Swimming in eggs, can't find customers! Update, pg. 6

[PaulaJoAnne]

Quote:
"Organic Free range" eggs are $5.50 a dozen up here, so its not a stretch for us to make even at $4 per dozen.
We feed all local, non certified organic feed, plus allow full free ranging all spring, summer and fall.

 

[paulpig]

I show my customers pictures of my COOP and my CHICKENS--It is important to inform your customers of how clean your coop is and how healthy your birds are!!!!! I love showing them the Easter Egger chickens that lay the blue and green eggs in the cartons...........I am going to print off the fact sheet (found here on BYC) detailing the pros of farm fresh eggs to educate my customers as well. Also, the pesticide thing always gets a person's attention.... WE have definately started a much repeated egg purchase business. I will never down grade a competitor, but I want my customers making the best decision on their egg purchase. My egg customers love knowing what left over foods were fed to the chickens as well..... I also let them know when the eggs are collected to insure freshness.
I hope all this helps you !!!! Paul

 

[They Call Me Pete]

We sell ours for $3 and have no trouble selling them. Wife's coworkers love them. I'm not in it to make money but for the fresh eggs for our family. We only sell some to offset feed costs a bit. Sometimes we sell enough for a bag of feed and sometimes not.

 

[onthespot]

The competittion my have access to mass amounts of free feed, like fish guts or something, refuse from a cafeteria. If you can't out compete them on bagged layer feed, maybe look for an alternative to expensive bagged feed, especially high protein source. Maybe a local taxidermist would have some left over bear meat scraps, or walrus ofal that would supplement your budget. You could market yours the "opposite of orgainic" call them "power eggs" and just advertise your high protein, local harvest and recycling budget. Hey, it could work... ! lol. Good luck in your efforts. I know how frustrating it can be to get undercut. I have done it myself when I just need to move eggs. You could also maybe trade eggs to the grocer for store credits or something...

 

[greathorse]

What are your feed costs up there? I think that it is difficult to get any where close to what eggs are worth with so many folks having a few chickens. I made the mistake of selling my eggs to freinds for 2 a dozen and it has now set my market and instead of stirring up a bunch of stuff i continue to sell for two bucks and more often than not give them away to kids relatives and various other vagrant types. LOL

It takes so few hens to createa a surplus.

I am sure 4 dollars is about break even for most folks if all costs get added up I know it is for me.

That is why many folks have begun to go to pure bred stock and sell hatching eggs or hatch and sell the eggs yourself.

 

[greyhorsewoman]

Maybe a local taxidermist would have some left over bear meat scraps, or walrus ofal that would supplement your budget.

I really got a kick out of that ... I doubt there is a taxidermist within a 500 miles of me that would have any 'walrus ofal' ~~!! That said, it really is hard to compare ... where we each live has so much to do with what you will be able to charge for eggs. Whether you have access to a ready market (being a hairdresser, on a bowling league, work with a large employee base, etc) really helps.

I've decided to phase out 'eggs for sale.' Too many folks have gotten into backyard chickens in my area (which is very rural, so it was easy for a lot of folks in this economy to get a few chickens right now). People are giving away their eggs to their friends and neighbors. I can't get much more than $1.50 and sometimes I was so overwhelmed with eggs, I had to take them to auction for barely a $1.00 a dozen. I really don't need to feed this many chickens if they can't AT LEAST pay their feed bill. Right now, most are molting and going into their second year, so I'm getting less than 6 eggs daily from 30 chickens. (I already sold about 20 this fall.)

I'm going to keep my barnyard free ranging mixture and my ducks (which provide more than enough eggs for us) and convert my coop to raising meaties for me and my family/friends.​

 

[chickieboy]

wow eggs prices here in southeastern okla are 1.72 for a doz and 217 for 18 eggs at wally world and other gorcery store sell cheaper eggs also , come spring i should have eggs as my rhode island red should start laying then

 

[ScoobyRoo]

Sorry. It really is a 'no-brainer' that folks are going the conservative route and paying the $2.00 per dozen rather than more. I have a budget and I'm sure a lot more folks do too right now. If the product/quality is still the same, I'm going to pay less if I can.

Those that are selling may not be doing it for income. Just for fun and to get rid of excess eggs.

I don't sell mine. I have wonderful neighbors that trade off for the eggs. Works well here.

 

[Frogdogtimestwo]

A little off subject but what do you pay for your feed in Alaska?

 

[txredneckmedic]

The whole reason they can undercut you is they are selling more eggs.