How much to charge for eggs?

[Rocket Raley]

Hi, we have only gotten our second egg and I have neighbors dropping by wanting to buy eggs, for eating, when we get more. What is the going rate for fresh eggs?

 

[speckledhen]

Depends on where you are and what your market will bear. Mine have been selling for $2/doz and sometimes people just give me $2.50. I just saw plain old eggs in the store for $1.95/doz so they're getting a bargain for freerange eggs with me.

 

[schmoo]

Heres a link to a long thread with peoples prices all over the US.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=138

 

[Heidi]

I live in NW Michigan and I'm selling mine for $1.50 right now. I've told my customers that I will be increasing the price to $1.75 when the eggs are larger. My pullets just started laying so some eggs are large and others are medium. Most of my customers are offering me $2.00 a dozen, but I'm sticking to the prices mentioned above.

 

[MayberrySaint]

I'm selling my large eggs for $2.50 per dozen and my smaller pullet eggs at $1.50. They get a $0.25 discount if they return the cartons.

 

[WindyOaksYokes]

I have been telling my future customers 3.00 a dozen and they are like... and they are free range... I say yes... they tell me that is too cheap.

So I guess it all depends on where you are located. Free range in the stores here are 2.83 a doz

 

[silkiechicken]

Yeah, it really depends. In this area, I sell for a bargain of $3 a dozen... "cage free" is like $4, while "free range" and other stuff can go for up to $4 for just 6 eggs!!! I sell my hatching eggs for the price of those 6 eggs... The thread schmoo has a good listing of what people charge.

 

[LindaN]

Eggs at the farmers markets in the Chicago area are $3.50 to $4.00 a dozen. I recall one vendor priced her EE eggs at more than $4.00 a dozen (I think it was about $4.50 to $5.00 a dozen for them) due to the "novelty" factor. I guess she must have had people buy them, too!

Folks at the farmers markets are trucking their eggs into town from up 100 miles away, so I'm sure these prices reflect transportation costs, as well as the cost of cartons, feed, their time, etc.

On the other end of the spectrum, my stepfather gets a dozen eggs for $1 from one of his neighbors who raises chickens. Stepdad and mom live about 35 miles south of Chicago. I think the neighbor just sells her excess to folks she knows and is happy enough getting some extra cash, though.

 

[chickenwoods]

I sell all my eggs at work,so theres no strangers to sell to,but several of them say 3.00? doz. i say no just 2.00$
I know i could get 3.00$ out of them,but i just couldnt do it to them lol,next spring when i start my big egg business (LOL,30 eggs a day) i'l probbly raise to 2.50$? i know i would sell EASY.

 

[FrankBlissett]

We sell ours at the local farmers' market for:

$2.00 - "little" (<=med)
$3.50 - "big" (>= large)

$3.00 - 6 duck eggs
$3.50 - 6 turkey eggs

We're in a fairly depressed economy here, but have no trouble selling out of eggs (around 1.5 gross a week). The other vendors who bring a dozen or two from there hobby flocks each week charge $2.75 and, likewise, have no trouble selling.

If you have large grocery stores in the area, look for their prices on ORGANIC eggs - not the factory eggs. If you have a (real) farmers' market, stop by early and see what others are selling their eggs for.

That said, if it's just one or two neighbors you're planning on selling to, then you really have to find out what they are willing to pay. Highball a price and ask them "do you think that's reasonable?" - they'll either say "yea - I guess so", or "I don't know - that's a bit steep". If the latter, then ask them what they would consider fair.

-Frank

edit:
We're in Sault, Michigan, by the way.