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

[Linda6885]

We live in SE Wisconsin, and it seems that the going rate for organic, free range, 'colored eggs' (from easter eggers) are $3.00 - $3.50 a doz. We have five hens and not all have started laying yet. But people at work have been asking us already for our extra eggs. Unless you have a lot of chickens I don't think you can think you'll get a return on the eggs. My husband always says that our eggs are the most expensive iin town. We invested over a $1000 for coop and large safe run from preditors. That's a lot of eggs !

 

[greenwood tree]

I haven't read all the replies, so I may have missed one that's just like mine. Sorry if I'm repeating things already said.

I'm in Sacramento CA, so an urban market. I sold my pasture-raised eggs for years for whatever the top of the market was in my area. Started at $4 a dozen, ended at $6. Never failed to sell all my hens could produce, although I started well before the distinction between "cage-free" and "pasture-raised" was well known. What sold my eggs was the quality, hands down better than all the local producers, even the pasture-raised eggs.

Good luck.

 

[matt81c]

4.00 doesn't seem to bad especially for your location.I live in northwest ohio currently I sell my eggs for about 2.00 to 2.50 a dozen and have roughly 25 to 30 birds.I can buy layer feed for 10 to 11 a 50lbs bag which lasts me a week.I figure I need 6 dozen sold a week to cover costs which isn't bad.Some things I have done to drive down cost on feed is letting them eat grass they love it prolly the most as well as bugs they get basically free but have lost a roo and hen to a bald eagle this summer so now I have to watch them when letting them range didn't even know they killed chickens til I saw it myself and they do now frequent my area.I also feed them cracked corn, vegetables from garden and left over, recently bought about 150 pumpkins at Walmart for .01 a piece so for 1.50 that's alotta feed and the cold weathers helped them keep.Also have an outlet bakery that sells bird bread and even though people have mixed feelings about bread to chickens at 1.60 for a rack of bread and the birds seem healthier now with them adding some weight during the cold season it seems like a good deal.There are also farmers that will move produce cheap and some stores you could look into for things they pull but are still ok due to expiration.Hopefully some of these ideas can help you out by lowering your cout and balancing or turning alittle plus income from ur birds for you.

 

[gawildlife]

Cage-free hens still have better lives than those who live in cages (they can spread their wings, move around etc.) it doesn't mean what most people think it means. From talking to people I get the impression they think it means they live good lives outside, with plenty of room. However, these hens are still forced to live in cramped, dirty spaces.

http://www.humanesociety.org/issues/confinement_farm/facts/cage-free_vs_battery-cage.html

If you really knew what the humane society of the united states really thought about farming and private ownership of animals you would never quote or link to them. Check this out.

www.humanewatch.org

 

[redman1118]

We live near Hondo Tx, about 40 miles west of San Antonio. We currently have 31 laying hens and 110 2 month old pullets. We placed a free add in my sons sub divisio in San Antonio at $3 a dozzen. Within 5 minutes of placing the add we had to take ut off due to the high call volume. We should have said $4. I did not want to go back and raise the price. Now in about 4 months when these pullets start laying, we will run the add again at $4. Our chickens are free range and have a well kept coup complete with heating when it gets cold. The people who originally responded to add are regulars and get their eggs delivered on fridays. They all tell us that they are the best tasting eggs they have ever had.

 

[Heme]

First off...as an X-New-Yorker, I can well appreciate the cost of doing business there. While Gas is $3.00 a Gal in NY, I pay $2.45 in Tennessee. Therefore the cost of doing business for you is 1/4 to 1/3 more. Naturally you need to charge more and if you can get it....all the more power to you. We get $2.95 for our free-range eggs per dozen and that is TOP Bucks for our area. Over three dollars is a disaster and customers go back to places who use eggs as a come-on at 95 Cents to $1.45.

Corn and other grains fell in price but the cost for a bag of feed is $18.00 or more. Too bad the makers of feed products are so greedy they eat us up alive. If they passed on the savings in fuel and grain cost to us; we could make a living just fine.

 

[Heme]

5 Birds seems too few for the investment you made while seeking a substantial financial return. At best it takes 3 days to get a dozen eggs or 2.5 dozen a week. During the cold months the production may decrease, making the task even greater. You have a Hobby and that is great for personal gain, but not for a business project.

 

[Heme]

Now there is a DEDICATED chicken lover. People forget raising layer hens is 7 days a week, lots of feed and clean-up; more work than the average individual cares to do. Feed in Tennessee is averaging $18 per 50lbs and for quality feed at $11 is a bargain elsewhere. Two stay dogs got a few of my birds last week and the roo is damaged goods. That is the price for Free Range practices.

 

[lollipopguild]

$4 is pretty par. I charge $2. Some people have actually gave me more and told me I wasn't charging enough. Lol. On average, it costs me about $0.72 to produce 1 dozen eggs.

 

[CrazyTalk]

First off...as an X-New-Yorker, I can well appreciate the cost of doing business there. While Gas is $3.00 a Gal in NY, I pay $2.45 in Tennessee. Therefore the cost of doing business for you is 1/4 to 1/3 more. Naturally you need to charge more and if you can get it....all the more power to you. We get $2.95 for our free-range eggs per dozen and that is TOP Bucks for our area. Over three dollars is a disaster and customers go back to places who use eggs as a come-on at 95 Cents to $1.45.

Corn and other grains fell in price but the cost for a bag of feed is $18.00 or more. Too bad the makers of feed products are so greedy they eat us up alive. If they passed on the savings in fuel and grain cost to us; we could make a living just fine.

Have you checked multiple feed sources? Unless there's some sort of issue where getting grain to where you live, you're paying too much. There's got to be either some sort of local supply issue, or you're paying too much.

Gas here (in VA) is about 2.75/g, and I'm paying $11-13/50lb for layer feed.