Egg Carton Contamination

[IdyllwildAcres]

I'm not able too get my arms around all the things you're doing and all the expenses I see and still break even at $2 a dozen at the end of each day.[/QUOTE]

The non GMO feed alone works out to $2 a dozen for me.

Gary

 

[Pensmaster]

Yup, I could get $5-$6 a dozen where I live, if I ever had extras... I must need more chickens.

Gary

Hens are just now starting to lay again. Which is good because a three week vacation of eggs is killing the feed budget.

 

[Leigti]

I would not basically give them away for two dollars if people around you are getting four or five dollars. I doubt your customers will care if you raise it to three or four dollars. I felt guilty charging four dollars until I realize some people were buying eggs of the same quality for up to nine dollars a dozen. So I don’t feel guilty about four dollars anymore

 

[Lazy Farmer]

From a numbers standpoint I'm curious. You are getting 5 dozen eggs a day. Assuming you're selling that many a day at $2.00 per dozen, that's $10/day; $70 a week.

Does $70 a week cover feed costs for 100 birds, maintenance on your equipment and buildings, and your time devoted to the flock activities and washing cartons and the refrigeration and electricity for the frig. I'm just not seeing where you are able to stay in the black profit numbers.

I had a small business a long, long time ago. I learned two valuable lessons. Never work hard at losing money and winning the job with the lowest bid is never a guarantee there will be a profit.

I'm not able too get my arms around all the things you're doing and all the expenses I see and still break even at $2 a dozen at the end of each day.

To help keep the costs down, we have friends who donate grains from their Brewery. FREE. 8 - Forty gallons a week or more, as a supplemental feed along with conventional feed. The spent grains keep or food bill real low. AS well a supplement for many swine and goats.
Without this, we could not operate at this capacity.
To insure the Barley Grain train rolling our way, we barter meats for the thousands of pounds of grain.
Every once in a while we give the guys packs of center cut pork chops, hams, baby back ribs, bacon slabs. The bacon slabs really keep the barley train rolling..

On top of the barley coming in, we hatch and sell chicks. This time of year not so good. But spring and summer excellent. That pays for the feed as well. We also filled our freezers with Roosters and the balance, around thirty off them were sold to pay for feed recently.
So it's not just cheap egg sales keeping us going. It's the cheap egg sales keeping them coming back.
When I use to charge $3.00 per dozen, we were feeding the pigs all the eggs. Here in our area the average price for fresh eggs is $2.50. TOO MANY people selling eggs. Selling at 2 bucks has me moving my stock quickly. PLUS I get the cream of the crop. The prettiest and jumbos are put in my kitchen frig.. the balance in the barn frig.

But I agree about the feed costs. If we didn't have the free feed, I would thin my flock big time..

 

[Pensmaster]

View attachment 1217057
To help keep the costs down, we have friends who donate grains from their Brewery. FREE. 8 - Forty gallons a week or more, as a supplemental feed along with conventional feed. The spent grains keep or food bill real low. AS well a supplement for many swine and goats.
Without this, we could not operate at this capacity.
To insure the Barley Grain train rolling our way, we barter meats for the thousands of pounds of grain.
Every once in a while we give the guys packs of center cut pork chops, hams, baby back ribs, bacon slabs. The bacon slabs really keep the barley train rolling..
View attachment 1217066 View attachment 1217062 View attachment 1217070 View attachment 1217069
On top of the barley coming in, we hatch and sell chicks. This time of year not so good. But spring and summer excellent. That pays for the feed as well. We also filled our freezers with Roosters and the balance, around thirty off them were sold to pay for feed.
So it's not just cheap egg sales keeping us going. It's the cheap egg sales keeping them coming back.
When I use to charge $3.00 per dozen, we were feeding the pigs all the eggs. Here in our area the average price for fresh eggs is $2.50. TOO MANY people selling eggs. Selling at 2 bucks has me moving my stock quickly. PLUS I get the cream of the crop. The prettiest and jumbos are put in my kitchen frig.. the balance in the barn frig.

But I agree about the feed costs. If we didn't have the free feed, I would thin my flock big time..

Spent grain is awesome many times while feeding I tell my chickens they wouldn’t be here without the stuff. It’s almost time for the call for the grain, or people stopped drinking and he doesn’t have any more.
I do the opposite here best are sold at the $5 mark and we eat the rest. When they are laying that is.

 

[Lazy Farmer]

It’s almost time for the call for the grain, or people stopped drinking and he doesn’t have any more.

This time of year everybody is drinking more and more. The Brewery is running at maximum overdrive. I am getting too much grain so I have been trading grain for feed bags from a couple small time farmers around the corner. Mostly cracked corn. Also traded for some bails of Perennial Peanut Hay. Barter is King.
As long as everyone keeps having a

Holiday,
more and more will come in..

 

[Pensmaster]

View attachment 1217106 This time of year everybody is drinking more and more. The Brewery is running at maximum overdrive. I am getting too much grain so I have been trading grain for feed bags from a couple small time farmers around the corner. Mostly cracked corn. Also traded for some bails of Perennial Peanut Hay. Barter is King.
As long as everyone keeps having a View attachment 1217103 Holiday,
more and more will come in..

It sure is. I’m now trading eggs for fresh trout.

 

[h2oratt]

View attachment 1217106 This time of year everybody is drinking more and more. The Brewery is running at maximum overdrive. I am getting too much grain so I have been trading grain for feed bags from a couple small time farmers around the corner. Mostly cracked corn. Also traded for some bails of Perennial Peanut Hay. Barter is King.
As long as everyone keeps having a View attachment 1217103 Holiday,
more and more will come in..

What state do you live in.? I sell my eggs for 5 dollars a dozen but I buy organic nongmo layer pellets.

 

[Lazy Farmer]

It sure is. I’m now trading eggs for fresh trout.

How do you prepare the trout?
I LOVE IT GRILLED/SMOKED w/lime juice..
I should have started the thread as a "Barter" theme.
We trade a lot..
P.S. What time is dinner?

So I can stay on subject,
I have put 5 eggs WET into 5 different color Styrofoam cartons. As a science experiment. Did this about 10 mins ago. I will check them out around this time tomorrow.
Pink, yellow, green, blue, white. All in the egg refer so the conditions should be the same. I am reusing the 18 pack that caused the stains in the first place.
Same washing method, just cold water. No soaps or chemicals. Just carton/water/egg
I will post the results tomorrow around this same time.

 

[Lazy Farmer]

What state do you live in.? I sell my eggs for 5 dollars a dozen but I buy organic nongmo layer pellets.

NC FL.