Start HIGH. It's easier to lower them later, if needs be, rather than raise them. But with the way that prices are going up in the stores for most staple products, egg prices will continue to increase.
I wouldn't take any less than the store price, here at least $2 a dozen. If you buy your own cartons then you could give discounts for returned cartons. Otherwise, ask pals to save cartons for you (cross out the printing on them) or put them in paper lunch bags, doubled. I can fit 6-12 eggs in a bag, they cost about $.02 each.
A lot will depend on how many laying hens you have, how many eggs you want to move each week, and how easily you & your customers can access each other. If you have a huge surplus of eggs and little contact with potential customers then lower prices.
But it sounds as if you've got a work location & colleagues there. Why not bring in some of your eggs, hard-boiled or otherwise cooked, & let folks sample them first? Show them photos or bring them over to see how well you keep your hens, and how much work they require. Get them to realize what a special opportunity they have to acquire this unique product, then they shouldn't begrudge you the extra $.25-$.50 to obtain them for themselves.
I'm satisfied if I can sell enough eggs each week to cover the cost of their chicken feed. We eat a lot & I also like to give a lot away, for hostess & thank-you gifts, etc.
I used to feel guilty for asking $2 a dozen until recently when I noticed the current price of store eggs. The last time I'd bought them they were $.69-$.99. Now the regular white eggs are $2 a dozen! I don't feel obliged to try to cut the store prices, my hens offer a much superior product. The reason store eggs are so priced is because they're produced in vast numbers under extreme conditions. Look at what the stores charge for "cage-free" eggs. And you know those hens still don't enjoy the healthier lifestyles that yours have. And even though I don't feed my hens organically grown feed, they do range in a yard that's pesticide- & fertilizer-free, and their eggs come so much fresher.
I ask $3 a dozen & may soon ask more. I'd rather sell less and eat more myself than cut prices for cheapskates who complain that eggs cost less at the store. Look a little closer at their lifestyles, are they wasting money buying convenience foods, momentary entertainments, professional grooming, gourmet coffee, overpriced clothes? I don't do any of those things so I don't feel obliged to run an egg charity for those who do.
Of COURSE if I knew a family in severe need I would give them eggs. But you know, those folks would probably be the kind to insist to pay what they're worth, recognizing their value and the worth of the labor you've put into their production.
When I first began keeping chickens folks would say "I bet you save a LOT on your grocery bill!" but we all know that's not true. I find there are 3 basic attitudes towards home-made eggs:
1. They're beyond compare in taste and nutrition plus the satisfaction of knowing they're from healthy chickens raised humanely, well worth the extra expense.
2. They're the same as store eggs but should be cheaper because you got them for "free" from your own chickens.
3. They're nasty & unsanitary because they weren't produced in a factory, sterilized & wrapped in plastics. No, thanks, I'd rather buy mine at
WalMart.
You can see this is a topic near & dear to my heart. When it comes to fresh home-grown eggs I think we should hold our heads, our standards, and our prices HIGH.
