How much do you guys charge for eggs? I've had a couple of people inquiring about mine and I'm not sure where to start. At the grocery store (Walmart) they had 18 eggs for under $2.
Your backyard jewels are 1000 times better than the junk eggs sold anywhere - including wm. Check what eggs go for in your area, as it will be different everywhere.
We live in a rural area with a large Amish population. Many farms around here sell large farm eggs for $1/dozen! So in the county I live in, the most I can get for our backyard jewels is $2.50/dozen.
However, I worked in the next county over and could get $3.50/dozen for eggs there - city folk wanting farm fresh eggs are willing to pay for them.
I've seen them $2.00 to $2.50 around here, but it is mostly rural. I charge $2. My eggs sales are rather slow right now, just when I'm finally getting 10-12 per day. I need to keep pushing the benefits of fresh from the backyard.
I easily get $2/dozen. I would advise not undervaluing your eggs. They are fresher and better than what anybody can find in the store. I try to price mine between the highest price I see (Whole Foods) and the lowest (Wal-Mart). Actually, cage-free eggs at WM right now are more than $3/dozen around here, so I will probably go up on the price this fall. Good luck!
By the way, my BIL works in a lab and tested our free-range eggs (basically lawn) and these are his results for nutrition. If yours are free range, let them know how much healthier they are than factory eggs. You can also find similar studies on Mother Earth News:
Egg Nutrient Results:
Compared to USDA results on factory eggs our pastured eggs are:
1.37 times higher in Vitamin A
2.08 times higher in Vitamin E
5.54 times higher in Vitamin D
7.22 times higher in lutein and zeaxanthin (great for preventing macular degeneration)
While my girls aren't free-range, I cut grass for them daily and they also get whatever kitchen scraps the dog doesn't eat (usually they get first choice for grains or veggies). Their favorite seems to be these weeds that have tiny purple flowers that make stickers/prickers later in the year.
Same here. My hens have a pretty big run though, I am guessing about 25 x 25. They also get yard scraps to dig around in and I collect slugs (they are BIG here up to 4 inches!! ) on my hikes. I also have meal worms growing for them to eat. When I mow, I let them out to scratch around while the dog sleeps in the house.
I've seen them from $3-$5. But I live in hippie-land, where the cost of living is relatively high, (compared to say, Ohio, but NOT Cali) and people will pay whatever. I almost never see eggs on Craigslist, and many farms are by "subscription" only. Meaning you actually have to sign up to get guaranteed eggs. Our local co-op holds classes on keeping backyard chickens, both basic and a little more advanced. It's way popular here.
At the rate I get people asking for them, I'm beginning to think I need more chickens and a bigger coop. I wonder what DH will think about that. Oh, and apparently since our last big fight he's starting to warm up more and more to the girls. He thinks I don't know but he checks on them EVERY night.