is someone I have seen in the hall but never really talked to, I guess word spreads pretty fast about chickens and eggs. I just ran into him in the parking lot and he really enjoyed the eggs. He now wants to set up a regular egg purchase and is insisting on paying $4 a dozen. I was floored and just did not know what to say. I will be making my first real egg delivery tomorrow!
Hurray! Go, you! As I eagerly await my very first eggs, I am wondering about this. I know there are some governmental hoops to jump before one can legally sell eggs, but what if one were to, say, accept voluntary donations to the chicken feed fund, rather than "selling"? Anyway, congratulations! That should help with the chicken feed.
I am not sure how many rules there are for egg selling in NY for small BY flocks. We do not advertise, it is strickly word of mouth, but again we have not really sold any till now.
Congratulations, that's awesome. In Maryland, there are very few regulations for the small flock owner - it's free to register and there are just a few rules to follow to sell eggs if you have under 3,000 layers, or sell meat from up to 20,000 meat birds. Many states seem to have adopted these same rules, so if you're concerned about it, you might want to check into it. It's probably pretty painless.
I would hand him the eggs and say thank you!! I like you got into it for a hobby and turned it into a business so to speak. I started giving them away a first,not unlike a marketing ploy but not my intention, and now cant meet demand. My wife sells them at work and we sell to a woman who uses them as part of her fair share farm. She wants 6doz a week but its not up to me,the girls have all the say. Where the demand is high I let "chicken math" kick in and got 6 more layers(not as of yet).Not to mention there are no eggs in the fridge for personal use. As far a the legal side of things,I know in Mass. it varies from town to town,county to county so from state to state. I have seen it being relatively lawless to ironhand rules. Just go with the flow,laws are complicated and the people who right them dont understand what they written. So GAME ON!!!
We get around 2 dozen eggs a day. They are sold and gone within 24 hours, always a waiting list. $2.50 doz.
