I know some eggs are more expensive than others,but most of the time a great deal of breeding went into the chickens that laid those eggs. My marans,for example,originated from hatchery stock. I am working on improving egg color and am on my 3rd generation. I think I have the egg color just about as good as I can,so now I have to go to a proven breeder. I charge $15/doz which includes shipping,quite reasonable,but if you ask,I will tell you that my original birds were hatchery birds. I sell them at a reasonable price because I enjoy it and I know my color is inferior to those breeders who have been pouring much money over the past several years. So, if you hatch 6 chicks out of my dozen,you've done pretty good. I just invested $65 into some eggs from a breeder, and when those hens grow up,if they lay a better quality egg,I will probably go up some on my price. Add into that all of the work,the shipping and packaging expenses,and you can see why eggs are more. Don't forget that when the hatchery puts a price of $3 on a chick,that price does not include shipping and most likely are hatched from the eggs that proven breeders have culled and will not sell to those ordering from them.