Selling eggs - Cost analysis of Organic vs. Regular feed.

[eggsellentfarms]

I'm just wondering what backyard egg sellers out there are getting for a dozen eggs? Please share both duck and chicken prices and organic or standard feed.

Currently, feed prices at my local store are about double for organic feed. Standard backyard chicken eggs are going for around $2.50/dozen. Duck eggs are much less common, but from looking on Craigslist I think I could get about $3.50 to $4.00/dozen. If I switch to organic feed my profit margin gets pretty thin at those prices and I'm not sure if my market will support much higher.

Even though I'm currently using "natural feed" and my flock free ranges all day on a couple acres of mixed habit with a small creek, I would love to switch to organic feed. Unfortunately, I just can't afford to switch over right now unless the market will support me. So if you sell eggs, birds, or even meat, I'd love to hear how you are doing.

Thanks

 

[gander007]

If your chickens can not free range then how can you make any money at all unless you buy in bulk otherwise you are doing good to brake even

 

[chickengeorgeto]

http://animalscience.ucdavis.edu/avian/computer.htm

You may be able to use for free one of the computer programs in this link. I remember seeing other links and tables when surfing the web but I don't remember how to access them.

Someone here claimed that her "organic" eggs were fetching $6 or $7 a dozen but that was in Aspin or some other address in Colorado with a lot of cachet. You know your market better than anyone else.

What is certain is that no one ever got rich by always being the lowest bidder. Especially the organic chicken feed companies.

 

[eggsellentfarms]

If your chickens can not free range then how can you make any money at all unless you buy in bulk otherwise you are doing good to brake even

I disagree, you could probably make alittle money without letting them free range. But why would you be selling eggs if that were the case? I guess you could argue that they are a little fresher than store bought.

 

[eggsellentfarms]

http://animalscience.ucdavis.edu/avian/computer.htm

You may be able to use for free one of the computer programs in this link. I remember seeing other links and tables when surfing the web but I don't remember how to access them.

Wow! Those will give you an in depth analysis for sure. Unfortunately I would have to purchase a bunch more equipment to monitor all the variables and spend about 10 times more time checking on things.
My spreadsheet gives you more of a "seat of the pants" feel for how things are going. But it does use actual data and I think will be fairly accurate for the small time producer.
Maybe after I've used it a while and have tinkered with it some more I'll post it on here somewhere.

 

[eggsellentfarms]

...

What is certain is that no one ever went broke by always being the lowest bidder. Especially the organic chicken feed companies.

I don't quite understand this statement. I know people that have gone broke being the lowest bidder, although not in the egg business.

 

[Mahlzeit]

I don't sell organic eggs but just free range with regular layer pellets being fed free choice and I get $4 a dozen here in New York. What kind of spreadsheet do you use? Is it one you created yourself? I use one I found on here years ago, it works very well and gives you a lot of information, like cost of feed per egg and stuff like that.

 

[eggsellentfarms]

I don't sell organic eggs but just free range with regular layer pellets being fed free choice and I get $4 a dozen here in New York. What kind of spreadsheet do you use? Is it one you created yourself? I use one I found on here years ago, it works very well and gives you a lot of information, like cost of feed per egg and stuff like that.

It's just something I put together using my current feed prices and estimates of how much feed it takes a bird to produce an egg. I'll be able to make it more accurate as I go along and have more data to enter.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

I don't quite understand this statement. I know people that have gone broke being the lowest bidder

I misspoke, "got rich" is the correct phrase.

 

[eggsellentfarms]

Quote: Ok, that clears it up.