How many egg cartons should I stockpile

[bobbieschicks]

I only have 1 white leghorn pullet right now who just started laying Thanksgiving Day

Her body has been working out it's small egg/softshell egg thing, but she's starting to lay again. I will have 3 more pullets that are now 17 weeks old (1 Ancona & 2 EEs) who will probably start to lay either later this month or more likely in January (they all have red combs and red faces, won't squat yet, but have been cozying up to the rooster). I also have 8 week old chicks - 4 Lavender Orpingtons that appear to be pullets and 3 Silkies that I haven't a clue about (I can't tell with the silkies, I can tell that we have a roo in our 5 LOs).

So how many egg cartons should I worry about getting? I have about 10 saved up and a kind friend of mine said she's saving them for me and has about 10 as well. I have a very small house and I don't have alot of storage for unused egg cartons, but I also don't want to have eggs that have no place to go. I told her that I wouldn't need the cartons until January - but she's got them saved and will start to give them to me soon.

If I do my math correctly and the chickens all lay 1 egg a day (doubtful and not very probable) I figure I'll have 11 eggs a day:

1 WL
1 AC
2 EE
4 LO
3 Silkies

11 total layers

Assuming an egg a day means, 11x7=77 eggs a week which equals (7) dozen size egg cartons a week. So it would seem I have an abundance of cartons already if I have 20. Am I missing something? Would it be better to have more cartons or just enough? Thanks!

 

[CarolJ]

I would stick with what you have. If you get more eggs, you can always put them in a basket until you get more egg cartons. You can either purchase more - or just put the word out for friends and family to save their egg cartons for you. Eggcartons.com had a great sale during the summer with free shipping and 2 sets for the price of one. Now I have enough egg cartons to last me probably into the next century!

I have 7 layers - and I'm averaging 4 per day. During hot weather I probably averaged 5 or 6 a day.

 

[Fred's Hens]

Even at peak lay, the won't all likely lay on any given day. You can reduce your guessimate considerably. The eggs will likely be a varying sizes, so having medium, large and extra large cartons is wise. Next, folks return cartons and many folks make the return of the carton a feature of the selling program.

We have more cartons than Carter's has liver pills. Every body and their sister "saves" cartons for us. We must have seven or eight hundred of them. Enough already!!

 

[bobbieschicks]

Yeah that's what I'm talking about - I don't want a million egg cartons hanging around. It's really nice of her to save them, but I don't have a large production of eggs happening here. Even at peak I doubt I will need even 5 egg cartons a week - unless I get one of those really interesting 2 or 3 egg a day layers

Oh and my Silkies - well if they turn out to be pullets - which I highly doubt with my track record on hatching chicks - they'll probably go broody all the time and then I wouldn't need to worry about egg cartons for them so much.

 

[Ole rooster]

I have 4 cartons I put the eggs in from the nest. When I sell eggs, the customer brings a container for the eggs and I keep the carton. That way I sell them for $2.00. If I had to buy the carton I'd have to go to $2.50.

 

[JodyJo]

I have 13 laying girls and at best I got 13 only twice since they started laying...only 1 hen, my Calif White, has laid every single day....none of the others...I thought I would have tons of eggs...I usually have, in the summer, just over 60 eggs a week...now I am getting around 4-5 eggs a day...I don't add light to the coop...

I have a ton of cartons...I charge $2.50...and my customers give me the cartons back.