I am fairly new to selling eggs and I need advice.

[feather and mountain man]

I have started selling our eggs to family member since we have more than we can eat. Recently family members have been buying eggs from us for their friends since we sell them for a dollar a dozen. I offer them at that price because it covers our cost. I am now selling all we have and don't have enough to sell we want to expand but this will add to my cost in supplies and building material. So I am not sure how much to charge.

Also I want to make sure I am selling eggs that are sanitary enough to offer to customers. Can anyone give some advice on safe egg handling?

I would really be greatfull for any help.

 

[Mahonri]

We are nice. We charge $2 for a dozen, $3 for 18.

Many here charge much more than that.

And for free range hens you could get double that.

And for hatching eggs.. much much more if they are purebred and fertile.

 

[chicks4kids]

I do the same thing as you...sell to family for $1 a dozen and then they have extended family or co-workers that buys them as well. I found that adding on to the coop was not much of an expense especially if you can recycle materials. With spring coming up you may be able to pick up some fencing and materials really cheap off of Craigslist too. If you provide your chickens with a large fenced in area to "free range" in then your feed costs go down in the spring, summer, and fall. Although winter time they really suck down the food, I found that giving them such a large area to forage in throughout the nice weather, it sure saves in the feed cost.

As far as safe handling of the eggs, I just make sure that the nest boxes are clean every day and I don't wash the eggs unless they have dirty spots or poo on them.

 

[oldchickenlady]

We sell ours for $3.00/ dozen, but could probably get more. DH sells them to co-workers who were paying $5.00 for free range brown eggs. So how much you can charge is dependant on your location. If you are in the country where lots of people have chickens you wont be able to charge as much as if you were in a town or city where there are fewer people raising their own. Check around and see what the local going rate is for eggs and adjust your prices accordingly. Right now none of my 11 hens are laying...so we aren't getting squat! I hope they start back laying soon...it is no fun looking at empty nest boxes!

 

[Happy Chooks]

I charge $3 a dozen, which is low for my area. I don't charge my family, but they don't get priority either, my buying customers get priority. And I always TRY to keep enough for us to eat. (that is why we got them in the first place)

 

[spartacus_63]

Here is a link: http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/getfile?dDocName=STELDEV3004502
It is to the USDA Egg Grading Manual. I use it as a guide. Each state has their own rules on egg sales but this is a good guide to go by.

 

[feather and mountain man]

I am thinking if I raise my prices then we won't sell as many. Maybe we have so many buyers because we are underselling everone else.
I also have a lady wanting pasturized eggs.

 

[HEChicken]

I give them to family because I feel like they do so much for us - its the least we can do in return. I sell to "strangers" (find customers on Craigslist) for $2.75/doz if they don't bring a carton. I drop it to $2.50/doz if they bring me a carton in exchange. That way I don't run out of cartons. Most people bring me the carton so they can save a quarter per dozen. I also had one of my customers bring me some grains he had leftover from home brewing, in exchange for a 50c reduction in price.

 

[phasianidae]

I sell them for $2.00 a dozen to everybody. To ensure sanitary eggs, keep the nests clean, wash only when necessary, and cull all unhealthy hens.

 

[spartacus_63]

My feed to egg cost ratio is .10/egg. I get $1.75 for LG/XL and $1.80 for Jumbo. The price is similar to what you find at stores around here for Farm Fresh and covers my expenses plus. This keeps everyone happy.