Sponsored Post Want to share your fresh eggs? Learn about the Local Hens community!

[ams3651]

Most of our eggs are eaten here at home, currently I have 8 hens. But when they are at top production and we have extra I either give them to neighbors in need or occasionally sell them to a cousin who is health conscious.

 

[chickenlover478]

I think I might do this.it looks affordable,and fun!Thank you BYC team!

 

[Runawaylobster]

I just looked up my area on the site, there is just one one farm, and I drive by there every day. My eggs are all different sizes so i'm not sure anyone would buy them but i give away lots... we are getting about 6/day on average, not enough to sell yet, but when my marans grow up we will have LOTS....

thanks for the link, very productive..

 

[beausonge]

I am gradually building up my flock - this spring I should have about 10 layers. I don't have many extra eggs in the late fall and winter. The rest of year I have several dozen extra per week. I have 8 different breeds of hens with two EEs that produce blue-green eggs. I also have an Araucana pullet coming up and I have ordered 4 Araucana pullets to come in late spring. Most of the people I work with can't use a dozen eggs at a time. So I got some clear cartons that you can divide into sixes. All those different colors and sizes of eggs look fabulous in them. I do not charge for my eggs as I give my extras to people who could use a little help. One lady is a single Mom with 3 girls - her girls just love all the colors of the eggs. I would love to be able to produce enough to donate to the local homeless shelter.

My girls free range during the day and then go into a secured coop at night. I occasionally lose one to a predator but they are always the ones who don't stick with the flock. They are so happy free ranging that the cost of one every now and then is a cost I am willing to take. I have two huge roosters and nothing gets past the oldest one - even a jetliner way up in the sky. We have horses so there is lots of piles to dig through for those yummy bugs. It is amazing how fast they turn the piles into rich, black compost. They have also discovered the blueberry bushes and are quite efficient at getting them. I had to laugh this last spring as my oldest rooster has figured out to shake the bush and bring down more for his girls.

All of these factors make a fabulous tasting egg. I was never particularly fond of eggs until we got our chickens. It is now a real disappointment to eat eggs at a restaurant.

 

[adjduncan]

Having trouble getting onto their site. Even googled it. Maybe all the BYC folks logging on has crashed their site?

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

WOW this is great thanks for sharing, I will definitely join. My hens pay for them selves I sell all my eggs to neighbours and friends and only eat the couple of bantam eggs we get each day.
It's a good idea of yours jchnny to barter the eggs maybe I could also get a few bales of hay.
Also if we get to many bantam eggs we just make lots of scrabbled eggs for the chicks and broody hens.

Thanks, if there isn't someone close you know, runa craigslist add

 

[poulette]

Love all 33 of my delightful hens (Americaunas, Wyandottes, Rhode IS. Reds, Buff Orpingtons, Austrolorps,Plymouth Bard rocks) and they are decent layers (even my 3+ yr olds still nest). I trade 3-8 dozen a week at the farmers market and sell them for $5 dozen to my friends, when we aren't eating our fill with friends and family visiting. I've been doing this for 2+ years and I get way more produce than the $5 worth, farmers are generous folks for the most part. When my hens were molting for 4 months I got down to only 3-6 eggs/day, and then my customers were clamoring for more! Still, the cost of feed is very high and I can't afford organic on this remote island, but they get all the weeds and compost they can eat, papayas and bananas I grow, and are ever grateful to have their 2000 ft or so "free range" fenced space to explore for bugs, etc. I alternate a mix of brown and green/blue eggs in the recycled cartons (my friends save stacks of them for me) and they are really well received.

 

[Reptileden]

Here's what we do... We stop in to local stores/cafes and offer them a free carton of eggs. We tell them the price and to try the free carton. We leave our contact info. And.. We have plenty of calls coming in for our farm fresh eggs. We have 4 hen farmers (all free range and natural based care) working together now to supply the demand. We still don't have enough birds to keep up but wont have flocks too big so we don't overwhelm the properties usability. We get a lot of good reviews every delivery whether to homes or businesses! We encourage clean egg carton reuse and recycling of dirty cartons. Our eggs are hand cleaned and checked and delivered personally. We also hatch future egg layers and help newbies prep and raise new flocks. We answer their questions along the way. The fresh non-battery chickens and eggs are a big hit! People now want good treatment of the birds, understand the value of free-range, cage free, happy birds, and understand the feed cost/egg price relation of happy birds. Our birds pay for their own feed and electricity and we keep egg costs to the consumer down by clean carton reuse and garden treat donations. (if someone has grown too much of something we get the call to come get garden fresh treats for the girls!). We get 2.50 a dozen, no questions asked. In the fall we have quite the calling for natural free range frozen birds as well. They can taste the clean goodness as well as understand to cook them for a bit longer to tenderize their dinner. They are also less fatty and can vary in size as the customers want (by ordering in advance). Statements we've gotten back after encouraging clean foods is that people not only feel better, they can think better too. Then folks switch to all the resources they can of hand raised products and notice their overall health and even their weight improving!
We don't use pesticides unless absolutely necessary.. We instead offer diao earth in feed and dusting areas as well as nesters to help prevent parasites. Only if necessary do we use pesticides/dewormers. We don't use herbicides at all. We keep everything mowed and tidy. Burn poo litter and till the ash in to the ground. The works. We increase our flock size a little at a time and observe to make sure everyone gets along.. Roos included. There is no place for a mean roo besides the stew pot. We do use cotton hobbles on a new roo to temper him down if he is being mean (the hobbles allow for walking but running, spurring and breeding is impaired). The hobbles do not stay on for long, if he misbehaves again he wears them for a day and so on. For over zealous roos (feather pullers) we use pheasant blinders or plastic bits to give the hens a break. We also never have more roos than the hens can handle. They break off in groups with the roos they prefer. We get 6 eggs a week from our girls all year long, except during moult, and keep vitamin and mineral additives on hand for supplementing. Our business is growing. As long as we tend the flocks properly, keep up communication with consumers, and keep it a clean honest trade, it will continue to grow. Our collective of 4 hen farms is only distributing 50 dozen a week but people are happy, and so are the birds!
Above all? keep a good relationship with your birds. Communicate the values (free range benefits, health bonuses, etc)with egg buyers. Have fun and enjoy a prideful endeavor!

 

[Gifa]

I only have 7, with 4 and a half laying right now (one can't decide whether she's on vacation or not) so I only have enough for my husband and I, and our neighbors... although, this past weekend I went to a local seed exchange and turned 2 dozen eggs into an entire garden's worth of heirloom/non GMO vegetable seeds.

 

[Michellej]

I have 8 hens ...1 is too young to lay right now but I get 5 or 6 eggs a day if my hens don't get greedy and peck the eggs for themselves it doesn't happen very often but occasionally it does.
I get a dozens every 2 to 3 day and its just me and my husband that's eats eggs out of the 3 of us....my son has never really cared for them...I give my best friend 2 dozen every couple weeks.
My husband and me eat a dozen every couple weeks and I normally have a couple dozen in the fridge at all times.And if my neighbor wants any I give some to her and the best part of that one is she makes me the best bread pudding ever....if anyone comes up and wants a dozen and I got them I give them out freely.At times I hatch some out in the incubator and give the chicks away unless I want a couple for my flock, which has now reached a total head count of 18...8 hens...4 roos...6 babies


Michelle