Is $4/dozen pastured eggs to much? Suburban upstate, NY...

[Ol Grey Mare]

I'm partially just arguing to argue, and partially because I like to wax philosophical, but I don't see this as a perfect world at all.

The green revolution (the advent of large scale farming) had some very positive effects - one of them being that a significantly smaller portion of the population needed to be farmers/grow their own food. It allowed people who didn't want to be farmers to do what they actually wanted to do - whether it be art, or music, or architecture, or whatever. A society where everyone is growing most of their own food is a society where people don't have a lot of time to do anything else. Specialization is a good thing - it leads to much more skilled laborers/artisans/etc.

Now, I like to grow food, and I like to keep livestock, and I like to build things and fix things and make things - so I'm doing that with as much of my life as I can (still gotta pay the bills, ya know?). People who don't like those things shouldn't have to do those things. There's nothing wrong with having someone else grow your food so you can spend time writing code, or writing novels, or designing buildings or whatever is you want to do. There's nothing wrong with wanting a hamburger and not slaughtering the cow yourself. In my perfect world, people would spend their time doing what they love - I'm sure you'd have chickens.



On topic - you're not gonna make money selling eggs (without thousands of birds) - but that doesn't mean you shouldn't keep chickens and sell the eggs. They're great insectivores (keep the ticks and flies and everything else down), they're good fertilizer spreaders, you can eat them when they stop laying, and they're funny as heck wandering around the yard. Those things all have value (monetary or otherwise).

I was being facetious.

 

[sarahandbray]

Thanks!!!
I think I've settled on an advertised price of $4 to most people. That way, I'll be able to buy one bag of feed per 4 dozen eggs sold. Seems reasonable since all of the pastured/fancy eggs are $4.50-$6.50 at the local grocery.
I wonder what our brand- new Whole Foods is charging...may have go make a reconnaissance run...

 

[RonP]

If you can't sell them at $4.00 per dozen, you should advertise the advantages and cost comparisons to the supermarket eggs and or competition. Then raise your prices to $5 or $6 per dozen.

You should soon find your market clientele who will appreciate your quality.

Offer free 1/2 dozen to new customers to try.

Continue to raise prices until your demand meets your supply.

 

[CrazyTalk]

If you can't sell them at $4.00 per dozen, you should advertise the advantages and cost comparisons to the supermarket eggs and or competition. Then raise your prices to $5 or $6 per dozen.

And what specific advantages would those be? Remember, there have been a whole lot of studies done here - and they've overwhelmingly shown that other than beta carotene levels (affecting color), eggs are mostly the same. Organic, free range, cage free, whatever - they're all the same nutritionally.

To some people it's more important to have an honest product than to make top dollar. I will not advertise my free range birds as having healthier eggs - as the science shows they're not.

 

[RonP]

Seems reasonable since all of the pastured/fancy eggs are $4.50-$6.50 at the local grocery.

Same advantages (marketing) that allow $4.50 - $6.50 at the local grocery.

 

[sarahandbray]

Thanks for the input!! I think I'll just advertise the obvious and true statements that really got me when I first started looking into getting chickens:
--the FRESHNESS of the eggs (I didn't know the egg farmer has 30 days to get the eggs to the distributor and then they have 30 days to sell them!)
--the lack of variety in regular chickens diets--since they're omnivores, it's nice to let them have a variety of natural foods--grass, worms, bugs, seeds, etc.
--the lack of freedom/fresh air/grass-between-their-toes of regular store-bought chickens...as an animal lover (albeit, ignorant one!), this was really shocking

All of these are true--fresher, more varied diet, and pasture-raised. I won't make any other claims. Although, they definitely do taste "different"--they have more flavor, the white sits higher, and the yolk is darker--all of these observed by my 6-year-old comparing both eggs

I'll keep you posted on how $4/dozen works!

Sarah

 

[sarahandbray]

I have never been to our local Farmer's Market at a nearby middle school (in the more "affluent" side of town), and I'm curious as to what they charge. I don't think I'll even have to work that hard to find people to buy eggs since I already have a ton of FB friends that are nearby who want to be on a "weekly delivery list."

Delivered, to your door, within a 5 mile radius (which hits a TON of homes in suburbia), every Saturday morning should be a schtick some people will think is cool. The milkman has made a comeback in this area in these areas, so why not eggs? These are the same people that buy "shares" of local crops and "half a cow" to be processed. This is great and wonderful, but expensive. $4/dozen eggs should be nothing compared to these meat/veggie/dairy costs.

Sarah

 

[RonP]

Thanks for the input!! I think I'll just advertise the obvious and true statements that really got me when I first started looking into getting chickens:
--the FRESHNESS of the eggs (I didn't know the egg farmer has 30 days to get the eggs to the distributor and then they have 30 days to sell them!)
--the lack of variety in regular chickens diets--since they're omnivores, it's nice to let them have a variety of natural foods--grass, worms, bugs, seeds, etc.
--the lack of freedom/fresh air/grass-between-their-toes of regular store-bought chickens...as an animal lover (albeit, ignorant one!), this was really shocking

All of these are true--fresher, more varied diet, and pasture-raised. I won't make any other claims. Although, they definitely do taste "different"--they have more flavor, the white sits higher, and the yolk is darker--all of these observed by my 6-year-old comparing both eggs

I'll keep you posted on how $4/dozen works!

Sarah

Egg xactly!

 

[cafrhe]

I am in a 'foodie' area of NJ and I sell for $4.00/doz pastured eggs. I am cheaper than those in the immediate area. I could probably get $5.00. I know one farmer gets $6.00 in his (large) market (where he also sells his own butchered meat, breads, cooked food and different organic smoothies). If I go 30 mins north of me, I can buy them for $2.00-$3.00/doz.. Though I am not sure how those chickens are kept. The eggs are from roadside coolers. I make sure to advertise that my girls are pastured (there are studied nutrition analysis that show a better nutrient make up in pastured eggs) and I feed them locally grown and milled food.

I only have 12 laying hens and I pretty much dont eat eggs much anymore lol. We are always sold out and have customers waiting. We will see how we grow and if raising prices at some point will affect the sales.

 

[sarahandbray]

These are the local pastured eggs at the grocery store--love the packaging and love their website!! Cost is $5.99/dozen