# Can i make money selling eggs



## Buff_Rooster7503 (Sep 21, 2012)

Ive got plenty of experience with chicken but never in the aspect of monetary gain, was wondering if it would be worth my effort to buy about 50 layin hen and sell their eggs at farmers markets amd other means


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## hollyosborn (Jul 8, 2012)

I make money on mine, it buys the next bag of scratch with $$ left over... plus i have enough to bake my breads with for market along with selling usually 10 plus dozen each saturday.


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## Energyvet (Jul 25, 2012)

Holly, tigereyesblue was asking about the price of a dozen eggs. What are you charging? She has all blue eggs. Also, I love the new ID photo.


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## Sundancers (Jun 20, 2012)

If you are thinking about the farmers market check the rules and regs in your area first. In Virginia I can sell XX amount of eggs before I need to have a licence. I would also check to see how many are selling eggs at the market now ...

I do know more a few folks selling eggs out the backdoor, some make money and others not so much ...


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## Buff_Rooster7503 (Sep 21, 2012)

yeah we have a bunch of sales around here and farmers markets so i was just thinkin that i get a bunch of hens and take the eggs to those types of places and try my hand


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## BootedBantam (Aug 31, 2012)

I asked a similiar question on another thread, wanting to know about farmers markets and eggs. I think the farmers market is a great idea. I was hoping to hear more stories. I did check my laws and there are no restrictions except keeping eggs in a cooler. Call around to the markets and see what they say. There are four I want to sell at, and everybody's rules are different. Good luck..


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## bountyhunter69 (Sep 22, 2012)

out of curisioty,how much are you folks here charging for eggs? i plan to move nx month to homestead then i can have my own eggs..ive been paying 2-2.50 per dz here (ilinois) movin to missouri nx month


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## TinyHouse (Aug 31, 2012)

My mail carrier charged me $2.00 for a dozen of her fresh eggs. They go for a LOT more at the Farmers' Market though and the price depends on size of egg. I've seen the Mennonites charge $6 - $8 a dozen for their eggs at the Farmers' Market.

PS. I'm in Missouri - just south of KC about 60 miles. The Farmers' Market that I'm referring to is in the Brookside area in KC.


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## Buff_Rooster7503 (Sep 21, 2012)

thanks for the replies i guess in order to make a living doin this your gonna have to do it on such a large scale
.


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## piglett (Jun 21, 2012)

more money in selling baby chicks than eggs


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## fuzziebutt (Aug 7, 2012)

Sundancers said:


> If you are thinking about the farmers market check the rules and regs in your area first. In Virginia I can sell XX amount of eggs before I need to have a licence. I would also check to see how many are selling eggs at the market now ...
> 
> I do know more a few folks selling eggs out the backdoor, some make money and others not so much ...


I also have chicken friends from other states that have had to have the health department approve them, along with license, and alot of government. Be sure to check, because the fines are always more than the fees!


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## anderson8505 (Jul 3, 2012)

I get $2 a dozen for eggs, but I wouldn't count on "making" money. Yes, check your state's laws about selling eggs, especially before you invest in 50 laying hens. Also, remember there will be times when you'll be feeding those 50 hens and they Will Not be laying--moulting periods, bad weather, illness, etc. Make sure it's worth your while to create a coop and purchase hens and feed.


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## twentynine (Jul 11, 2012)

Make money with chickens? 

I purposely do not keep account of the money in/money out, I do know that I have never approached the break even point.

I sell a few dozen yard eggs every so often, I don't market them at all. I do not attend farmer's markets, I don't even have a sign at the road that says eggs for sale. Sell my eggs for $2/dozen.

Baby chicks, right now I am hatching about 500 per year. I sell them at prices ranging $2ea to $8ea depending on age, sex, and breed.

50 laying hens, that's going to be atleast 50# of feed per week, even if free ranged, and you will have to feed something with more protien than scratch-- more money. Secondly, these 50 laying hens have a finite productive life span. So at one point you are going to have to have the next 50 growing to replace the first 50. So you'll be feeding 100. Half of which are not producing any eggs. What are your plans for the hens after they are replaced? Do you have freezer room? Do you have a market for roasting hens? Lots of elements go into making an operation profitable. Are you willing to take something enjoyable like chicken raising and turn it into a job?

Me I would prefer to keep it as an affordable hobby. Maybe after I retire I'll look at it differently.


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## piglett (Jun 21, 2012)

5 hens eat 1 bag of feed per month
50 hens eat 10 bags of feed per month
so just your feed bill is $150 or more
so you have to sell the 1st 75 dozen to even start to break even
i would rather sell 20 baby chicks at $4 each
that way i don't need to have 50 hens around


piglett


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## BootedBantam (Aug 31, 2012)

I was also under the assumption, that you have to rotate stock of hen layers every spring. Chickens only lay good for a couple of years. So, you need to think of what to do with the hens that stop laying.

Chicken business is hard to break into unless you come from a chicken raising family or have lots of chicken money. 

I plan to get ten good egg layers for spring and keep at friends house to feed us and see if we can sell some eggs at farmers market next year. But eggs aren't the only thing we will sell. I would love to hear from small flock owners who sell their eggs at the farmers market.


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## piglett (Jun 21, 2012)

i would think you would always want to have 50% of your hens new each spring.....but i could be wrong


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## Mamachickof14 (Aug 28, 2012)

I think you would have to do it on a really large scale to make enough money. Just our family and friends keep my 14 chicks in business. We always get a dozen a day! Beautiful big brown eggs! Some people pay, some don't!  I guess they don't realize what all their needs cost! How do you ask friends for $$ when through out the year they do nice things for you too??? We have 14 hens and use 2 bags a month plus cracked corn for treats. When I have time I let them out to free range. (They have a really large pen with grass now.) Other hobbies could cost alot more! Jen


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## toybarons (Nov 14, 2012)

Check your state or province for laws before you decide to sink money onto buying hens for eggs. I can speak for the laws in Canada, that if you plan to sell eggs, you will be dealing with your province's Poultry Producers Board that monitors eggs cause we have quota laws. Go over a certain amount of eggs produced and you are considered a commercial producer. You would then be made to pay for a license and you will have to invest equipement to grade your eggs before you can sell them.

Also you will have to deal with the health board. Your eggs will not only have to be kept cool. You will have to prove the eggs were properly collected and hanlded. The health board rules may also contridict the egg board laws, so you will have to learn to compromise if you want to sell at a farmers market.

Most people I know can't be hassled with the red tape that my country has. It is also getting worse everyday, as the CFIA [the USA equivalent to the USDA] frowns on small producers and would rather shut you down than help you. You can legally sell your eggs from your driveway. You can put up a sign on your property and that is perfectly legal in Canada. Believe me, many people do well that way as word of mouth you have farm fresh eggs travels fast.


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## BuckeyeChickens (Jul 11, 2012)

piglett said:


> 5 hens eat 1 bag of feed per month
> 50 hens eat 10 bags of feed per month
> so just your feed bill is $150 or more
> so you have to sell the 1st 75 dozen to even start to break even
> ...


Piglett and I are on the same page and the math is spot on depending on the breed you raise and the methods used to house them! selling eggs in my area for $2 or $2.50 a dozen is NOT a money making proposition and anyone that says it is will lie to you about other things! LOL

Selling quality breeding stock or exhibition quality chicks (and hatching eggs) is far more profitable but you need to build a reputation if you want to make really good money! My Buckeyes are bringing $120 a dozen for chicks and $60 a dozen for hatching eggs but it has taken me over a decade to get to that level......if you want a "short cut" find the rarest breeds you can and start promoting them!


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## piglett (Jun 21, 2012)

BuckeyeChickens said:


> Piglett and I are on the same page and the math is spot on depending on the breed you raise and the methods used to house them! selling eggs in my area for $2 or $2.50 a dozen is NOT a money making proposition and anyone that says it is will lie to you about other things! LOL
> 
> Selling quality breeding stock or exhibition quality chicks (and hatching eggs) is far more profitable but you need to build a reputation if you want to make really good money! My Buckeyes are bringing $120 a dozen for chicks and $60 a dozen for hatching eggs but it has taken me over a decade to get to that level......if you want a "short cut" find the rarest breeds you can and start promoting them!


we don't sell eggs really , just give away the extras
just got a hovobator with fan kit & turner
day old chicks around here are going for $5 each 
(not mutts though)
so we will start setting buff orpington & silkie eggs
i have to build up a market for my english orpingtons
they are very rare in this country but i only have 1 roo & 4 hens to i need to double that.


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## chickenman18 (Aug 6, 2012)

Best way to make money out of chickens is hatching chicks out and selling them or fertile eggs might make better money at poultry markets if you get good breeds 

Hope this helps


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## BuckeyeChickens (Jul 11, 2012)

chickenman18 said:


> Best way to make money out of chickens is hatching chicks out and selling them or fertile eggs might make better money at poultry markets if you get good breeds
> 
> Hope this helps


well said, "chickenman18"!!!


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## TheLazyL (Jun 20, 2012)

bountyhunter69 said:


> out of curisioty,how much are you folks here charging for eggs? i plan to move nx month to homestead then i can have my own eggs..ive been paying 2-2.50 per dz here (ilinois) movin to missouri nx month


$3 a dozen. Sold 2, the rest I've given away to friends, family and neighbor.


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## wholeview (Jan 21, 2013)

We are charging $3 a dozen and have no shortage of buyers after talking it up for 5 months while we raised them. I feel it is a fair price for a high quality product. Our girls have access to wild forage and sunlight and that makes a huge difference in the quality of the eggs over what people can buy in the store around here. Still, I wouldn't call it a money maker as much as a self supporting hobby. And it will be a long time before we recoup all the costs of the coop and equipment just for our flock of 20. you'll never compete with the big producers in terms of efficency and profitability, but you can feel good about selling nutritious eggs that are produced in a humane way.


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