price for mixed hatching eggs?

[urbanagrarian]

The community farm where I volunteer has mutt and pure breed chickens. We set up a breeding pen in the spring to provide fertile eggs for school hatching projects each year, but other people call wanting hatching eggs also.

Do any of you have a good idea of what we should charge people (not schools) who want a dozen fertile eggs. The eggs won't be pure breeds. They will be from breeding pens that I set up of mixed and pure breeds. My pens will be set up to provide sexlink Araucana mixes or Leghorn mixes for the farms own use not any type of pure breed. We would only sell for pickup and not for mailing. Any idea what a fair price would be?

If it's any help the location is eastern Massachusetts.

Thanks for any advice.

 

[chickabator]

there is a man here where i live that sells them for 1.50 a dozen you sure cant buy them in the store for that

 

[speckledhen]

I wouldn't sell hatching eggs for the same price as table eggs.

 

[jkcove08]

I would say about 4 to 6 dollars a dozen if you dont plan on shipping. Most people here sell for about 18 a dozen and if you figure in that it cost at least 10 for shipping and then bubble wrap and gas, they are lucky to be getting 5 for the eggs. If people are picking them up they should get a wonderful hatch rate as long as they dont do anything while incubating them to kill them. That would then be around 50 cents a baby and that is a good price. You might want to start a little higher and work down, also it depends on if you really want to sell these eggs or make money. Good luck, Jenn

 

[Sharisr32]

The lady down the street who sells mixed sells both Standard and Bantam nad charges more for the standards
Her prices are 4.50 for the bantam and 5.50 for the standards -if they are picked up it doubles if she delivers-

 

[silkiechicken]

I sell eating eggs for $3 and hatching eggs of mutts for 2x that or 50 cents an egg. These are standards.

 

[urbanagrarian]

Interesting answers. I realize now that the price of farm eggs for eating varies widely around the country. Thinking about it, I like silkiechickens idea of 2x the price of eating eggs. That would somewhat cover the extra trouble of collecting more often, keeping the nests extra clean and setting up breeding pens. So I'm inclined to price hatching eggs of barnyard mixes at twice the price of eggs for eating. This farm charges $2.75/doz for eating eggs. That is actually low for the area. At farmers markets in my area $4 per dozen is typical for hens that are outside but not fed organic grain.

The goal is not to make money, but to satisfy an agricultural/educatioal need, while not doing extra work for nothing. I think that the people who buy the eggs for hatching are doing it more for the fun and edcation of it rather than the economics. I'm inclined to charge $8/dozen.

The community farm is non profit, I feel the prices that they charge should never be artificially low. Their mission is to support agriculture. That's why I'm sensitive to charging too little for an agricultural product that is produced by non-profits that could undercut "real" farmers

Any other thoughts on this?

 

[jkcove08]

That sounds fair but also remember that you are selling mutt eggs. If you had spent the time to separate the breeds and keep them pure people will be willing to pay more. It is always going to run in price for demand. How much of a demand is there for mixed chickens in your area. People might be more willing to buy your eating eggs and try to incubate them then to pay more then they want for hatching eggs. If the demand it high then you will have people pay it, at least if no one want to pay that much it is easier to lower your price then try to explain why you are raising it. Good luck, Jenn

 

[speckledhen]

Another aspect to it is that I would charge more for a dozen purebred hatching eggs than for crossbreeds. I'm thinking maybe $5/doz for crossbreeds, $8/doz for my regular common breeds, and for my more rare varieties, possibly $10-12/doz, as long as they are picking them up and I have to do no packaging of any kind.

 

[urbanagrarian]

If folks want to try hatching the eating eggs, that's fine too. But they would have to grab them quickly from the fridge. The goal here is not to mazimize income, just to be fair all around.

You are right, they will be mutt eggs. Even if I set up one of the breeding pens with some of the Dominiques or Barred Rocks. I don't think I would bother to call the eggs anyting other than barnyard mixes. The hatching eggs for sale will pretty much be the ones that don't fit in our incubators. I'll have enough trouble keeping track of the eggs we set without keeping track of what the the hatching eggs for sale are.

My goal in breeding at the community farm is to produce a sexable chick with the current stock. I feel the current stock has very good hardiness and disease resistance at this point. I'm sure the farm will buy hatcherey chicks also this year as they usually do. Also chicks will come back from school hatching projects. I think the school hatching projects are how the flock gets many of it's mutts.

I'd love to be able to have a breeding project of my own with purebreeds, but I can not keep roosters where I live, only hens. Helping to care for the flock at the comminity farm is a lot of fun for me. Trying to create sexable chicks has me studying up on genetics, and learning the names for the colors. Gee I wish I could keep a rooster at home with my hens!