How much are you charging/where do you live?

[skippacheval]

Here in Oklahoma(near OKC) we get about2.50 to 3.00 depending on the season. Free range organic bring 3.50 or more.

 

[Sunny Side Up]

There's been discussion here before about why & how to wash eggs. When the weather's dry the eggs usually stay nice & clean, I don't do a thing but place them in cartons before selling. Some that have dried dirt/poop get those places sanded off with fine-grit sandpaper. Those that need washing are washed in WARM water. There's something about the porous shells & osmosis that makes it preferable to use water warmer than the egg to prevent bacteria from passing into the eggs.

 

[Kim_NC]

We're in NC and sell at farmers markets. We move close to 30 dz/week at these prices:

2.50 large brown
3.00 large EE
2.00 medium, brown & EE mixed (not many of these, mostly from new pullets)
3.00 XL - Jumbo, brown & EE mixed

ETA: Our eggs are washed in warm water. We never allow them to soak in water either.

 

[Sunny Side Up]

Quote:
I checked out your website, you've got a terrific looking farm there! How many layers do you keep to produce 30 dozen eggs per week? Is this maintained by you & your family or must you hire help? Do you think it would be worth it to sell homegrown eggs at your prices if it were just your personal backyard flock?

 

[PortageGirl]

N.E. Ohio here, I sell for $2.00 a dozen which is the usual price in my rural area. If I lived closer to a more urban or suburban area, I'm sure I could easily sell for $3.00 at least. Rural folks know the cost of grain and feed, but many aren't willing to pay more. LOL I have a few customers who insist on paying a buck more here and there when they can, and I accept with appreciation... they also know they stay near the top of my list. (just below a neighbor who depends on my eggs, but can't afford them. I give them a dozen a week saying I have too many and they'll go to waste.)

 

[Kim_NC]

Quote:
I checked out your website, you've got a terrific looking farm there! How many layers do you keep to produce 30 dozen eggs per week? Is this maintained by you & your family or must you hire help? Do you think it would be worth it to sell homegrown eggs at your prices if it were just your personal backyard flock?

Thanks for the compliment!

We keep about 75-80 layers at any given time. They lay an average 5 eggs/hen/week. They're divided into a large coop of ~30, and 3 smaller coops of ~15 each. We also have a couple tractors that we use for small breeding groups, raising chicks, etc.

It's only DH & I here. We try very hard to keep only what we can do ourselves without hiring labor, and only what's profitable.

The flocks of layers don't take-up that much time. In the mornings I fill feeders and water, open the coops for the birds to free range, collect morning eggs - all in about 20-30 minutes. I go back in mid-day to collect eggs and feed a treat of garden 'waste', scratch or whatever, just a 10-15 min task. DH handles the cattle and pigs in the mornings.

At dark we top off feeders and water, toss hay to the cattle/pigs, lock-up the chickens. Again, just 20-30 minutes.

I spend one day per month cleaning out coops & nest boxes in about 4 hours. I use deep pine shavings, with grass hay or alfalfa for the girls in Winter. DH spends a couple days a month tending fences for all the animals, including the chicken areas.

We work an ave 5 hours/day packing/shipping orders from online sales. LOL...we call that our 'day job'. UPS picks up our shipments daily from here at the farm. We go to the largest of our farmemrs markets on Saturday mornings, leave at 4:45am to be setup by 6:00, return at 12:30. We make most of our profit from our meat products. The eggs help with a small profit, and they attract customers that eventually purchase other things as well like meats, produce, etc.

I think you can make enough money from eggs at those prices to cover your own feed costs and leave a little extra money for coop expenses, replacement chicks, etc. For years I worked a 9-5:00 job, kept 20-25 layers. I sold eggs to neighbors and co-workers. They always brought in enough money to cover feed with some leftover.

The eggs from our layers are more profitable selling as hatching eggs and raising chicks to sell for POL pullets.

 

[Sunny Side Up]

Quote:
It seems there are a lot of myths surrounding the economic realities of keeping backyard chickens. When I first started folks would say to me "Gee, you're going to save a TON of money on groceries!!" not realizing how much it costs to house & raise a flock to POL, and the expenses that continue. Other folks get all excited at the thought of marketing their pet chickens' eggs, maybe a friend or colleague expresses an interest in buying some and they add a bunch of new layers to the yard, only to find there really isn't much of a market for fresh eggs elsewhere in their area.

I agree that it is possible to have a worthwhile enterprise selling eggs but the conditions must be right. Not every chicken owner will find themselves in those happy circumstances, so it would be best to research first before committing to more hens than you wish to keep.

Also, in order to make money I imagine you cannot keep many unproductive layers. Kim, how often do you cull your older layers to keep your flock productive? What do you do with them? Right now I have a dilemma with many older hens, some from our original flock, all with names & histories & fan bases, that aren't laying very often. No one wants to get rid of them, so here they stay, not laying enough to pay for the feed they are still eating.

 

[anthonyjames]

I charge $3 dzn no matter the size (mixed) If people want my eggs they will take what I have especially in the winter. Right now I have a list of 15 people waiting for at least 3 dzn minimum each. Will take me until the end of the month to fill all of those. I am in Middle Eastern Wisconsin right on Lake Michigan.

I spend about $50 in the winter to feed my birds and in the summer it is less then $15 for the summer. So in the spring I make far more then what I put into feed. ONly takes 5 dzn eggs to make up that cost. And if people come with their own containers I knock of .25 cents.

 

[rigagirl]

I live near Rochester NY, i get $2 doz. I tried to get people to commit before i even had eggs and many said they would buy but when it was time to buy some had reasons not to. So when the eggs really started i wanted to have a regular customer base so i advertised every 6th doz was free. it only worked till people received the 6th, then had reasons not to buy anymore. I only have one regular customer and he buys 4-5 doz a month from me. Not sure what i will do come summer again, i would hate to get rid of any of the girls.

 

[Garden Gal]

Only 11 states so far!! I'd love more info!