The Price Of Eggs, Whats A Fair Price

[OldGuy43]

I'm paying $13.50/bag for pellet or crumbles, from a local mill. 10 hens, 8 eggs most days. The hot weather has slowed them a bit.

 

[WalkingOnSunshine]

Totally depends on your area. The first thing you need to figure out is what it costs you to produce the eggs. This includes how much you paid for the bird, all the feed she's eaten, the cost of the carton, electricity, gasoline to get the eggs to market, shelter, bedding, etc. We figure it cost us around $2.70 per carton of eggs. Whatever you do, don't drop below that number!

Here in Columbus, Ohio, we see lots of people offering eggs for $1.25/carton. We won't do it. I'd rather donate my eggs to the food pantry than lose money like that. We sell our eggs for $3.50/dozen or $12/ for four dozen. I do have one person who buys 10 dozen at a time, then delivers them to her own customers' homes for $4 dozen.

 

[OldGuy43]

I'm with WalkingOnSunshine. No sense in losing money on your cluckers. Don't even try to compete with local grocery stores on price, you can't! Compete on quality, freshness and taste. That one you can win every time.

As I was writing this I sold a dozen duck eggs for $8.00. One of our regulars came to the gate. I offered to give her the 50¢ change, but she declined.

If you donate them to a charitable organization that's tax deductible. Get a receipt.

 

[Rhoise]

I'm with WalkingOnSunshine. No sense in losing money on your cluckers. Don't even try to compete with local grocery stores on price, you can't! Compete on quality, freshness and taste. That one you can win every time.

As I was writing this I sold a dozen duck eggs for $8.00. One of our regulars came to the gate. I offered to give her the 50¢ change, but she declined.

If you donate them to a charitable organization that's tax deductible. Get a receipt.

X2, i waste too much money on my backyard pet chickens, and this isn't my lively hood either, but more than anything, I don't want to undercutt those that are trying to make a living on their small farms. The entire reason i did this "pet project" was for healthier foods for my family, and a better life for a few chooks. I enjoy, and share what I am learning so far about what goes into happy hens, and why these eggs are so good and worth the extra $, every penny!

 

[WalkingOnSunshine]

I'm with WalkingOnSunshine. No sense in losing money on your cluckers. Don't even try to compete with local grocery stores on price, you can't! Compete on quality, freshness and taste. That one you can win every time.

As I was writing this I sold a dozen duck eggs for $8.00. One of our regulars came to the gate. I offered to give her the 50¢ change, but she declined.

If you donate them to a charitable organization that's tax deductible. Get a receipt.

That's exactly right. We donate excess, we get a receipt, and then we get the deduction come tax time.

 

[mickey328]

The going price in our area seems to be 3 to 3.50 a dozen. The stores charge at least that much for what they bill as "organic, free range" but that definition is so loose as to be meaningless! I could probably get more but I see no need to gouge folks...I got the hens to provide good eggs for the family and we have MORE than enough for that. I only sell or give away the ones we can't use, so I see it as just "gravy", LOL

 

[ButchGood]

Good advice folks, I appreciate it. I sold my first few dozen at $3.50 a dozen. I tell my first few customers that its 3.50 now because they are small to mediums. But buy spring they'll be large to jumbo and they'll be going up to $4.00 a dozen. I heard no complaints and the first 3 customers I have came back for more. I did give all my first time customers a free half dozen to try them out. They're coming back. That's what Ive been seeing most people charging for these type of eggs 3 to 4 dollars. I was paying 3.50 for free range /cage free eggs in the grocery store. Mine are better and humanely raised. So I think I should get at least what they are getting. The little farmers market That I'm going to doesn't have restrictions for eggs as of yet. There are 2 or 3 people selling eggs with their other goods. We are going to be selling fresh organic veggies, homemade cheese, eggs, and tie dye. Possibly spring plants from the green house. I usually have a ton of leftover veggie plants.

 

[sumi]

Sounds great! We have a small garden nursery and we often have people asking for specifically tomato and chilli plants. And we sell lots of herbs, which are easy to grow.

 

[colburg]

A coworker of mine has agreed to pay $3/dz once ours start laying. He's been bringing me cartons since I started talking about getting chickens a few months ago. The top of our fridge is overrun with cartons since he brings 3/week pretty consistently.

He pops in every once in a while just to make sure I'm only going to charge $3 because he's paying $4.50 for free-range eggs at Walmart.

I checked at Walmart yesterday and the absolute cheapest eggs are $1.87/dz so I feel that $3 is a good place to start so that others will pay the slightly higher price.

 

[omaeve]

Quote: my brother quit giving he birds free acess to food and then threw a few cups of food down at the door of the coop when he got home to get them in the coop and they quit hiding eggs all over the farm and more laying in the coop.