The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Poultry & Waterfowl => Topic started by: Perris on September 10, 2017, 09:14:23 am
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Someone to whom I gave 1/2 dozen eggs said they'd like to buy some in future. Can you please tell me what's a fair price? My 3 hens range freely in my garden and beyond and source most of their food themselves, so they are effectively free range organic, though I understand I can't call them such without certification.
Thanks
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I charge £1.20 for 6 for farmgate sales. This will probably be rising to £1.40 later in the year, if we have extra feeding and mucking out requirements due to avian influenza restrictions (and I'm already gearing up for that one).
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many thanks! :hug:
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Most of the farm gate sales around here (west wales) are £1.20 for half doz. Some £1 some £1.40 but mostly £1.20. If our girls ever start laying and we have extras that is what we will farmgate them at.
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thank you too :hug: - any income from my chooks is an unexpected bonus!
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We charge £1.20-1.40 dependant on size & colour, we have just put our Duck eggs up to £1.50
Free range is a tricky one as the land has to have specifics, we call ours farm fresh.
Organic means no chemicals used on the land, in their food or medicines given to them.
In truth who would buy a free range egg if they knew what hens eat, ive seen mine eat, mice, slugs, snails, badger poo
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£1.20 for 6 here. They fly off the stand at that price though, so we may have been able to charge more. Ours are rare breed and free ranging, although I think the different colours and taste are more of a selling point to people.
Dans
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thanks all :thumbsup: - I'm delighted by the consistency of price, even in the higher band for rare breed / unusual colour / higher production costs.
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£1.20 is the bottom price in my opinion far far too low. 10 years ago people were selling around this price. I think £1.50 is more the norm. I am more semi commercial £2 for 6. I have done various costings allowing for the odd med, boxes, buying etc and it costs are higher than you think.
Sadly if farmers are selling this cheap then they havent sat down to work out overheads (as a farmer I spend a lot of time doing this) Labour, boxes, labels, odd vet, meds, purchase, dispatching, fuel, food, supplements, bedding all add up to around 90p for a box. Think I worked mine out at £1.20 overheads per box. Look at the supermarket prices for real free range its around £2 - £2.50.
Dont be ashamed to make a profit if you asked a friend to pop over to decorate yr living home its hardly likely they wont factor in a profit so why should you sell eggs so cheap.
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£1.20 is the bottom price in my opinion far far too low. 10 years ago people were selling around this price. I think £1.50 is more the norm. I am more semi commercial £2 for 6. I have done various costings allowing for the odd med, boxes, buying etc and it costs are higher than you think.
Sadly if farmers are selling this cheap then they havent sat down to work out overheads (as a farmer I spend a lot of time doing this) Labour, boxes, labels, odd vet, meds, purchase, dispatching, fuel, food, supplements, bedding all add up to around 90p for a box. Think I worked mine out at £1.20 overheads per box. Look at the supermarket prices for real free range its around £2 - £2.50.
Dont be ashamed to make a profit if you asked a friend to pop over to decorate yr living home its hardly likely they wont factor in a profit so why should you sell eggs so cheap.
I totally agree and currently mine sell for £1.55 and duck eggs at £1.80 in our local community shop (they take a small profit). However most farm gate prices round here are £1 or at most £1.20 for hen or duck ... because they are 'just selling surplus' but it doesn't help the rest of us pay for our poultry.
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I charge £1 for six.
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thanks all for further advice; clearly there's a bit of a range in price, and good reasons for it. My overheads are minimal as they forage for almost all their food, spend v little time in the coop, and to date have had no health issues. Of course, avian flu will change all that if we have to enclose, and anyway when the chooks stop laying for winter no amount of money could produce these wonderful eggs! But for now, we don't eat 3 a day, so 1.20 suits me as well as my friend.
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Sadly if farmers are selling this cheap then they havent sat down to work out overheads (as a farmer I spend a lot of time doing this) Labour, boxes, labels, odd vet, meds, purchase, dispatching, fuel, food, supplements, bedding all add up to around 90p for a box. Think I worked mine out at £1.20 overheads per box. Look at the supermarket prices for real free range its around £2 - £2.50.
I think a key word here is "farmer". Many smallholders won't have labels, veterinary, dispatching, fuel or supplements costs to worry about.
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I think it depends on who your selling to, if friends then £1 a half dozen seems fair to me. If farmgate sales then I'd go for £1.20.