Selling your eggs before they are layed? Presaling eggs, tips and tricks?

[Susan Skylark]

Not sure where to put this, wasn’t sure anyone would see it in the pheasant board, and we discuss shipped eggs here all the time, just not the shipper part! My question is does anyone pre-sale their eggs from their unique breed/species? If so, any tips and tricks, how do you set prices, what do you do if you can’t fulfill an order, etc? I’ve shipped eggs from my quail, so that’s old hat, but I have a young pair of golden pheasants now and they only lay in the spring and only 12-18 eggs. I don’t think i can sell them all locally (as chicks or eggs) and certainly can’t handled them all myself. And I definitely don’t want to waste the eggs! I know pheasant eggs don’t ship well and the prices I vaguely remember are ridiculous (a guy on eBay has them for $56 each!), so I’m looking for ideas! Thanks!

 

[sourland]

@007Sean can you help here?

 

[Susan Skylark]

AI did suggest dipping them in wax and burying them in straw, I’m guessing that is a pre refrigeration era way to preserve eating eggs, not sure it would be good for hatch rates though!

 

[Susan Skylark]

I’m very tempted to just hatch everything and sell chicks, shipping eggs, especially small numbers, is a pain, but then if the chicks don’t sell I can’t keep half a dozen pheasants and you can’t just eat them like you can quail…

 

[BigBlueHen53]

? Pretty sure people eat pheasant. I've heard of fancy restaurants offering "pheasant under glass" ...

 

[Susan Skylark]

I’m pretty sure that’s a ring neck, not a golden or lady Amherst! Yes you can eat canaries as well or macaws but should you or do you want to? I get $5 for a grown quail, they lay 300 eggs a year and I get $5 a dozen on the rare occasion I sell any, I’m out a buck or two in feed if I eat them. A decorative pheasant sells for $75 (ring necks are $15) and they lay a dozen eggs a year. Yes, I could eat them as a last resort but it is sort of like using the Mona Lisa for scratch paper, yes you can but there are better alternatives!

 

[Debbie292d]

Yes, I could eat them as a last resort but it is sort of like using the Mona Lisa for scratch paper, yes you can but there are better alternatives!

I love your analogy!

 

[Not-so Slick Chicken]

I’m pretty sure that’s a ring neck, not a golden or lady Amherst! Yes you can eat canaries as well or macaws but should you or do you want to? I get $5 for a grown quail, they lay 300 eggs a year and I get $5 a dozen on the rare occasion I sell any, I’m out a buck or two in feed if I eat them. A decorative pheasant sells for $75 (ring necks are $15) and they lay a dozen eggs a year. Yes, I could eat them as a last resort but it is sort of like using the Mona Lisa for scratch paper, yes you can but there are better alternatives!

Pretty sure Leonardo de Vinci would literally re-use his canvases if needed. Since canvas and paper were difficult to procure.

But I guess you mean a museum or rich collector using an 'irreplaceable' art piece as scraps when they could just sell it later for more.

I suppose, if you couldn't sell a bird and -had- to eat one, it would help with keeping the prices at their current state since that's one less available?

 

[Not-so Slick Chicken]

Apologies I don't have tips as I don't have pheasants (though I'd like) or do specialty egg selling.

Fascinating idea, though. I know pre-selling is a smart idea with certain things/animals.
For such a specialized bird, you'd almost need to find a couple designated buyers/breeders who want your flock's genetics?