Murphy's Egg Law

[DrakeMaiden]

Please tell me this doesn't just happen to me:

If you have prolific egg production, you will have few customers.
If you reduce production for the rest of the season to better fit demand, demand will jump!



Unfortunately, I really hate waste, so I tend to err on the side of reducing production.

 

[bibliophile birds]

nope, it happens to a lot of us.

my girls were giving me 11 eggs/day pretty consistently. now that i've got enough customers to keep me from having a fridge full of eggs, everyone thinks it's a holiday. it's been all over the place the past few weeks. hens keep wanting to go broody and apparently the rest on on strike. i'll get 2 eggs one day, 8 the next, then 3. yesterday i got 1 egg. 1... this is so frustrating.

i thought they were about to molt or something, but that doesn't seem to be the case. they are 9 1/2 months old... what is up?

 

[DrakeMaiden]

I feel your pain, bibliophile birds. My chickens are pretty consistent, but . . .

I got one egg from my ducks this morning. I used to get at least 6-8 a day until I let a few get broody. But one egg is really bad. Especially when you have two orders in the wings for a dozen eggs each in the next few days.

 

[Jamsoundsgood]

I got seven one day last week and seventeen yesterday. We usually end up with more than we have customer for though. The customers appreciate knowing that they can call last minute and usually get 3-5 dozen eggs, even if some of them are (horror) a week to a week and a half old. When we get too many for us and things get stacked up too high I have some friends that are on the wrong side of employment right now that I can give eggs to that really appreciate it. I would rather have too many eggs than not enough. There are always things to do with eggs, and people who need or could use them. Besides, that means more chickens!

 

[DrakeMaiden]

I'm glad you have friends you can give eggs to Jamsoundsgood. I have thought about donating excess to the food pantry, but donating something perishable weirds me out. I know. I need help. :/

 

[unaspenser]

Can I ask a slightly off-topic question? Do you just sell for cash, or to stores, or what? I have three laying hens right now but five more that should start by the fall (they are now almost 12 weeks old), and I know my husband and I won't be able to keep up. I don't know if I need some sort of license to sell eggs or if I can just put an ad up on craigslist, etc. How do you guys do it?

 

[DrakeMaiden]

In most places, if you are selling from your own property, you won't need any paperwork.

We just sell to friends, but we have thought about selling at a local small store and also at the farmer's market. I actually increased my flock in anticipation of starting that this year, but decided to put off the paperwork and headache for another time, as my life got complicated in other areas. I also am wary of the fact that I would want some sort of liability coverage. I also hate the WA state law that after washing each egg you have to wipe it with a brand new cloth towel . . . which you then throw away, of course. Seems like a huge waste. Especially since you also need to buy fresh egg cartons, if you are selling outside your property. After you cover all of that, I doubt you will see much profit. Not that I make much now anyway. Edited to say: right now it is more like negative profit.

 

[bibliophile birds]

I would rather have too many eggs than not enough. There are always things to do with eggs, and people who need or could use them. Besides, that means more chickens!

yep. i "pay" for all my small favors in eggs. people seem to seriously appreciate it. my uncle came out and put a new turbine on my chicken coop and i offered him $20 bucks for doing it. he said he'd take 2 dozen eggs instead... so i basically paid him $6 for an hour's labor. it's amazing. (i will slip his wife another couple dozen in a few weeks to make up the difference, just so long as HE doesn't know )

unaspenser: so long as you are only selling from "home," then you don't need a license (unless you start selling a LOT of eggs). i say "home" because most people sell to coworkers and family outside of their actual home and it's just kinda considered "home sales." i wouldn't go broadcasting it if you are carting a lot of eggs to work, but a couple here and there should be fine. Craigslist away!

i've not done Craigslist yet since all my egg clients are friends and family, but i plan to do that once i get a larger laying flock.

 

[Jamsoundsgood]

I'm not sure what the laws are in Idaho. We sell for cash to co-workers and people at church. Though technically as I understand it, the law here is that it has to be from our property and under a certain amount per week. Otherwise we need a license. Since we sell under ten doz eggs a week I don't think the Poultry Police are going to come down on us. Especially since one of the top people in the Farm Bureau is my neighbor and she does the same thing. In fact if I was really desperate to get rid of eggs I could give them to her to sell for me. She has a customer that buys them 10 doz at a time and never gets enough. That would definetely not be selling at my front door! We're planning on making an egg stand though for our front yard. We live right across from a Church and near a very busy lake (at least during fishing season). I'm hoping it helps with egg sales a bit.