Selling eggs in GA? Or in general!

[Saltlifexo95]

Hey y’all,
So we went over board on our first time chicken buying. We ordered 16, got 17, THEN grabbed 4 more from TSC just the other day, so they are only a week apart from those 4. The 4 we’re unsexed, but I’m going to guess 2-3 Roos seeing how we ordered only 1 from the hatchery & they threw in the extra. We have the space for them, but now my concern is the abundance of eggs. How do you go about getting a license for that, promoting, and keeping up with it? Or maybe some pros & cons? TIA!!

 

[Iluveggers]

Hey y’all,
So we went over board on our first time chicken buying. We ordered 16, got 17, THEN grabbed 4 more from TSC just the other day, so they are only a week apart from those 4. The 4 we’re unsexed, but I’m going to guess 2-3 Roos seeing how we ordered only 1 from the hatchery & they threw in the extra. We have the space for them, but now my concern is the abundance of eggs. How do you go about getting a license for that, promoting, and keeping up with it? Or maybe some pros & cons? TIA!!

Have to check your state law. In Ny you don’t need a license if you sell less than 1000 dozen per year, and must keep them refrigerated for sales (or in a cooler). Good luck!

 

[Saltlifexo95]

Have to check your state law. In Ny you don’t need a license if you sell less than 1000 dozen per year, and must keep them refrigerated for sales (or in a cooler). Good luck!

Thank you for replying to both posts!! You’re very helpful.

 

[Cinnamon Roll]

In Georgia you have to get an egg candling license to legally sell eggs. It’s a short class with a super easy test at the end and some hands on egg candling with a group.
Georgia dept of Ag

The main trouble is finding an available class, you will have to check the calendar. I had to travel from Savannah to Blue Ridge since that was the only class available last fall.

 

[Iluveggers]

Thank you for replying to both posts!! You’re very helpful.

Lots of people helped me when I first joined! Happy to help when I have info!

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Hey y’all,
So we went over board on our first time chicken buying. We ordered 16, got 17, THEN grabbed 4 more from TSC just the other day, so they are only a week apart from those 4. The 4 we’re unsexed, but I’m going to guess 2-3 Roos seeing how we ordered only 1 from the hatchery & they threw in the extra. We have the space for them, but now my concern is the abundance of eggs. How do you go about getting a license for that, promoting, and keeping up with it? Or maybe some pros & cons? TIA!!

Welcome to BYC!

As others have said, selling shell eggs (that is, eggs for human consumption) varies by State law. Even whether or not they are called "shell eggs" varies by State. Likewise, how you can display and sell them - what information you must provide, what words you can't use, even how they are packaged. GA even has candling requirements, unlike many States.

You can also look into selling hatching eggs. Generally, that's unlicensed. Inside the State, it requires very little other than eggs that, more likely than not, are fertile. Craigslist is a popular marketplace for them. If you are close to a State line, you want to consider NPIP certification - its voluntary, but its also the only cost effective way for hatching eggs (or hatched birds) to cross State lines. Of course, the GA poultry lock down order may complicate things considerably.

Now, a bit of a caution. The egg business is VERY narrow margin, in the best of times. Plenty of people jump in both feet, imagining a cottage business that more than pays for their hobby. The reality is that these are the most expensive eggs you will likely ever eat. Made worse currently, becuase materials prices for coops are way up, and feed costs are (relatively) astronomical.

I've been doing what you are considering, though down in FL. A few months out of the year, I break even or post a small profit against feed costs. Most of the year, its a loss - and that's before considering the expenses of doing it behind a business, with annual coproprate reports to file and the better part of ten hours doing my business' taxes (first time, will be much fast next year, likely 3 hours or so). My personal taxes take about 40 minutes.

Recommend taking a good hard look at your entertainment budget, and decide how much of it you wish to invest/sacrifice in your egg-producing dreams.

 

[Saltlifexo95]

In Georgia you have to get an egg candling license to legally sell eggs. It’s a short class with a super easy test at the end and some hands on egg candling with a group.
Georgia dept of Ag

The main trouble is finding an available class, you will have to check the calendar. I had to travel from Savannah to Blue Ridge since that was the only class available last fall.

From a quick search I found one for March 19th, was super excited- but then I saw the 2021. We have months until laying though. I will see what I can find!

 

[Saltlifexo95]

Welcome to BYC!

As others have said, selling shell eggs (that is, eggs for human consumption) varies by State law. Even whether or not they are called "shell eggs" varies by State. Likewise, how you can display and sell them - what information you must provide, what words you can't use, even how they are packaged. GA even has candling requirements, unlike many States.

You can also look into selling hatching eggs. Generally, that's unlicensed. Inside the State, it requires very little other than eggs that, more likely than not, are fertile. Craigslist is a popular marketplace for them. If you are close to a State line, you want to consider NPIP certification - its voluntary, but its also the only cost effective way for hatching eggs (or hatched birds) to cross State lines. Of course, the GA poultry lock down order may complicate things considerably.

Now, a bit of a caution. The egg business is VERY narrow margin, in the best of times. Plenty of people jump in both feet, imagining a cottage business that more than pays for their hobby. The reality is that these are the most expensive eggs you will likely ever eat. Made worse currently, becuase materials prices for coops are way up, and feed costs are (relatively) astronomical.

I've been doing what you are considering, though down in FL. A few months out of the year, I break even or post a small profit against feed costs. Most of the year, its a loss - and that's before considering the expenses of doing it behind a business, with annual coproprate reports to file and the better part of ten hours doing my business' taxes (first time, will be much fast next year, likely 3 hours or so). My personal taxes take about 40 minutes.

Recommend taking a good hard look at your entertainment budget, and decide how much of it you wish to invest/sacrifice in your egg-producing dreams.

Very well explained, thanks so much!

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Very well explained, thanks so much!

Happy to help - its what BYC is for, sharing experiences and resources. I've no issues anonymously publicizing the things I've done wrong, so others need not repeat them (unless they want to), and trying to point out why they were wrong for my circumstances.

I've only been doing this two years, so I'm not authority - accoredingly, i try to link to those who are. Glad you found it useful, and thank you for saying so.

 

[Sassy Hen]

A few months out of the year, I break even or post a small profit against feed costs. Most of the year, its a loss - and that's before considering the expenses of doing it behind a business, with annual coproprate reports to file and the better part of ten hours doing my business' taxes

I don't sell eggs (my chickens are for pets, not for profit so we don't mind spending on them too much), but I can totally believe that. Where I live, healthy feed is not cheap. If you were to sell the extra eggs to attempt to make a profit, you would probably find yourself loosing money. In order to actually make money, your eggs would have to be super expensive, but then, nobody would buy them, because they can buy cheap eggs from Costco (many people sadly don't know the joy and deliciousness from eating fresh eggs) and they wouldn't really care. Plus, you would have to put a lot of time into it.

If you want to do this for a hobby and maybe you could meet some new people while you're at it, then go for it! Otherwise, keep the eggs. I have ten laying hens, they produce more eggs than my family consumes. We often give away extra eggs if we have too many, so your friends/family would probably appreciate some fresh eggs.